Make basil your friend with summertime dishes

Some herbs and spices just seem to define certain seasons. What would autumn be without sage and thyme? Winter without cinnamon and nutmeg? Summer without basil?

“When you deal with herbs and spices, a lot of those things tend to be maybe winter-aggressive,” said Damien Cross, master mixologist at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore. “And that’s beautiful and we love that, but when you can bring pepper and spice and still have it be reflective of summertime flavors, that’s an amazing thing.”

Dalton Wilson, executive chef of DW Bistro on Fort Apache Road, agreed that basil has an affinity for summer.

“Basil has a very light flavor,” Wilson said. “Everyone likes light flavors in the summertime.”

Wilson said he especially appreciates the herb’s versatility, a sentiment shared by Arnaud Masset, executive chef of Aureole at Mandalay Bay.

“It’s very easy to use, has a lot of flavor and you can do so many things with it,” Masset said.

And those “things” run the gamut. When Cross developed a watermelon margarita for the Wynn-Encore pools, he chose to mix in a little basil.

“I think watermelon is the quintessential summer type of fruit,” Cross said. “You get this bright, sweet style of fruit, and just to give it a little bit of balance the basil brings with it a little bit of pepper and a little bit of spice to kind of balance out all that sweetness.”

Wilson said he considers it almost a requirement for some summertime cooking.

“I think one of the things people miss out on when they’re doing some grilling is a basil sauce with butter and white wine,” he said. That would start as a basic beurre blanc, finished with shallots and basil and maybe topped with feta or goat cheese.

Bryce Krausman, co-owner of the bistro with Wilson, said the chef’s talent for working with basil was locally famous before they even opened the restaurant.

“One of the things we have made over the years is our pesto torte,” Krausman said. “Chef Dalton’s been making it for a long time, like 20 years. Before the restaurant, he used to bring it to every family party we had. He wasn’t allowed to come without it.”

The torte is goat and cream cheeses layered with pesto and topped with macadamia nuts and chili oil.

They also like to use basil mayo with a grilled turkey burger or pork chop. Or Wilson will make a couscous salad with Israeli couscous, goat cheese, pesto, heirloom tomatoes and seared tuna.

“In the winter, we use sun-dried and roasted tomatoes,” Krausman said. “It’s really nice in the summer when you have fresh ones.”

“Basil’s also good for people who don’t drink alcohol,” Wilson said. “Muddle it with some freshly grilled peaches or pears and add fresh lemonade to that.”

Their general manager, Rudy Aguas, also was inspired by basil, using it when he developed the restaurant’s Pineapple Express cocktail, which also has hints of ginger.

“That basil is really important — a taste of summer,” Krausman said.

Masset sometimes will use a basil gratinee with the oyster of the day.

“It gives a nice kick to the oysters,” he said. Or a basil sorbet, which he serves with tuna tartare. Or basil risotto.

“We looked to the flavor, and also the idea was to bring color to the risotto,” he said. “We made a basic puree and blanched the basil, cooling it down right away so it stayed nice and green. At the end, we just mixed it in,” topping the risotto with espelette (a fairly mild Basque chili), garlic chips and shaved Parmesan.

While some more delicate herbs tend to be challenged by the Southern Nevada climate, local gardeners often find themselves with a huge basil bush at the end of summer.

“People don’t understand that if you have a vast amount of basil, you can dry it and use it all year,” Krausman said.

Another option is to clean it and make pesto, freezing the finished mixture in serving-sized portions.

There are dozens of varieties of basil — some estimate upward of 100 — and some have distinctive flavors that will affect the flavor of the finished dish, so choose wisely. Masset said he likes Thai basil, which has a strong flavor, “a little more Asian.”

“Thai basil’s amazing,” agreed Krausman. “Lemon basil’s amazing.” But he also likes “just classic, crisp, every-day-in-your-garden basil. My grandmother used to have a lot of it in her garden, and I think that’s where my love of it came from.

“Basil, to me, is just an herb that, when you need a little kick, is not going to be overpowering,” Masset said. “You can just chop it up and put it in anything you want. It’s just going to give you a nice, fresh flavor.”

SWEET BASIL LEMONADE

½ cup rinsed, lightly packed fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons sugar

4 cups water

½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Sprigs of fresh basil

In a 1½- to 2-quart glass measure or bowl, combine basil leaves and sugar. With a wooden spoon, crush leaves with sugar until thoroughly bruised. Add water and lemon juice. Stir until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if desired. Pour through a fine strainer into ice-filled glasses. Garnish with sprigs of fresh basil.

Serves 4.

— Recipe from Sunset

SWEET BASIL MARTINI WITH BLUE CHEESE TOMATOES

1 cup crushed ice (divided use)

½ cup basil leaves

1 cup chilled vodka

2 tablespoons dry vermouth

4 grape tomatoes

2 teaspoons soft blue cheese (such as Maytag)

Combine ½ cup ice and basil in a cocktail shaker; muddle. Add remaining ½ cup ice, vodka and vermouth to shaker. Cover and shake 30 seconds. Strain vodka mixture evenly into 4 martini glasses.

Make a tunnel in each tomato using a cherry pitter or skewer. Stuff each with ½ teaspoon blue cheese. Place 1 stuffed tomato in each glass.

Serves 4.

— Recipe from Cooking Light

POTATO, TOMATO, CORN AND BASIL SALAD

1 pound baby red potatoes, scrubbed

5 medium ears of corn (about 3 pounds)

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1 small red onion, peeled and sliced thinly (about ½ to ¾ cup)

1 large bunch fresh basil, rinsed, dried, and leaves picked

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large lemons, juiced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

About 15 grinds freshly ground pepper

Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to boil. Cook until just fork tender, about 15 minutes. Fish out the potatoes with a spider or slotted spoon and place them in a bowl of ice cold water to stop them from cooking.

Shuck the corn and break each ear in half. Cook in the same boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes until tender but not soft. Remove the cooled potatoes to a dishcloth to drain. Immerse corn in the same ice bath until cool. Cut each potato into quarters and place in a large bowl.

Remove corn from water and also let drain. Use a chef’s knife to cut the kernels off each ear. Add kernels to bowl. Add grape tomatoes, onion and whole basil leaves. Add olive oil and lemon juice and toss gently to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8.

— Recipe from the Food Network

CHEESY BASIL-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (see notes)

¼ cup minced fresh basil

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each; see notes)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (see notes)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine cheese, 2 tablespoons basil, cream, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste, in medium bowl.

Cut pocket in chicken breasts, stuff with cheese mixture, and seal by threading a toothpick or wooden skewer ¼ inch from opening. Transfer stuffed breasts to 13-by-9-inch baking dish and spread tops evenly with mayonnaise.

Combine breadcrumbs, remaining garlic, remaining 2 tablespoons basil and 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle crumb mixture over chicken, pressing lightly to adhere.

Toss tomatoes with remaining tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange in baking dish around chicken. Bake until crumbs are golden brown and thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 25 minutes. Serve.

Notes: Avoid thin chicken breasts for this recipe; they are difficult to stuff without tearing. Whole-milk block mozzarella will provide the creamiest filling; pre-shredded or part-skim mozzarella will also work, but the filling will be grainy. To make fresh breadcrumbs, process 2 slices of hearty white sandwich bread in a food processor.

Serves 4.

— Recipe from Cook’s Country

PESTO TORTE

3 tablespoons pesto

3 ounces softened goat cheese

4 ounces softened cream cheese

2 ounces buttermilk

2 teaspoons minced chives

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons roasted and chopped macadamia nuts, for garnish

2 teaspoons chili oil , for garnish

Crackers and/or bread

Reserve 2 tablespoons pesto.

Blend all other ingredients in a bowl with a spoon until well-mixed.

On serving plate, place remaining pesto in pattern of your choice.

Roll torte mixture into ball or desired shape. Place on top of pesto. Garnish with macadamia nuts and chili oil. Serve with crackers and/or bread.

Serves 4.

— Recipe from DW Bistro

GRILLED CORN WITH BASIL-LEMON BUTTER

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 (13-by-9-inch) disposable aluminum roasting pan at least 2¾ inches deep

8 ears corn, husks and silk removed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Lemon wedges (optional)

To make flavored butter, combine butter, basil, lemon zest, parsley and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place flavored butter in disposable pan.

Brush corn evenly with oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Grill corn over hot fire, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides, 5 to 9 minutes. Transfer corn to pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Place pan on grill and cook, shaking pan frequently, until butter is sizzling, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from grill and carefully remove foil, allowing steam to escape away from you. Serve corn, spooning any butter in pan over individual ears.

Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Serves 4 to 6.

— Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at www.reviewjournal.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.