iSi Creative Whip

A Pesto for Summer

By now, you’ve probably felt slight hints of autumn creeping about. Don’t let those cool nights fool you: summer is still in full swing, and with it, the ever abundant supply of fresh produce and herbs. If you have a garden or belong to a CSA, you’re more than likely giving away your tomatoes and zucchini in gift baskets by now.  And at your local green market, vendors are showcasing their best selection of the year.

Vegetables aside, it’s hard to ignore that basil plant that has grown a whole two feet over the summer. And what about all those other herbs?  Pesto sauce to the rescue!  Pesto is a natural solution. You can use heaps of those fresh herbs, and the sauce keeps for weeks in the fridge. Best of all, pesto isn’t limited to the holy trinity of basil, olive oil and pine nuts. Feel free to innovate with parsley, arugula, rosemary or even thyme. In the recipe below, we’ve combined the traditional method and matched it with the iSi Creative Whip, which adds an unctuous, creamy texture to your sauce. Enjoy!

HERB PESTO CREAM SAUCE
Ingredients for sauce
1 clove of garlic
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup packed parsley leaves
½ cup packed basil leaves
½ cup thyme leaves
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure:
In a food processor, chop the garlic and pine nuts. Add parsley, basil and thyme and when combined, slowly add the olive oil while the food processor is running.  Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat milk and cream.  Bring mixture to a slight boil, lower the heat and blend in the cheese until well incorporated. Let sauce cool before adding the pesto and combining well. Pour into a 1 pint iSi Creative Whip and screw in a cream charger and shake vigorously. Refrigerate.

Serve with pasta, vegetables or cooked poultry. Note: you can easily switch up the herbs in this recipe.

Post by Bao Ong. Photo by Herb Garden Passion.