I haven't tried the frozen cubes I haven't even seen them, but just yesterday I used basil purée in a tube and it was excellent it also keeps for a long time and he's quite concentrated so is economical in my mind..

Oh thanks louise, I have seen those too. The cubes I got at Trader Joes!

I love tomato basil soup! If the cubes are really filled with water, it might dilute the soup and not be as good. But if it's just basil, I would use it.

The amount of water compared to basil in a tray of "ice cubes" vs soup for 80 would mot make a difference you could see.
Tomato Basil soup would surely be a taste of summer in January, but expensive!
I would buy one "batch of fresh basil" and buy some good quality dried for the main flavor....just use enough of the fresh to make it pretty. Here in the grocery store you can buy a basil plant for about $3 that would give you almost enough basil for 80 people.....then make up the rest with dried.

I don't think there is that much water in these little cubes, but I think the basil puree is a better choice for me. Chopping the basil that fine could be a real challenge for me, but I'll add so fresh as lindac suggested. Thank you all !

I use the Dorot basil cubes all the time in pizza sauce and sometimes in a quick pasta sauce too. (They're not watery at all.) They're great for those applications. But for 80 servings, I'm not sure how many you would need. I'm positive they'd work fine and taste very close to using homemade fresh-frozen chopped basil. It's just the amount needed might be staggering. Since you've already got them, maybe you could use a combo of Linda's ideas along with the cubes. Just keep tasting as you go. And save the fresh basil leaves for the very last.

Wow, 80 people. I've noticed the cubes in Canada. They seemed very concentrated and not watery. A bit pricy. I can get a big bunch of fresh year round here. I do like the Costco pesto. But my tomato/pesto soup is more like a gazpacho but warm. Not real thick. Not real chunky either. The pesto adds a nice flavor.

A hunk of parmesan rind adds nice flavor.

Martha thanks for the tip on the pesto, will try, but maybe first for the family. A hunk of parmesan is a wonderful idea, we swirl of sour cream in a heart shape, it is a Valentines theme, therefore the red soup!! Thank you for you wonderful suggestions

I've never seen/tried the cubes but I think frozen basil isn't nearly as nice as fresh. Nothing is as nice as fresh basil. :) Sour cream heart sounds cute. Good luck with your V.Day soup!

AAH....you mentioned Valentine's Day...I make a tomato roasted red pepper soup.....red!!!
I pretty much put a swirl of olive oil in a dutch oven and add a chopped onion and slowly simmer until very soft and slightly golden....then add a couple of cloves of grated garlic, cook another 5 minutes or so, add a quart of chicken broth and a big can ...20 some oz...of whole San Marzano tomatoes....break up with your fingers and simmer without a lid for 45 mintues or so...add an 8 oz jar of roasted red peppers, cut into slivers ( or 2 or 3 fresh whole red peppers that you have roasted and seeded and removed the skins....by far better than jarred!)....simmer 20 minutes or so, add a handfull of fresh basil chiffonade...or what ever susbtitute you can find....and simmer a few minutes, serve with a dollop of sour cream on each bowl....and garlic/parmesan toasts...

party _music I have the frozen cubes in garlic too,which comes in handy. lindac the roasted red pepper sounds wonderful, I'll be trying that recipe for sure.

I've used the tubes of basil too, and they are fine. Better than dried basil but not as good as fresh, of course.

I've also frozen excess basil by stuffing it in the food processor and chopping, adding just enough olive oil to keep it "together", then plopping onto a baking sheet and freezing. Then I just grab as many "plops" as I need and toss them, still frozen, into the pot. So I'm sure the frozen cubes would also work, but wouldn't even venture a guess as to how many you would need.

I'd also use the frozen or tubed stuff for most of the flavor, and then add just a bit of fresh basil for that fresh flavor and the texture.

Annie

Thank you annie1992 for the basil tips, I'll harvest my basil this summer and freeze as you recommended always great to have some on hand!

I freeze my summer basil, with olive oil and garlic ( I can't think of any instance where I might want pureed basil and not also want garlic!) in ice cube trays...then pop the cubes out and store in a freezer bag. You can make smaller cubes by not filling the trays as full.

I have tried the frozen Dorot basil, cilantro, garlic, ginger, and caramelized onions. I love them all and keep an assortment on hand. I was especially excited to find the ginger. All of them work well in cooked dishes.

Recently, I needed fresh cilantro for a bean salad. The local groceries had none, but one store did have a tiny tub (about 1/4 cup) of "lightly dried" cilantro. It worked great in the recipe. I've also purchased the "lightly dried" basil and was pleased with the flavor.