The Art of Creating Potato Basil Puree: A Step-by-Step Guide

To begin with, one needs to start by blanching two cups of fresh basil leaves in hot water. This process sets the green color of the basil, ensuring it remains fresh and vibrant throughout the recipe. The pot should be filled with a big pot of boiling salted water, where the basil can sit for about 15 seconds until it reaches the desired level of blanching. After this, the basil is quickly transferred to ice water, also known as "shocking," which helps set the green color even further.

This technique is essential in preserving the bright color and flavor of the basil. It's crucial to have the ice water ready before starting the process to ensure that the basil is properly cooled down. Once the blanching and shocking process is complete, one can move on to preparing the potatoes. Two pounds of Yukon gold potatoes are needed, peeled and diced into approximately 1.5-inch pieces. These will cook for about 20-25 minutes, during which time they'll be seasoned with a dash of home movies – in this case, the narrator's visit to The Best of Berea, an old-school Parisian bistro known for its incredible charm and traditional dishes like veal chops paired with potato puree.

While the potatoes cook, the narrator takes the opportunity to show their audience the inspiration behind this recipe. They share a glimpse into the bistro, describing its location near the sand and its charming atmosphere, reminiscent of classic Parisian bistros where a side of potato puree is often served alongside other dishes. Once the potatoes are cooked, they're drained and placed under a lid to rest for a moment.

Next, the narrator heats up one cup of half-and-half to a simmer, adding three-quarters of a cup of parmesan cheese to it. It's essential not to let the cream boil, as this can cause the cheese to separate and lose its integrity. The parmesan is an integral component of the recipe, providing a rich, savory flavor that complements the potatoes perfectly.

After preparing the cream mixture, the narrator takes the blanched basil leaves and purees them in a food processor, making sure to strain it thoroughly before proceeding. This cold, strained basil will then be combined with the cream mixture, creating a hot but not boiling concoction that's ready to be added to the potatoes.

The next step is to create mashed potatoes using the cooked Yukon golds. In a separate pot, the narrator breaks up the potatoes slightly and turns on the stove, producing light and fluffy mashed potatoes that are perfectly broken down. To achieve this texture, one must slowly add in the basil-cream mixture, ensuring that the potatoes don't become too wet or sticky.

Two teaspoons of salt and one teaspoon of pepper are added to complete the seasoning, allowing the flavors to meld together seamlessly. The potato basil puree smells amazing once everything is combined, with a distinct aroma that showcases the freshness of the basil and the richness of the parmesan cheese. A final whisking action helps achieve the perfect texture, allowing the mixture to be both smooth and creamy.

A small amount of this puree can be set aside for later use, just in case it becomes too thick or overpowering. The final result is a potato basil puree that's nothing short of delightful – light, fluffy, and packed with flavor. To finish, a little sprinkling of parmesan cheese adds an extra layer of depth to the dish, elevating it from ordinary to extraordinary.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso the first thing i need for the puree is two cups of basil leaves what i'm going to do is blanch them in hot water and what that does is really set the green color so it's fresh green basil and the potato basil puree so i need a big pot of boiling salted water what i'm going to do is use the same water for the basil as i am for the potatoes so two cups of fresh basil leaves right into the water and it's going to sit there for about 15 seconds just until it's blanched and then into ice water which is called shocking and it really sets the green color okay right into the ice water which is why you want to have the ice water ready before you start okay next potatoes so i've got two pounds of yukon gold potatoes they're peeled and maybe about one and a half inch dice and those are going to cook for about 20 to 25 minutes and while they cook little home movies i'm going to show you where i got the inspiration for these potatoes it's the best of berea it's near the sand and it's the real thing old-school parisian bistro with incredible charm if you order veal chops in a place like this you are definitely having potato puree alongside so drain potatoes put the lid on so the next thing i'm going to do is heat up some half and half i've got one cup just to a simmer i'm gonna add three quarters of a cup of parmesan cheese it's really important not to let the cream boil though because parmesan will end up a mess okay next i'm gonna puree the basil from the food processor just strain it really well that's cold i'm just going to put this in and i'm going to put the cream in and puree them together it's hot but not boiling so this is the mixture that's going to go into the potatoes so just give it a whir so now i'm going to show you how i make mashed potatoes actually in the pot i'm just gonna break them up a little bit and then turn it on and it makes the most fabulous mashed potatoes light and fluffy okay so these are perfectly broken up so just very slowly add the enough basil cream so the mashed potatoes are the right texture i always save a little bit for later just in case they get too sick okay two teaspoons of salt one teaspoon of pepper just mix that all in oh does this smell good it's a tough job i have oh it's smooth and creamy and the basil is it's just delicious you can really taste the parmesan this potato basil puree smells so amazing just going to give it a whisk it's just the right texture you can really smell the parmesan and all the basil wow a little sprinkling of parmesan on top could it look any betterso the first thing i need for the puree is two cups of basil leaves what i'm going to do is blanch them in hot water and what that does is really set the green color so it's fresh green basil and the potato basil puree so i need a big pot of boiling salted water what i'm going to do is use the same water for the basil as i am for the potatoes so two cups of fresh basil leaves right into the water and it's going to sit there for about 15 seconds just until it's blanched and then into ice water which is called shocking and it really sets the green color okay right into the ice water which is why you want to have the ice water ready before you start okay next potatoes so i've got two pounds of yukon gold potatoes they're peeled and maybe about one and a half inch dice and those are going to cook for about 20 to 25 minutes and while they cook little home movies i'm going to show you where i got the inspiration for these potatoes it's the best of berea it's near the sand and it's the real thing old-school parisian bistro with incredible charm if you order veal chops in a place like this you are definitely having potato puree alongside so drain potatoes put the lid on so the next thing i'm going to do is heat up some half and half i've got one cup just to a simmer i'm gonna add three quarters of a cup of parmesan cheese it's really important not to let the cream boil though because parmesan will end up a mess okay next i'm gonna puree the basil from the food processor just strain it really well that's cold i'm just going to put this in and i'm going to put the cream in and puree them together it's hot but not boiling so this is the mixture that's going to go into the potatoes so just give it a whir so now i'm going to show you how i make mashed potatoes actually in the pot i'm just gonna break them up a little bit and then turn it on and it makes the most fabulous mashed potatoes light and fluffy okay so these are perfectly broken up so just very slowly add the enough basil cream so the mashed potatoes are the right texture i always save a little bit for later just in case they get too sick okay two teaspoons of salt one teaspoon of pepper just mix that all in oh does this smell good it's a tough job i have oh it's smooth and creamy and the basil is it's just delicious you can really taste the parmesan this potato basil puree smells so amazing just going to give it a whisk it's just the right texture you can really smell the parmesan and all the basil wow a little sprinkling of parmesan on top could it look any better\n"