Recipes for the basics

Sometimes I just want to make the basics. I have made (or have tried making) everything from yogurt to marshmallows to vanilla extract and gnocchi. If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen as I do, after awhile you just want to try something new. I can just as quickly tire from making the same dish as I can from using the same techniques over and over again. I have compiled some of my favorite "basic" recipes. These are just a few that I turn to not only when I'm looking for some culinary excitement, but at those frustrating moments when you have all but that one crucial ingredient to complete a recipe.

Basil Pesto
2 garlic cloves
2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and stemmed
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/3 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 tsp. salt
2-3 T unsalted butter, softened
3/4 - 1 cup olive oil

Place garlic in workbowl of food processor. Mince finely. Add basil leaves and parsley. Mince. Add pine nuts, parmesan, salt, and butter. Process for about 1 min. With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and continue to process until well combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Refrigerate in a covered container. Will keep in refrigerator up to one month and frozen for up to one year.

Creme Fraiche
1 cup whipping cream
2 T buttermilk

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for about 24 hours or until thickened. Stir and refrigerate for several hours before using. May be stored in refrigerator for up to 10 days.


Vanilla Extract
1 bottle of vodka
About 1 doz. vanilla beans

Find a tall glass bottle which will accommodate all the vanilla beans and the vodka. I used an empty 1800 Tequila bottle that has a corked top. Fill the bottle with the vanilla beans. Pour in as much vodka as the bottle will hold. Let the mixture rest at room temperature for at least 30 days to allow the vanilla beans to infuse the vodka. Not only can the extract be used whenever it's called for in a recipe, the beans can be pulled out and used as well. Both will keep indefinitely. Add more beans/vodka as needed.