Thai Basil Mojito

Thai basil has such a lovely sort of perfume-y quality, and I just love to use it to flavor sauces, water, and cocktails. Here is my favorite version of the classic mojito, replacing the mint with Thai Basil. Here's how I do it...

In a tall glass, muddle several Thai basil leaves with 1 teaspoons sugar, and cut 1/2 lime into wedges, juicing them into the glass and then dropping a few of them in the glass as well. Add 1-2 ounces of white rum, and fill with some crushed ice and seltzer water. Stir with a fresh lemongrass stalk and enjoy!

*The beautiful photos are taken by David Schmidt of Maki Strunc Photography. Thanks, Dave!

Blueberries, Basil and Cream...oh my!

The flavor of wild blueberries is so distinctly different from cultivated blueberries, and because of all the work involved in picking them, it seems really important to serve them in a way that doesn't cover up their flavor with a whole lot of other ingredients. I found that basil pairs nicely with the tart and slightly earthy flavor of the blueberries. This is a very simple recipe, using only 4 ingredients, blueberries, purple basil, sugar and cream. It's basically beautiful, too!

Blueberries, Basil and Cream

serves 4

1 cup wild blueberries

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup chopped purple basil

2 Tablespoons sugar

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Stir the basil and sugar into the cream and chill for at least 2 hours to infuse the basil into the cream. Strain out basil and lightly whip the cream until slightly foamy and thickened. Ladle the basil cream onto each place and top with blueberries. Garnish with a few purple basil leaves.

*The lovely photo was taken by David Schmidt of Maki Strunc Photography. Thanks, Dave!