Creamy Pesto Sauce

    Two of my all time favorite flavors are basil, and mayonnaise. Combining them? I swear, my tastebuds explode. This recipe is my own, but it's essentially a re-creation of a sauce I had at a local restaurant. I've gone back after eating mine, and, frankly, their's now tastes watered down...

• 17-20 small to medium basil leaves, slapped
• 1-2 small garlic cloves
• Juice of 1/8 of a lemon
• 2-ish t. tap water (I like Hellman's)
• 1/4 c. Mayo
• Rosemary

    First, wash the basil, and slap it. This is a technique I saw on Top Chef, but there it was used on mint (yup, I'm a Food Network addict...). Basically, wash the leaves, then take up to 3 at a time and clap your hands together. Hard. When you've done it right, you'll see that the leaf is a darker green, and may tear as you pull it away from your hand. From what I understand, this seems to allow the oils in the leaves to come out and play with the other flavors, so to speak. I have no idea if this actually does anything, but it seems to work for me...

      Smush the garlic under the side of your knife to remove the wrapping, then throw it in the blender. Put the basil and 5, or 6 rosemary needles in the blender. It could be a food processor as well (I find that a small one is easiest), and blend. This is the first place where you can personalize this recipe. The pieces of basil can be any size you like, but I think the smaller the better, only because more basil flavor comes out, and your teeth don't end up looking rotten... After, put the chopped basil in a small, or medium bowl. After, after this I put the lemon on the basil to get the acid vs. the basil war started. Just kidding.

   Finally, mix in the mayo. Now, this tastes great just like it is, but I add the water to stretch the ingredients, and the flavors don't seem to thin out at all. I find that the 2-ish teaspoons seem to bring the sauce to the perfect consistency for putting on sandwiches (I recommend rosemary focaccia, the combo works nicely.), using as a dip for veggies, and an hour, or so, ago, I tried it on grilled chicken. Mmm.

Bon Appétit!