You know those days when it’s really nice out but all you want to do is just sit inside and do nothing and you feel guilty all day long because you really shouldn’t be “wasting” such a beautiful day? Well Sunday was NOT one of those days for me. It was the exact opposite actually. Here in Boston, it was just PERFECT weather and you know what I did? I went ahead and made the best of it.
A brief synopsis of my day yesterday would include things like going to see the seals outside of the Boston Aquarium, a bike ride through the city, a lobster quesadilla from Lobsta Love food truck, a vintage mall, and last but certainly not least… SoWa Open Market. This market in the South End of Boston is just awesome. Tent after tent filled with local jewelry, art, baked goods, produce… you name it. One of the tents there had a ton of fresh herbs for sale and I came across this vibrant purple basil called Red Rubin Basil, which I had never heard of. Most people go to markets like this and buy a necklace, or a piece of art, or a lemonade or something. I go and I buy an oddly colored basil plant. To each his own I guess.
On my walk home while awkwardly carrying my new herb plant, I started conjuring up ways to use it. The following recipe is what I came up with. Heavy cream, butter, wine, cheese… I really couldn’t have messed this up if I tried. My new basil was a perfect complement. I chose to add shrimp to it and serve it over pasta but you could really do anything with this sauce. I bet it would be amazing with sausage instead of shrimp or with mushrooms over chicken. Let me know if you give another variation a try!
WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE WITH RED RUBIN BASIL
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tablespoons water or cooking liquid from pasta
1 clove garlic paste (Click here to see how to make garlic paste on your cutting board!)
handful of red rubin basil leaves, lightly chopped
salt/pepper to taste
Directions
1. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add oil and garlic.
2. Once garlic is softened and fragrant add wine and 1 tablespoon of butter and begin to whisk and reduce. Season with salt and pepper.
3. After about 5 minutes, reduce heat to medium and add cream and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Bring to simmer and continue to whisk for about 10 minutes until sauce thickens. If sauce becomes too thick, add some cooking liquid or water at this stage. (This is also the point where I added the shrimp because the cook so quickly).
4. Stir in grated parmesan and chopped basil. Re-season if necessary.
5. Enjoy warm over pasta or with seafood, chicken, sausage, etc.
