Basil Coulis Recipes

RED BELL PEPPER COULIS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add red bell peppers and shallots; saute until soft. Stir in white wine and chicken broth, and simmer over low heat until reduced by half.
• When the mixture is reduced, stir in sour cream, and transfer the mixture to a blender. Puree until smooth. Reheat before serving if necessary.

BASIL COULIS

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Process in short pulses until smooth. Taste and add a little more sugar if desired, but the coulis shouldn't be too sweet. Pour into an airtight container and chill for up to a day, or freeze.

ASPARAGUS WITH TOMATO BASIL COULIS

Steps:

• In a skillet, saute the shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about two minutes or so.
• Quarter 3 of the tomatoes and add to the saute pan along with the juice, parsley and basil.
• Season to taste and cook for about five minutes or until heated through.
• Whirl in food processor or blender.
• Pour wine into saute pan and stir over medium heat to deglaze.
• Add this liquid to the blender and whirl.
• Add the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil slowly and process for two minutes.
• In a large saute pan, saute the asparagus in butter until tender crisp.
• To serve, cover the bottom of four salad plates with pureed mixture; arrange five asparagus in a fan shape over the top.
• Mince the remaining tomatoes and arrange equal portions at the base of the asparagus.
• Garnish as desired with chives, scallions and basil leaves.

ROASTED SEA BASS WITH TOMATO COULIS AND FENNEL SALSA

Steps:

• For coulis:
• Blend tomatoes in processor until almost smooth. Gradually blend in oil, then vinegar. Process until coulis is smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Season coulis with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Whisk until smooth before using.)
• For fish:
• Whisk oil and vinegar to blend in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Place fish in marinade in dish; turn to coat. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.
• Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Place 1 large rimmed baking sheet on each rack and heat 15 minutes. Dust flat side of each fillet with flour. Brush each heated baking sheet generously with oil. Place 5 fillets, floured side down, on each prepared sheet. Place fish in oven and roast until just opaque in center, about 12 minutes. Spoon 3 tablespoons coulis into center of each plate. Top with fish. Spoon salsa alongside. Garnish with basil.

SPINACH COULIS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine spinach and 1 tablespoon water. Cook until just wilted. Add cream, chives, and tarragon. Bring to a boil. Transfer to a blender, and puree until very smooth. Add salt to taste.

SEA BASS WITH TOMATO COULIS, BASIL AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Halve tomatoes lengthwise, and over a strainer set in a bowl, squeeze to remove juice and seeds. Place tomatoes and strained juice in the bowl of a blender along with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the vinegar. Blend to a fine puree.
• Cut tough stems from asparagus, and discard. With a vegetable scraper, peel asparagus, starting about two inches from tips. Rinse and drain. Cook in boiling salted water for about 6 minutes. Drain immediately, and cool in ice water. Remove, and set aside.
• With a rubber spatula, push tomato mixture through a fine sieve, to yield about 2 cups of liquid. Place tomato juice in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Add basil, remove from heat, cover and let stand in a warm place.
• Cut three 1/4-inch slices from the flower end of each asparagus. Place a tablespoon of butter in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus tips and the rest of the asparagus. Season with salt and pepper. Cook briefly or until just done. Remove asparagus from pan, and keep warm.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over high heat. Season fish well, and place in pan, skin side down, cooking for about 1 1/2 minutes a side, or until skin is nicely browned. Flip gently, cover, and remove from heat. Fish will continue to cook.
• To serve, remove basil from tomato sauce. Distribute sauce evenly over four warm plates. Place fish, skin side up, over sauce. To arrange asparagus on each plate, distribute small pieces around edge; place two large asparagus pieces alongside fish and lay two more long pieces over them in a criss-cross pattern.

TOMATO COULIS WITH BASIL (STEWED TOMATOES WITH BASIL)

Steps:

• Drop tomatoes into boiling water for 12 seconds to loosen skin. Peel tomatoes with a paring knife, cut them in half and squeeze to extract seeds. Chop tomatoes coarsely. There should be about 2 cups.
• Heat the butter in a small saucepan. Add shallots, cook briefly and add the tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Add the basil and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Serve immediately with the fish.

CHILLED TOMATO BASIL SOUP

Steps:

• To make the soup:
• In a food processor purée the tomatoes and force the purée through a fine sieve into a saucepan, pressing hard on the solids. In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and the broth and stir the mixture into the tomato purée. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice, the sugar, the whole basil leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the soup cool and chill it, covered, for at least 8 hours. The soup may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• Discard the whole basil leaves, ladle the soup into 6 bowls, and garnish each serving with a dollop of the sour cream and some of the chopped basil. Drizzle the soup with the oil and serve it with the toasts.
• To make the garlic baguette toasts:
• In a small skillet cook the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it begins to turn golden, brush the bread wedges with the oil, and on a baking sheet bake them in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 10 minutes, or until they are golden. Sprinkle the toasts with the salt and break them in half. Makes 12 toasts.