Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers

There are hundreds of delicious, savory recipes using culinary  lavender which tempted me this week ~
But because they are at their peak now I gravitated towards recipes using berries . . .
such as this one, which I slightly adapted from one of the Trader Joe's cookbooks.





These are very easy to make; the method is to roll puff pastry  out with a rolling pin (the work surface and the top of the raw pastry is  sprinkled generously with Turbinado sugar prior to rolling.)





The pastry is cut into squares, (or whatever shape you like) and baked off in a hot oven.   After cooling on a rack the squares are  sliced in half horizontally. 
You can use a variety of fillings ~ pudding, whipped cream, lemon curd, mascarpone, etc.  I used a creamy plain yogurt, blended  with a little raspberry jam and lavender honey to sweeten the mix.


Arrange berries, or any fruit that you like on the  filling, then top with the remaining puff pastry half and enjoy!
So good!

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And, as I mentioned, MORE berries . . .

This recipe is inspired from one I found on the internet and served at a lavender farm in the UK.
It is called a fruit cup but I think we, on this side of the pond, would consider it a really refreshing drink with a lot of fruit in it. :)




No matter the name it is really delicious, not too sweet and doesn't contain much of  an alcohol kick. The strawberries from the garden are slowing in production now, but I found just enough to make the recipe. 
I believe other fruit would work equally well (I'm thinking another kind of berry, sliced peaches, nectarines, plums, or pitted cherries.)




I would describe it as a twist on Sangria ~ delightful! I serve it with a spoon to get every piece of fruit ~ a straw would make it easier to sip the liquid, too.


  (Please note: I'm not endorsing any particular brand of ginger ale --  I attempted to block the logo, but it looked like a train wreck. And I love my good neighbors to the north in Canada!)

These are the ingredients: 
Fresh orange juice, lemon juice, ginger ale and a splash of dry vermouth. Lots of sliced strawberries. Muddled lavender. For garnish: lemon balm (or lemon verbena) and a stem or two of  lavender. Serve well chilled!




I'll have the recipes and links to them up on Friday.



Thank you for coming by for a visit ~ I appreciate your comments if you care to leave one!






I know you'll enjoy stopping by each of the Novel Bakers blogs to see their magical creations today ~
(To visit click on the links below.)

Home is Where the Boat Is 

Rattlebridge Farm

Sidewalk Shoes

a quiet life blog

Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers ~ A Bonus Post . . .

Since we at the Novel Bakers are posting about Lavender this week, I thought I would share two older posts that I did some time ago using lavender.


The first is the Lavender Blossom Martini you can find the original post HERE.




~*~*~*~*~

And then one of my ALL-TIME favorite recipes  for homemade ice cream ~ Lavender-Blueberry, which the Novel Baker organizer ~ Jain @ a quiet life blog introduced us to a few years ago. 
Oh my, it's a fabulous recipe and I'm quite sure you'll love it too.
You can add less lavender if you're not sure you'll like it, or add more if you know you love it!  
Lavender-Blueberry Ice Cream





See you back here Wednesday with some all new (for me) Lavender Recipes with the Novel Bakers.



Happy Tuesday, friends!
xo~mari

Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers!

Welcome to Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers. This week we have a special guest joining us:
Pam from Sidewalk Shoes!

~*~*~*~*~

We'll be posting about Lavender on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this week, I hope you'll enjoy what we have to share.

Here is one of the books that inspired us:

(click the image to learn more)

The first recipe I made was from the book~

"Grilled Lavender Honey Breast of Chicken"

Of course, as is my way, I had to tweak it a bit.

I didn't have boneless chicken breast halves with skin,

so I cubed the boneless chicken and marinated in the delicious citrus

and lavender honey glaze, 

then skewered the chicken chunks, ribbon-candy style with

prosciutto, and grilled the skewers. 

If you don't care for the look of charred skewers, of course you'll
plan ahead and soak them in water before loading the ingredients.  :)

We really enjoyed the flavor the marinade added;

 made with vinegar, lavender honey, fresh lemon zest and juice

along with fresh lime juice and finely ground culinary Provence

lavender buds, a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

I served it as an appetizer course and it quickly disappeared.

I would definitely make this one again, either this way or

as the original recipe suggests~ boneless chicken breasts

with skin-on as a main course.

It was declared a winner.
Thumbs up!

~*~*~*~*~

We're still harvesting our blueberries, so

in keeping with the Lavender theme, I served

the skewers with Blueberry-Lavender Spritzers ~

you can serve them as the recipe suggests spiked with vodka,

but I found they were equally delicious sans the vodka. The

choice is yours.

I think the combination of blueberries and lavender is absolutely

heavenly ~ whether in this luscious Lavender-Blueberry Ice Cream,
(from many, many posts ago), or in this delightful liquid concoction.

It is an easy one to make ahead. First you make the blueberry-lavender

simple syrup (can make it up to a week ahead and keep it in

the refrigerator.)

When you're ready to make the drinks, just put ice cubes in the glasses,

add some of the blueberry-lavender simple syrup, then 

pour the remaining ingredients over.

Garnish with a stem of lavender, a sprig of lemon verbena (or lemon balm)

and a slice of lime.

For an added treat, freeze some blueberries and float them in

the drinks.

Such a refreshing beverage on a hot day!

~*~*~*~*~

Not feeling in the blueberry mood? 

Then you might want to try this recipe from Elise

@ Simply Recipes (I love her blog!)

Lavender Lemonade

I first tasted this at a local restaurant about 10 years ago. It's been a favorite ever since.






Note:
I'll have all of the recipes I share during Lavender Week posted on my recipe blog on Friday. (I'll share the links on Friday.)
A few tips about lavender~ 
Thought to have first been cultivated in the Mediterranean regions, lavender is easy to grow, and grows in poor soil where other plants may fail.
Lavender's uses include: 
Landscaping, crafts, floral decor, culinary, personal care, including therapeutic applications.
Both the flowers and the foliage of lavender are intensely aromatic and the flowers range in color from blue, very dark purple, pink, white and yellow depending upon the variety.
English lavender and Provence lavender are the two types most usually used in cooking.
A little lavender goes a long way in recipes, so it's best to start with a light touch, adding more if you like a more pronounced flavor and aroma.

~*~*~*~*~
Please come along and see the treats the Novel Bakers have in store for you during Lavender Week!
Click on the links below:
Home is Where The Boat Is
Rattlebridge Farm
A Quiet Life
Sidewalk Shoes


Thank you for stopping by today, friends.
Please come back on Wednesday, we have lots more to share!

Lavender Blossom Martini

Lavender ~ I love it!  Do you?

It has been blooming for the past couple of weeks, and I enjoy harvesting it early in the morning, then tying small bundles to dry.  

It smells heavenly, and I cook/create with it occasionally; Blueberry Lavender ice cream, Lavender Sugar Cookies, Lemon muffins with Lavender glaze, in a home blend of Herbes de Provence, Lavender-scented Lemonade, etc.

This time I experimented with Lavender Blossom Martinis, inspired by a local bistro.  The St. Germain Elderflower

Liqueur adds a very nice flowery and slightly citrusy background flavor, as does the French Lavender flower syrup (if you cannot source it, I have a top notch substitute on my recipe blog; see below)

You can use your favorite vodka ~ I used Rain's Organic Lavender-Lemonade vodka; all natural & organic ingredients, and filtered 7 times so it's very smooth.

If you don't drink hard liquor, I'm sure you could omit the vodka and just make it with the Lavender Syrup and Elderberry Liqueur.

A nice little weekend cocktail.

This is my entry for "Foodie Friday"
(BTW, the beautiful silver beaded tray is a gift I received from Michael @ Designs by Gollum, our host of Foodie Friday, in a recent drawing she hosted. She knows what I like!) 
Please go by her post and say 'Hi!'

~ And ~

Yummy Mummy's

"Yummy Fridays".




Do you have a favorite recipe or way of using lavender?  I'd love it if you would tell us about it.

If you would like my recipe, please click HERE, it will take you to the Once Upon a Plate recipe blog.

~ Thank you for stopping by today ~

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Clementine (or Orange) - Flavored Vodka and Liqueur

Note:  GIVE AWAY detail at end of this post!

This recipe is based on one from the cookbook
 Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects by Karen Solomon. 


Karen's recipe uses oranges, but I used Clementines ~ and I also suggest a couple of optional additional ingredients for the liqueur recipe. 

Coincidentally, my friend, Pam on her wonderful blog "Sidewalk Shoes" recently shared the same recipe.  I'm not surprised we were thinking along the same lines as we seem to have very similar taste when it comes to food.  If you're not familiar with Pam's blog I hope you'll go check it out.

Note:  The liqueur makes a great little hostess gift when poured into a pretty bottle and topped with a bow or wrapped in clear cellophane.

You may enjoy the flavored vodka in your favorite cocktail, or take it a step further by adding a simple syrup (as well as the optional Grand Marnier and Mandarin Vodka)  and allowing it to age into a delightful liqueur.

Clementine (or Orange)-Flavored Vodka


1 quart inexpensive vodka
5 or 6 sweet Clementines, or 4 sweet oranges (Navel or Valencia) Organic if possible
1 large jar with tight fitting lid


Wash and dry jar and lid.  Wash fruit and cut each into 4 to 6 slices. Place fruit in the jar and pour vodka over. Tighten lid and store in a cool, dark place for two weeks, shaking the jar once a day. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth.  Return the vodka to a jar, and put it back in it’s cool, dark place to age for 3 weeks to mellow the flavor.

Clementine (or Orange) Liqueur


1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 cups clementine (or orange)-flavored vodka  from recipe above.


Optional:  1/4 cup Mandarin flavored Vodka,  1/4 cup Grand Marnier or other Orange liqueur


To make simple syrup :  In a saucepan combine sugar and water, place over medium heat, until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat, set aside to cool completely.


Pour the flavored vodka into a jar, add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the simple syrup (and optional ingredients if using), taste.  If you prefer a sweeter liqueur add more of the simple syrup to taste. Secure lid tightly, label jar and store in a cool, dark place for 4 to 6 weeks.

For a printer friendly copy of the recipe, please CLICK HERE to link to the  Once Upon a Plate  recipe blog.

Thank you for visiting today. 
Please visit Designs by Gollum to see more of Foodie Friday.


~  GIVE AWAY DETAILS ~

CLICK HERE

Frozen Hot Buttered Rum

There is no way I can make this LOOK as delicious as it actually is.






You're just going to have to trust me on this one. :)














Here are the ingredients:

Good quality vanilla ice cream, a little crushed ice, Meyers's Rum, Buttershots (Butterscotch) Liqueur, a little heavy cream, and a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.

Move over spiked eggnog, this delightful concoction is in a class by itself.

If you would like the recipe, you can find it HERE on my recipe blog.

I hope you enjoy it too!