Chocolate-Dipped Lavender Cookies | Lavender Shortbread Cookies Glazed Lavender Tea Cake | Almond Lavender Biscotti | Grilled Vegetables Crispy Roasted Potatoes | Lavender Lemonade | Blackberry-Sage Thumbprint Cookies Lavender Ice Cream | Fresh Salsa | Basic Pesto | Fresh Herb Butter | Herbal Cream Cheese Potato & Corn Chowder with Fresh Sage | Cheese Wafers with Basil Chocolate-Dipped Lavender Cookies 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 ½ cups self-raising flour 1 Tbsp. Lavender flowers 8 oz. Semisweet chocolate pieces Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beat butter for 30 seconds. Add sugar, beat until combined. Beat in egg until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in the remaining flour and the lavender. Drop dough by teaspoons 2 inches apart in the parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool the cookies completely on a wire rack. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt chocolate, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate. Place the dipped cookies on parchment paper until the chocolate is firm. Makes 48 cookies. Lavender Shortbread Cookies 3 cups all purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 ¼ cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp 2/3 cup sugar 2 ½ tablespoons whole milk 1 tablespoon lavender buds 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Nonstick vegetable oil spray Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350. Wisk flour and salt in medium bowl to blend well. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and beat until blended, then add lavender buds. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 2 hours. Roll out each dough disk between sheets of waxed paper to 14x11 inch rectangle, occasionally lifting waxed paper to smooth out wrinkles. Refrigerate dough on baking sheets, still between sheets of waxed paper, until cold and firm, about 30 minutes. Place 1 piece of dough on work surface. Peel off top sheet of waxed paper. Press same waxed paper gently back onto dough. Turn dough over (still between waxed paper sheets). Peel off top sheet of waxed paper. Using cookie cutter cut out cookies. Shape excess dough into disk and chill, then cut out cookie again until all the dough is used. Using metal spatula to lift cookies from waxed paper to cookie sheet. Space slightly apart (cookies spread very little). Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until pale golden, about 8 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack, cool completely. (Cookies can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper in fridge). Almond Lavender Biscotti      Back To Top Serve these fragrant biscotti at a garden party with iced herbal tea. Makes 18 biscotti 1 ¼ cups whole-unblanched almonds, toasted 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup sugar 1 ½ teaspoons lavender flowers 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 large egg ½ teaspoon almond extract In a food processor, finely grind 1/3 cup almonds with ½ cup flour. Transfer to a medium-size bowl and stir in remaining 1-cup flour, the baking power, and salt. Set aside. Coarsely chop the remaining almonds. Heat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a food processor, combine the sugar and lavender flowers. Process until well blended and lavender is finely chopped. In a large bowl with electric mixer, cream the butter and lavender sugar until fluffy and light. Add egg and almond extract, mixing until blended. Stir in the coarse nuts and flour mixture to make soft dough. Shape dough on baking sheet into a log about 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. Bake until golden brown – 30 to 35 minutes. Remove log from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 250 F. Cool log about 15 minutes, until just warm. Slice log crosswise diagonally into ¾-inch-thick slices. Place slices on wire cooling rack and bake until crisp – about 15 minutes. Cool completely; store in an airtight container. Grilled Vegetables      Back To Top Cook up a batch of these vegetables on Saturday morning and use them over the weekend for sandwiches, pasta sauces, and omelets. 3 tablespoons olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 1-teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed 2 teaspoons “Herbes de Provence” or “French Garden Herbs” 1/2-teaspoon salt 2 yellow bell peppers, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips 2 red bell peppers, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips 4 Japanese eggplants, ends trimmed and cut lengthwise into ½-inch-thick slices 10 to 12 asparagus spears. tough ends removed 6 green onions or green garlics, root ends and tough greens trimmed Prepare a charcoal fire in a grill or preheat a broiler. In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, herbs, and salt. Add all the vegetables and toss to coat well. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Lift the vegetables from the marinade with tongs and arrange in a hinged grill basket or on a broiler pan. Grill or broil, turning as needed, until cooked through and just beginning to crisp and blacken on the edges, 7 to 8 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. Crispy Roasted Potatoes      Back To Top These small, crispy potatoes are smothered in the Provencal flavors of fruity olive oil, garlic, and fragrant herbs. 2 pounds mixed new potatoes such as Red Rose and Yellow Finn, halved 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised but left whole 1-tablespoon “Herbes de Provence” or “French Garden Herbs” 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2-teaspoon salt Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F. Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over them. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, turn the potatoes until they are thoroughly coated with the oil. Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet, spreading them out in a single layer, and scatter the garlic cloves over the top. Sprinkle the potatoes with the herbs, pepper, and salt. Bake, turning with a spatula every 20 minutes or so, until crispy and golden, about 1 hour. Serve hot. SERVES 4 To 6 Glazed Lavender Tea Cake   Back To Top This subtly sweet, delicate tea cake is great for breakfast, dessert, or a snack. CAKE: 1 cup granulated sugar 5 tablespoons butter, softened ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 large egg white 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt 2 tablespoons chopped lavender flowers Cooking spray GLAZE: 1/3 cup sifted powered sugar 1 teaspoon water ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 F To prepare cake, beat granulated sugar, butter, and ½ teaspoon vanilla at medium speed of a mixer until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg and egg white, 1 at a time; beat well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in lavender. Pour the batter into an 8-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. To prepared glaze, combine powered sugar with remaining ingredients. Spread over hot cake. Cool in pan 20 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 slice). Lavender Lemonade Back To Top Makes 5 servings 4 cups water, divided 1/4 cup chopped fresh lavender leaves or 1 tbs dried flower buds 2/3 cup sugar 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 6 lemons) Lavender stems (optional) In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup water to boil. In a medium bowl, combine the boiling water and lavender leaves, cover and steep for 30 minutes. Strain the lavender mixture through a fine sieve into another bowl; discard lavender leaves. In a saucepan, combine remaining 3 cups water and the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved. In a pitcher, combine lavender water, sugar syrup and lemon juice. Cover and chill. Server over ice. Garnish with lavender stems. Blackberry-Sage Thumbprint Cookies Back To Top Prep: 25 minutes Bake: 10 minutes per batch 2 cups all-purpose flour 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal 1 1/2 tsp. sage, chopped 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 egg yolks 2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel 1½ tsp. vanilla 3/4 cup blackberry preserves Preheat oven to 350° F. In a bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sage, and baking powder. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks, lemon peel, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour mixture as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour mixture. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly press the tip of your thumb into center of each ball. Fill centers with about 1/4 teaspoon of the blackberry preserves. Bake 10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely. Makes about 60. Lavender Ice Cream Back To Top 1 cup whipping cream 1 cup half & half 1 cup sugar 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract 2 Teaspoons Lavender flowers Combine all ingredients in Cream Canister. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Freeze as directed. Yield 1 ½ quarts. FreshSalsa Back To Top 2 medium roma tomatoes – chopped ½ medium white onion (can substitute purple onion) - chopped ½ yellow pepper - chopped 1 Jalapeno - chopped (adjust to taste) 1 tbls herbal vinegar 2-3 cloves garlic 3 tbls fresh cilantro (can substitute parsley or Vietnamese coriander) 1 tbls fresh basil (can substitute lemon or lime basil) salt & pepper Put all ingredients in blender and pulse several times. Serve with corn chips. Basic Pesto Back To Top 2 cups fresh bail leaves 3 large garlic cloves ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese ¼ cup pine nuts 2 tbls chopped Italian parsley 2 tbls chopped Greek oregano leaves ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil Combine herbs, garlic, cheese and nuts in food processor or blender. Process until finely ground. With machine running, slowly add olive oil. Let stand five minutes before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for one week. Serve with fresh pasta. Fresh Herb Butter Back To Top 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened 4 tsps each chopped parsley, basil (any variety), oregano, thyme 1 tsps lemon zest salt & pepper Put the butter, herbs, salt and lemon zest in a bowl and mix together. Transfer to a piece of waxed or parchment paper and roll into a log or place in a small bowl and refrigerate until firm. Slice and serve with fresh corn on the cob, steak or bread. Herbal Cream Cheese Back To Top Mix softened cream cheese with chopped shallots or chives, salt and pepper, then add Herbs de Provence, Culinary Lavender or chopped fresh herbs of your choice. Mix well. Let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes and serve with water crackers or French bread. Potato & Corn Chowder with Fresh Sage Created by Chef Jeff Evans E-mail: chefjeff@LavenderFieldsFarm.com 3 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin) 1 cup diced sweet onion (can substitute white or red) 1 cup diced celery 1 & 1/2 cup diced sweet potato 1 & 1/2 cup diced Russet potato 1 cup gold potato 3 cups water 2 & 1/2 tablespoons vegetable base (Better than Bouillon brand @ Ukrop's or Kroger) 1 tablespoon dried thyme 2 teaspoons onion powder 4 tablespoons fresh chopped sage 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste) 1 teaspoon pepper 1 16oz bag frozen corn 1-2 cups half & half or skim milk (depends on desired creaminess) 2 cans cream corn (or make fresh cream corn) Heat large soup pot on medium temperature. Add olive oil and increase heat to medium high. Add onions and celery. Sauté until lightly caramelized, stirring frequently (about 10 minutes) Add potatoes and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add water, vegetable base and dry thyme. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add onion powder, sage, salt, pepper and frozen corn. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add cream corn and half & half cook until potatoes are tender. Enjoy! Cheese Wafers with Basil Back To Top ½ lb extra sharp cheddar, finely shredded ½ lb butter 2 ½ cups unbleached flour ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cracked pepper 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil (sweet, purple or cinnamon basil) Cream butter and cheese until smooth. Add salt, pepper, basil, and flour. Mix well. Roll thin and cut in any desired shape. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Enjoy!