Blackberries and Pineapple with Basil Simple Syrup

I love a good fruit salad. But you know what's even better? Fancy fruit salad.

A couple weeks back, I was bringing fruit to my mom's night out, and I wanted to class things up a bit. An herbal simple syrup seemed like just the ticket, so I headed to the grocery store to pick up fruit (truth: I got whatever was on sale) and fresh herbs. Since it's spring (hurray!!), Trader Joe's had giant pots of basil and mint. I promptly bought one of each and texted Amy and Andrea to determine which I should use.

The vote was speedy and unanimous: basil. And it was absolutely the right choice.

Basil simple syrup was an unexpected but delicious twist on the standard fruit salad. Check out this gorgeous bowl of sunny pineapple, tender blackberries, and ribbons of basil glistening with a drizzle of basil simple syrup. Don't you want to dive right in there?

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Blackberries and Pineapple with Basil Simple Syrup

1 pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
20 ounces blackberries
1/4 cup (or to taste) basil simple syrup (recipe below)
1 tablespoon chopped basil for garnish, optional

Gently stir everything together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Basil Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup basil

Combine sugar, water, and basil in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Allow syrup to cool for about 30 minutes. Strain syrup into a small container to discard basil. Press on the basil to make sure you extract all the good stuff from the herbs. Refrigerate until you're ready to use it. Yield: 1 cup simple syrup

Mint Julep

Happy Derby Week, y'all! It's that time of year when I always miss my Old Kentucky Home. It's also that time of year when I wish I liked the mint julep, the traditional drink that honors the fastest two minutes in sports. This former Kentuckian likes mint, likes bourbon. But the combo has always been...meh. The hubby, who I met and married in Lexington, KY, has always agreed. Until now and I will get to that.

As Kentucky journalists, Jeff and I worked a few Derby Days and at the end would "reward" ourselves with a sickly sweet julep at Churchill Downs. Flash forward 15ish years and I finally decided to make the julep myself.

Y'all I love this julep. Maybe that's because I added in a few basil leaves. Maybe it's just because I made one expressly for me and hubby rather than consuming one made en masse at Churchill. I am sharing this with you just in time for you to hit the liquor store and make your own juleps to sip during Saturday's big race. Hurry -- those ponies aren't going to wait on you!

XOXO,
Amy

PS: Jeff said "this is the best mint julep I have ever had."

Mint Julep
Adapted from thebar.com
Makes 12 cocktails

15 ounces bourbon
30 mint leaves, plus extra mint for garnish
6 (or more) basil leaves
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Ice

Wash mint and basil leaves, pat dry and place in a small bowl.

Cover leaves with 3 ounces of bourbon and let soak for 15 minutes.

Remove mint and basil leaves from bourbon and place in cotton cloth. Wring leaves over the bowl with the bourbon. Dip the cloth back into the bourbon and repeat a couple times. Really bruise the leaves. This is your mint extract.

For a mintier extract, put the bruised leaves into the bourbon; otherwise, leave as is. Set extract aside.

Now make your simple syrup. Bring one cup of water to a boil and stir in one cup of sugar. As soon as sugar dissolves, remove from heat and let sit -- covered -- for one hour.

Combine mint extract and simple syrup in a glass jar or container. Seal the jar and refrigerate overnight. BTW, if you kept the mint leaves in your mint extract, you will want to strain them when combining with the simple syrup or before mixing your julep.

Fill rocks glasses with ice and one ounce of bourbon. Add marinated julep mixture to taste -- more if you want a sweeter julep and less if you don't. Garnish with sprig of mint. Enjoy!