BASIL OIL (¾ cup)

1 cup mild olive oil 

2 cups tightly packed sweet basil leaves

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1. Measure olive oil and place it in the refrigerator.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Have ready a bowl of ice water.  Blanch basil for 10 seconds in the boiling water, remove it quickly and dunk it in the ice water, swishing it around to make sure it is cold.  Remove from water, squeeze gently to remove excess water and roughly chop.

3. Place basil in a blender with the refrigerated oil and salt and blend until the basil is pureed. The mixture will be very frothy.  Let the puree settle for about 30 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth, pushing very gently on the solids to extract the oil.  For the best flavor, let the oil come to room temperature before using.  Oil can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

from Irma Rombauer, The Joy of Cooking