Pansy Flower Cookies

These cookies are so pretty. They are just lovely for a garden party, a tea party, or a bridal shower. Serve with a nice cold pitcher of lavender lemonade for a beautiful and tasty summer treat.

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup + 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tspbaking soda
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cream of tartar
3 1/2 cups flour plus extra for dusting
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites
48 clean edible pansy blossoms (one per cookie

This photo is copied from the website where I found the recipe. I didn't capture an image of my cookies.

Directions
Cream the butter with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Mix in the eggs and sugar.Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and add to the mixture, along with the vanilla. Sift the cream of tartar, flour, and salt together and stir into the creamed mixture. Mix thoroughly. Gather the dough and wrap in plastic wrap, chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 1/8" thick. Cut out circles approximately the size of the pansy blossom. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the tops of the cookies with the egg whites. Place one pansy on top, spreading out the petals and topping with a bit more egg white. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and cook 5 minutes more. Let cool before serving.

Lavender Lemonade

When using any edible flower for consumption, be sure to use food grade flowers which have not been sprayed or treated with chemicals or pesticides. Do not use florist flowers.

Serves 6

Ingredients
A small handful of freshly picked and rinsed lavender flowers, or 1 tsp of dried lavender flowers
1 cup white sugar or honey, or to taste
2 cups boiling water for infusion
4 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice (from 16-20 lemons)
3-5 cups cold water
Ice

Directions
Dissolve sugar in boiling water. Cut lavender flowers from stems and place in a large pyrex measuring cup. Pour sugar and water over the flowers. Cover and infuse for 30 minutes (or several hours). Strain the lavender-infused syrup and pour into serving pitcher, discarding the flowers. Stir in lemon juice, add 3 cups cold water. Taste and adjust for tartness. Add more lemon juice if it is too sweet for your liking, or more water if it is too tart. Add ice and more cold water until you reach the desired balance of concentration, bearing in mind that as the ice melts it will dilute the lemonade. Stir in zest of two lemons for a deeper flavour. Garnish with some thin slices of lemon and some lavender sprigs, if desired.

Rhubarb Raspberry Trifle

Ingredients

500 grams rhubarb, cleaned and cut into 1 cm. pieces

150 grams sugar

750 grams fresh raspberries

Zest of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons Grand Marnier

250 grams quark

4 slices lemon pound cake

Chopped pistachios, optional

Directions

In large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rhubarb slices, allow to boil for 1-2 minutes. Drain, allow to drip. Place rhubarb and 100 grams sugar in food processor, puree until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, gently mix together raspberries, lemon zest, 50 grams sugar, 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, making sure not to squish the raspberries.

In another bowl, fold rhubarb puree with quark. Cut lemon pound cake slices in cubes, drizzle with remaining Grand Marnier.

Assemble trifle in tall glasses by placing a few cake cubes at the bottom of the glass, layer with a generous dollop of rhubarb-quark, then a few raspberries. Repeat, finishing with a few raspberries on the top.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let flavors infuse with each other. Serve cold, sprinkled with chopped pistachios, if desired.

Note: If you are unable to find quark, substitue with natural sour cream mixed with whipped cream. You can also use mascarpone cheese for this.

Raspberry Sherry Trifle

Bake time: 25 minutes        Yields: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

1 (18 1/2 ounce) package cake mix (Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Butter Recipe Gold recommended)

1 1/2 cups dry sherry

7 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups whipping cream

2 tablespoons icing sugar

3 (12 ounce) packages frozen sweetened raspberries, thawed

Whipped cream, optional (for garnish)

Fresh raspberries, optional (for garnish)

Mint leaves, optional (for garnish)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 13"x9" baking pan. Prepare cake according to package directions, but use 1/2 cup of sherry in place of 1/2 cup of water. When baked, let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to cool completely. Cut cake into large cubes, about 1 1/2" wide.

Place egg yolks, sugar, 1 cup sherry into top of a double boiler. Whisk until completely combined. Place top pan over simmering water (do not let water touch the bottom of the top pan). With a wooden spoon, stir over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until custard is quick thick (about the consistency of mayonnaise). Let cool.

Whip cream with icing sugar. Take half of whipped cream, fold into cooled custard.

To assemble:

In the bottom of a trifle bowl or a 13"x9" disposable aluminum foil pan, layer 1/3 of cake cubes, 1/3 of raspberries, and 1/3 of custard. Continue layering, ending with custard. Take remaining whipped cream, completely cover top of custard. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Serve with additional whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and a sprig of mint, if desired.

Homemade Herb Cheese

Cook time: 5 minutes        Yields: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

1 gallon whole milk

1 pint half-and-half

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (not in oil)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon salt

Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Directions

Drill holes into the bottom of a round plastic storage container (approximately 6" wide and at least 4" high) and set aside. Line a colander with cheesecloth, set aside. Put milk and half-and-half into a large pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it reaches 195 degrees F. (There will be a slight simmer and the top will be very foamy.) Remove from the heat and slowly stir in vinegar. Put colander into sink and pour mixture into cheesecloth. When most of the liquid has passed through, add the tomatoes, basil, and salt; stir gently to incorporate. Gather up ends of cheesecloth and transfer cheese to plastic container. Set container on a rack or sheet pan to catch the whey. Put a plate on top and weigh it down with some heavy cans to squeeze out the excess liquid. Let rest 1 hour, remove cheesecloth, return cheese to plastic container with plate and weights. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, put cheese onto a plate and brush with a little olive oil.

This is so yummy on fresh bread, in eggs, or on pizza! I'm sure it is a good fit elsewhere too, but these are the ways I used it this week.

Cranberry Jelly in a Mold

Cook time: 10 minutes        Yields: 8-10 servings

 

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package fresh or frozen cranberries

2 1/4 cups cranberry juice

1/2 cup sugar

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin

Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

In saucepan over medium-high heat, cook cranberries, 2 cups cranberry juice, and sugar until mixture is bubbling and cranberries have burst. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over remaining 1/4 cup cranberry juice to soften. Whisk gelatin mixture into hot cranberries. Strain into a bowl, let cool. Spray mold with non-stick cooking spray, pour cooled juice into mold. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. To unmold, briefly dip mold into hot water to loosen jelly.

Glazed Almond Bundt Cake

Cook time: 70 minutes        Yields: 16 servings

Ingredients

Cake:

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup ground almonds

1 cup milk

Glaze:

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

Directions

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10" Bundt pan. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, ground almonds; set aside. In large bowl, cream together butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time; stir in almond and vanilla extracts. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with 1 cup milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 60-70 minutes, until toothpick inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, invert on wire rack, cool 10 minutes longer. Place rack on waxed paper. Glaze while warm.

Glaze:

Combine ingredients for glaze. Pour over warm cake.