Two years ago, we had some leftover pomegranates and served this salad dressing with that fruit substituting the strawberries at Christmas. The rich color and flavor was fabulous. I remembered that recipe contained basil. When planning Dinner Club two weeks ago, I knew it would highlight our prolific basil. The dressing appeared to go over well. Fely even added it to her pasta. (I hope that didn't mean the pasta was bad.)

The light pink of the dressing was very feminine, and seemed more appropriate for a girl's luncheon, whereas the pomegranate was a rich red color that worked well at Christmas and for a mixed guest list. Also, the quality of the dressing depends highly on the quality of the strawberries. If the strawberries aren't tops, the dressing will not be as great a success. It was definitely easier to ensure a perfect flavor with the pomegranates.

With so much basil within our reach, it's such a great idea to have a homemade salad dressing to in which to use it. I'm just not sure this is the one.