Bay Leaf?

[Dragon Lady]

I can't help you with defrosting, but I DO have several suggestions on what to use basil for...

Speak up, please. I want to use fresh herbs more (especially now that spring is swiftly approaching and I plan on planting fresh herbs) but never know how to just… use them. I tend to just follow recipes. And when I just make stuff up, I don't know what herbs go good with what. The only time I just use whatever fresh herbs is if I'm making a spaghetti sauce, then I just throw in basil, parsley and oregano. Whatever looks good.

[Marduk]

Probably the quickest and maybe tastiest way to use basil is in a caprese salad. It is a simple salad composed of tomato slices, salted, peppered, and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, with a basil leaf on it and a slice of fresh mozzarella (note: not just mozzarella, FRESH mozzarella. There is a difference.) Basil compliments tomato flavor very well, and can go very well in a tomato coulis or other tomato based sauces and soups (like a tomato-basil bisque.) Outside of this, it goes in pestos or can be used to garnish pastas that are done with garlic-olive oil dressings. Just make sure you are using sweet basil for this, not any of the other varieties. This is the kind we use in the west; other kinds are used in eastern cooking (Thai for example uses a lot of basils of different varieties) and I really can't help you with that.

One last note: when using fresh herbs, make sure to add them at the end or near the end of the cooking process. Cooking fresh herbs too long will destroy their flavor.

[ahem.]

DL's ice cube suggestion is a good one.

The other way to freeze basil would be to simply... freeze it. As is. I mean, wash and dry the leaves and then just... freeze them. Place the leaves flat on a pan so they don't touch. After they are completely frozen, tuck them into a ziplock or tupperware and keep 'em in the freezer until you need them.