Category: herbal fare

Cranberry Mint Green Tea, iced

Bring 2 cups water to a low boil. Add 2 green tea bags and let steep ten minutes. Remove tea bags and chill tea, at least one hour.

Meanwhile, place 1/4 cup frozen cranberries in a bowl with 2 chopped mint springs and juice from two limes. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.

When ready to serve, mash cranberry mixture until berries are popped and mint leaves well crushed. Strain mixture into cold tea.

Serve over ice and garnish with mint leaves and lime slices.

Serves two.

On my continued quest to use herbs in unusual ways in the kitchen, I have cobbled together a recipe for strawberry basil doughnuts. Baked. And gluten-free.

Not your typical cardboard gluten-free snack.

Nor are they your grandma’s homemade doughnuts.

1 2/3 cup gluten free baking mix (I used King Arthur, as it is my favorite gluten-free product)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup strawberries
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease doughnut pan and set aside.
Mix all ingredients together in blender until strawberries and basil are well chopped and incorporated.
Carefully pour the batter into the doughnut pan. (I used a canning ladle for this, but a small measuring cup with spout would work as well.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let set on cooling rack for 5-10 minutes.

If desired, dip the doughnuts first in melted butter then sugar.

(I had extra batter so I made mini muffin with the remaining batter. Same baking time.)

One of my favorite things to do at the Texas State Fair is cruise through the Go Texan Pavilion and check out all of the Texas-made products.

This year, I tried out a new (to me) jam – Jammit! Jam. I was drawn in by the herbal combinations… peach and thyme… papaya rosemary… lemon dill…

I ended up buying the Peach Thyme Prosecco and the Cherry Clove Cabernet.  The guys enjoyed the peach thyme jam tonight on a fresh baguette. I am saving the cherry jam for closer to the holidays. It tastes like Christmas in a jar! I can’t wait to try it as a cheesecake topping.

While standing in line to pay for the jams, I spotted a soap combination I had not seen previously – lavender sage. It smells heavenly. I haven’t bathed with it yet, but am looking forward to it.

It is easy to get in a cooking rut.
Making a savory dish? Reach for parsley, rosemary, thyme or basil.
Making dessert? Go for mint or lemon verbena.
There are a few notable crossovers, such as mint in Greek dishes. But what about rosemary? In a cake?
As unorthodox as it may sound, this recipe will have you swooning. And looking at rosemary in a whole new light.

Rosemary Orange Bundt Cake with Rum Glaze

1 (2-layer) package yellow cake mix
1 small package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 orange, zested
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rum
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup pecans (optional)

Glaze (recipe follows)

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, rosemary and orange zest in a large bowl. Add water, oil and rum. Mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition. Stir in pecans. Pour into a bundt baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour or until baked through.

Pour glaze over cake while still in pan, allowing glaze to soak in before removing cake from pan. Invert cake onto serving plate so that the glazed top is facing up.

Rum glaze

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 water or orange juice
1/4 cup rum

Bring the four ingredients to soft-boil stage in a saucepan. (235 degrees on candy thermometer.)

Recipe adapted from Along The Garden Path by Fredericksburg Herb Farm
Allergy information:
I have made this using both regular cake mix and gluten-free cake mix. I have not made this egg or dairy free. Pecans are optional. I do prefer the added texture of the pecans, but my spouse hates pecans and my son is allergic to them. Photos on the blog are gluten and pecan free.

Rosemary and cranberries are a match made in heaven. I first made these biscuits for Christmas 2003 and still make them whenever I roast a ham. They are great alone or as a base for a ham sandwich. The smell, fresh from the oven, is Mmmm…

Biscuits with cranberries and rosemary
2 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries<
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture is well combined.

Place the mixture in a large bowl. Stir in cranberries, rosemary and buttermilk. Mix well. Mixture will be sticky. Transfer to a floured work surface. Dust hands with flour and knead dough about ten times or until smooth. Pat out until about 1/2 thick. Using a 2 inch biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits and place on prepared pan. Gather the scraps and repeat until all dough is used. Brush the top with beaten egg. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Makes about 14 biscuits.

(Recipe from the cookbook Very Cranberry by Jennifer Trainer Thompson)

I have made these dairy and egg free in the past, when those food allergies were an issue.
I have not yet tried to make these with gluten free flour.

Rosemary is beautiful in floral arrangements. Here, rosemary is paired with coneflowers, esperanza (Tacoma stans) and an ornamental pepper.

As promised earlier, here is my recipe for Lemon Verbena Peach Cobbler, compliments of Fredericksburg Herb Garden. Yummy goodness! 

Lemon Verbena Peach Cobbler

4-6 cups peeled and sliced peaches
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon verbena leaves
Zest of one lemon
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Cinnamon to taste

Mix peaches with 1 cup sugar and set aside. 

Melt butter in glass 9×13 inch glass baking pan. 

Mix 1/4 cup sugar, lemon verbena and lemon zest in food processor. 

Combine flour, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, milk, salt and baking powder in a bowl and mix well. Stir in lemon verbena mixture. Pour over melted butter in baking pan. Spoon peaches over the batter and sprinkle with cinnamon. (Do not mix together!)

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until peach mixture is bubbly and crust is lightly brown. 

Notes:
I have previously made this recipe dairy free when needed.
I have also made it gluten free using King Arthur’s all purpose gluten free flour mixture.
I generally cut back on the sugar in most recipes, this one included.

Homemade herbal butters are an affordable and easy way to preserve your herbs and jazz up an otherwise ordinary meal. The herbal combinations are endless, but I tend to make them by cooking style (ie: Italian) or by dried herb blends (ie: Herbs de Provence.)

To make:

Set out butter to soften. (Use quality, unsalted butter.) One stick of butter will make one ‘log’ of herbal butter, so plan one stick of butter per blend.

Harvest and wash and pat dry your herbs and prepare any additions, such as garlic or shallots.

For an Italian blend, think about using basil, parsley and oregano.

For a Mexican blend, think about using cilantro and hot peppers of choice.

Herbs de Provence: savory, thyme, rosemary and oregano. Lavender may also be added, in small quantities. (It can be overpowering in some dishes.)

If you want to add to breakfast dishes, think about using chervil and chives.

Add herbs (and peppers, garlic or shallots, if using) to a small food processor and whirl until chopped fine. Add softened butter and process until well blended.

Lay out a piece of wax paper and turn the butter mixture out onto the paper, trying to keep the butter into a small cylindrical shape. Use a spatula to scrape any butter into one central spot. Pull the wax tight around the butter mixture and roll until formed into cylindrical shape.

Store for one week in refrigerator or up to three months in the freezer.

To use, just cut off a section and add to your recipe.

Photo below shows herbal butter added to mushrooms, ready for grill in a cast iron skillet.

Basil is a tender annual and will die at the slightest frost. Chervil and cilantro grow well in our North Texas winters but will bolt at the first sign of summer. Using these herbs in herbal butters is a great way to capture their flavor to enjoy throughout the year.