Flower and Herb Ice Cream

Ice cream is one of my most favorite desserts. I think one of the reasons is that ice cream reminds me of summertime. Now, I know we are still a few weeks away from summer, but I just couldn't wait any longer! That is why I created this lovely ice cream. The flavors are reminiscent of early spring - they are light and lively, with an earthy density that reminds me of sodden springtime soil. Serve it with a bourbon chocolate sauce, raspberry syrup or all on its own!

What You'll Need:

3 cups of whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

¾ cup white sugar

8 egg yolks (save the whites for an omelet or something…)

2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers

2 tablespoons dried fennel seed

Red and blue food coloring (optional)

Ice Cream Maker or Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Attachment

1.   In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and yolks until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.

2.   Combine the milk, cream, lavender and fennel in a medium sized sauce pot over medium heat. Continue to stir the mixture until the milk is just below a boil.

3.   Pour the milk mixture through a sieve into a bowl to strain out the flowers and seeds. Be sure to work quickly so the mixture stays hot.

4.   Next, slowly add the milk mixture to the eggs and sugar, being sure to constantly stir the egg mixture as you pour in the milk. If you do not stir the eggs, the heat from the milk can cause the eggs to cook and curdle… not fun for anyone. Once everything is incorporated, return the mixture back to the sauce pot on medium heat and continue to stir.

5.   If you would like to color your ice cream, now would be the time. Add the red and blue until the color reaches a shade you like. Remember that once your ice cream is churned, it will appear lighter in color.

6.   Once the cream is thick enough to coat your spoon, remove it from the heat. Pour the mixture into a container with a lid and let it sit overnight or 8 hours in the refrigerator. This will give the cream a chance to rest and the flavors a chance to mellow and meld together. This is a very important step.

7.   Once the cream has sat long enough, it is time to churn it. Pour the cream into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions to churn your cream.

8.   When the cream is churned, return it to the container and freeze for at least 6 hours.

And there you have it - a delicious springtime ice cream.

Yield: About 1 quart

Lemon and Almond Tea Cake with Dandelion Glaze

My husband and I hosted a lovely Mother's Day Brunch this morning. As I was putting the menu together, I knew I wanted to serve a dessert of some sort - something light but flavorful that would satisfy our pallets with a hint of refreshing sweetness. This little cake did just that. I whipped it up in a jiff and no one could resist a second piece (see my Dandelion Jam recipe for the glaze).

What You'll Need

3/4 cup cake flour*
1/2 cup white sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons almond extract
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup Dandelion Jam

*If you do not have cake flour, substitute with 5/8 cup of all purpose flour and 4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat your oven to 350. Butter and flour a loaf pan and set aside (the wider the pan, the shorter the cake).
In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and white sugar. Beat on high speed until the mixture is light in color and fluffy. Do not over-beat. Add the almond extract and 3/4 of the zest. Set aside.
Pour the flour into a small bowl and whisk. Set aside.
In another separate bowl (I know... this recipe uses a lot of bowls, but it's worth it, I promise) beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. This means that when you lift the mixer out of the whites, the peaks left behind fall over gently to one side.
Add 1/3 of the whites to the yolk batter and gently fold in. Add 1/2 of the flour to the egg mixture and fold in. Repeat this until all ingredients are incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let's prepare a space for the cake to rest. Place a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet.
When the cake is done, take it out the oven and run a knife along the edges. Let it stand for 10 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, we can prepare the glaze. In a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the rest of the zest, the lemon juice, jam, and brown sugar. Stir and heat until the jam has melted and the glaze is smooth.
Next, take the cake out of the pan and place it on the cooling rack. Pour the glaze over the cake, making sure every inch is covered. Let the excess glaze run off the cake onto the cookie sheet below.
Let the cake stand until the glaze has solidified.
Serve with fresh fruit.

Dandelion Jam

Nothing says spring more to me then seeing green fields freckled with these little yellow flowers. Few people know that dandelions are quite useful in the kitchen. Their leaves are edible and make a great bitter green in tossed salads and their flowers can be used for everything from tea to syrup to jam, hence this recipe. This jam is deliciously light and sweet and goes great with tea cakes and muffins.

What You'll Need

1 cup dandelion flowers*

1 ½ cups water

1 cup sugar

1 package of fruit pectin

3 - 8 oz. canning jars

*Be sure to separate the petals from the green leaves and stalks. This can be quite tedious, but you'll be glad you did. The green bits can impart a bitter flavor to your jam and no one likes bitter jam.

1. Combine the dandelion petals and water in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. It takes awhile for the delicate flavor of the dandelions to seep into the water, so the longer, the better.
2. Once you have let your petals soak, strain the mixture and reserve the water.
3. Place the water and sugar in a saucepot over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, add the pectin and stir until the mixture comes to a boil.
5. Using a large spoon, scrape any foam that rises off the top. This step is crucial. If you neglect to get rid of the foam, it will settle on the top of your jams resulting in a cloudy mess.
6. Can immediately and let stand in cans for 24 hours before handling. 

Garden Party Pennants

These pennants are a wonderful way to decorate a back yard BBQ, wedding or baby shower, or of course, a garden party. You can use vintage fabrics in any pattern, old shirts from the thrift store, or new fabrics from the craft store. Try using a mix of solid fabrics and printed fabrics for a nice contrast. I like choosing 4 to 5 colors to focus on as a theme. This is a quick, easy project that will spice up your back yard in no time!

What You'll Need:

1 yard each of 4 to 5 different fabrics

2 spools of 1" wide grosgrain ribbon in any color

needle and thread or sewing machine

scissors

Pen and Paper

Ruler or measuring tape

1. Lets start by making a pattern. Start by folding a piece of computer paper in half, lengthwise. Starting from the folded side, along the top edge, measure out 3 inches. Make a mark.
2. Next, starting from the top of the paper along the folded edge, measure 9 inches and make a mark. Draw a straight line between the two marks you made on your paper.
3. Keeping the paper folded, cut along the line you just drew. When you unfold your paper, you should have a perfect triangle.
4. Next, it's time to trace. Lay out your fabric, right side down. Using your pen, trace the pennant pattern onto the fabric multiple times until you have no free space left. Make sure you have an even number.
5. Cut out each triangle.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with each fabric.
7. Next it is time to make the pennants. These pennants will be double sided. You can choose the same fabric for front and back, or you can mix and match your fabrics. Choose two triangles and face them wrong side to wrong side so that the right side of each fabric is facing out.
8. Using your sewing machine or needle and thread, sew along the diagonal edges of each pennant. Continue this step until you have no more triangles left.
9. Now it is time to attach them to the ribbon. You can choose to pin the pennants to the ribbon beforehand, or you can eye-ball it. I prefer the latter. Be sure to leave at least 4" at the end of the ribbon before you attach your first pennant so you have a way to hang the pennants.
10. Fold the ribbon in half so it forms a ½" line and insert each pennant into the fold, about 3" to 4" apart from one another. Sew each pennant to the line to secure.
11. To hang, tie each edge of the ribbon to a branch, limb, or pole.

There you have it! A whimsical and easy way to decorate for any festive occasion. 

Fresh Jersey Cream Yogurt

"What is jersey cream?" you ask. Well, I will tell you. Jersey cream is cream produced by jersey cows of course! "Well then… what are jersey cows?" Jersey cows were originally bred on the island of Jersey located in the English Channel. They are much smaller than other breeds and their milk has a higher butterfat content, making it much more creamy and delicious than other cows' milk. The jersey cream gives this yogurt a rich, smooth texture. It is surprisingly easy to make and absolutely heavenly when served with fresh fruit or, my favorite, strawberry rosewater jam (keep your eye peeled for this post in July).

Where to find Jersey Milk:

There are many resources on the internet to help you find a store that sells jersey milk near you, however I have found the best website to use is the Jersey Cattle Association website. I have provided the link below:

Jersey Cattle Associaition

What You'll Need:

Half Gallon of Jersey Milk (skim, 1%, 2%, or whole will do)

½ cup plain starter yogurt*

Thermometer

Slow cooker

*For the starter yogurt, just buy plain yogurt at the grocery store. Whatever yogurt you purchase will dictate the type of yogurt you will make. We love greek yogurt, so that is the type that we bought. Just be sure it says "Active Live Cultures" in the ingredient list. Once you have made your first batch of yogurt, you can use ½ cup as a starter for your next batch.

1. Place a few paper towels in the bottom of the ceramic bowl of your slow cooker. Fill half way with water, cover, and switch it to the "warm" setting.
2. Next, in a medium saucepot over medium-high heat, heat the milk to 185^oF, stirring constantly to make sure it heats evenly.
3. Next, turn off the heat, remove the pot from the burner, and let the milk sit until it reaches 110 ^oF. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Once the milk has reached the right temperature, mix in the starter yogurt. Make sure the yogurt is fully incorporated. Make sure there are no clumps other wise the texture of your yogurt will suffer.
5. Next, pour the mixture into mason jars and loosely secure the lids. Place the jars in the water bath in the slow cooker for 12 hours.
6. When the 12 hours are up, refrigerate the yogurt for 12 hours.

And there you have it - delicious yogurt at a fraction of the cost!

Lavender Flower and Mint Old Fashioned with a Twist of Lemon

As I mentioned in the Lavender Flower and Mint Syrup post below, this syrup makes a great addition to any cocktail. This is a delightful take on my favorite cocktail. It is spring in a glass - the freshness of the mint and lemon pairs wonderfully with the floral bitterness of the lavender, and let us not forget that lovely bite of the whiskey that I love so much. (This recipe is for a double…what can I say? I like a stiff drink!)

What You'll Need:

3 oz of your favorite whiskey (I love Four Roses)

2 tablespoons Lavender Flower and Mint Syrup

2-3 mint leaves

splash of fresh lemon juice

ice

1. Add the lemon juice and mint to the bottom of a cocktail glass. Using a spoon or muddler, muddle the mint and lemon. (To muddle just means to crush fruits and herbs together to release their oils and juices.)
2. Add the ice to the glass.
3. Pour the whiskey and syrup into the glass. Using a spoon, gently mix all ingredients together.
4. Next, take the lemon wedge you squeezed the juice from and run it along the lip of the glass. Do not squeeze the lemon as you do this.
5. Garnish with a few mint leaves, sit on your front porch and enjoy.

Lavender Flower and Mint Challah Bread

Every Easter for the past few years, I have made a challah bread to share for Easter dinner. Even though I generally only make it once a year, challah bread is one of my most favorite breads because of its light texture and eggy flavor. This year I thought it would be lovely to add something different, something special to our Easter challah. I immediately thought flowers! The lavender gives the bread a delicate aroma and flavor and the sprinkled flowers on top look beautiful on the table.

What You'll Need:

• 2 packages of active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• ½ cup Lavender Flower and Mint Syrup, plus ¼ cup for the glaze
• 3 large eggs
• 5 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let is stand, untouched, until it is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the syrup, eggs, and 5 cups of flour, salt and butter.

2. BY HAND: Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. It will be VERY sticky. Pour the dough onto a floured work surface. Begin to knead the dough, adding the last ½ cup of flour as you go, until the dough is smooth and elastic. About 8 minutes

BY STANDMIXER: With the dough hook attached, knead on low speed. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour. Continue to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. About 8 minutes

This dough is VERY VERY sticky. Do not be tempted to add more flour, otherwise our challah will be tough. Trust me - I've made that mistake multiple times.

3. Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl with high sides. Cover with a damp, warm kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for 2 hours until doubled in size.

4. Lightly oil a large, rimless cookie sheet, or cover it with parchment paper. Uncover the dough and gently punch it down. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Form the dough into a ball. Now you have a choice - you can make one huge loaf of challah, or two smaller loaves. For this recipe, I will be making two loaves. Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, cut the ball in half. Place one half back into the bowl and cover with the towel. Take the other half and cut it into 4 equal pieces.

5. Roll each piece into a long strand as shown below:

6. Arrange the strands on the baking sheet as shown below. Pinch the 4 strands together at the top.

7. Now comes the fun part - the braiding. Instead of writing a bunch of confusing steps, I've decided to share a series of photos for you to follow. Don't feel too much pressure with this part - even if you mess up, your bread will still look beautiful and I bet no one will even notice!

8. Phew! Repeat this process until you run out of length. At the end, pinch the four strands together as you did with the other side.

9. Cover the loaf with a dry kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour. If you are making 2 loaves, then repeat this whole process with the second ball of dough.

10. Preheat the oven to 350.

11. When the loaf has risen and almost doubled in size, paint the remaining ¼ cup of syrup over the top of the bread. Wipe away any excess on the cookie sheet with a paper towel. Sprinkle the lavender flowers on top.

12. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped with a spoon on the bottom.