When I saw this Fresh Basil Oil over at the Café Sucré Farine, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some fresh basil~
Make up a batch and put it in a fancy bottle and you have the perfect gift from your kitchen,
A most welcome addition to anyone’s pantry….
I used a handpainted bottle, [see Juicy Details below] but all kinds of fun bottles are widely available-check Pier 1, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Sur La Table…
All you need is 1-2 cups fresh basil leaves, a little good quality olive oil another light oil
I used vegetable because that’s what I had but Chris recommends sunflower or canola oil
The technique is very simple
Poor boiling water over basil leaves in a strainer over a bowl [upper right]
Quickly rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process [ middle right]
Drain leaves well [lower right]
Pat dry on paper towels [bottom middle]
Pulse in food processor or blender with oil
Now put mixture into a saucepan
Bring to a gentle boil and simmer 1 minute, do not over cook
Remove from heat and cool, then pour into clean bottle
Fresh Basil Oil
Ingredients
- 1-1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- boiling water
Instructions
- Fill a quart sized measuring cup with water and microwave on high until it comes to a vigorous boil, about 8 minutes. Place leaves in a strainer over a large mixing bowl and pour boiling water over them.
- Immediately transfer strainer to sink and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process.
- Drain well and remove to paper towels and pat thoroughly dry.
- Place leaves in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add oil and puree for 1 minute.
- Transfer oil to a small sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil and cook 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat and cool. Pour into a clean bottle. Makes 1 cup
Thank you Chris for such a heavenly recipe. Please pop over to the Café Sucré Farine here to see all the delicious ways she uses this oil, and her gorgeous photos~
Juicy Details
If you want to paint your bottle, use Acrylic Paint for glass and a small liner brush for lettering. Use a fatter brush for the basil leaves and a combo of yellow and dark green to paint the leaves
Another way to jazz it up is with a cute label, like these chalk board labels
You can stick them on the bottle or use a piece of ribbon or twine and hang the tag around the neck
Not using words like these of course!!
There are lots of free printable labels available too, see a selection here and here
Check the craft store for Martha Stewart’s line of labels and paper crafting supplies, tons of super cute things to choose from~
Lots of possibilities here!
Pssst…just a little FYI, my first bottle of this divine basil oil is staying right here in my kitchen!
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I will be joining the fabulous parties and blogs on my side bar and