Back two weeks ago, we traveled up to Kennebunkport, Maine to spend the weekend celebrating a close friend's 50th birthday. We stayed at the cutest place called The Cottages at Cabot Cove. Perfect sized cottages for two people. As part of our weekend stay, we made reservations at the White Barn Inn restaurant to enjoy an incredible dining experience. The White Barn Inn offers the only combined AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star dining experience north of New York City. Being a foodie, this is like heaven. The meal was amazing, all the way to my flour less chocolate cake sitting between layers of praline...death by chocolate.
As we left, our friends purchased a signed copy of The White Barn Inn Cookbook. Ah, the memories of an incredible dinner, brought to life in a cookbook. I couldn't stop reading through the recipes.
We are starting slow with this cookbook (it's a 5 star) and since the basil in our yard is overflowing, pesto was the first on the list. I liked this pesto recipe because it was very easy and used three different types of nuts. The flavor to this dish is amazing...nutty and fresh.
Not only did we serve it as an appetizer with crackers, we put it on crusty bread with dinner and we finished the last of it with a chicken ravioli pesto recipe. Delicious alone and versatile with other ingredients, think pizza, pasta or a sandwich spread, the list goes on. The White Barn Inn suggests mixing it with Idaho potatoes to make a pesto potato puree.
This is a great staple for any occasion. Make a batch and unleash your taste buds to endless opportunities.
Ingredients:
a bunch of basil leaves (about 2 cups packed)
a 1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley (about 1 cup packed)
1 clove of garlic, sliced
3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of pistachio nuts
1/4 cup of pine nuts
1/4 cup of walnuts
salt and pepper to taste
crusty bread (sliced thin) or stone ground crackers
Preparation:
Place the basil, parsley, garlic, cheese and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the nuts and chop a few more seconds being careful not to over-process the mixture. The nuts should be chopped to a medium texture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use. We serve ours with crusty bread.
The pesto will keep best in a non-reactive glass or stainless steel container. Place a layer of olive oil on the top to keep the mixture fresh and green.