We started growing culinary lavender in our garden two summers ago, then last summer had to move the plants to pots to make room for more vegetables. One of my lavenders didn’t fare well, but the other two were doing splendidly until the uber snow storms of 2010. They look rather spindly now, a mere shell of their glory last spring when the bees played among the purple flowers. So I’m starting over with a few new plants in the garden and hopefully a better location for them, and maybe we will once again harvest some beautiful lavender flowers next summer. At least I had a few buds leftover from last summer.

If you want to grow your own lavender for culinary uses, choose a Lavandula angustifolia rather than lavendin, the flavor is better suited for cooking. We grow Munstead and Hidcote, both of which are very common English varieties, as well as a variety called Buena Vista, which is winter hardy for our area. To harvest the flowers, simply cut the flower stems and make a bundle, then wrap a rubber band around the bottom. Hang upside down in a dark dry place for about a week or so, then gently remove the flowers from the stems. Store in a food safe tin or plastic container in the cupboard away from light.

Michael once considered lavender an acquired taste, but with this lemonade I think he is sold. The lavender is a flavor that mixes well with the strawberries and lemons, making me think of warm summer days in the flower garden. If lavender is a new flavor for you or if you prefer a hint of lavender, use just 1/2 tablespoon of the buds, or if you like a stronger lavender flavor go for the full tablespoon. It takes only a few minutes to prepare the strawberry lavender syrup, and it’s so worth it, plus it will make a delicious addition to any Memorial Day cookout.

I hope you will join us for Grow Your Own this year. Simply write about a dish you created with your homegrown, foraged, raised, or hunted foods (anything is welcome, whether plant or animal), and then send your post information to me at andreasrecipesgyo AT gmail DOT com. May 31 is the deadline for this month, and I will post a roundup of all the dishes a few days after.

(Print this recipe)

STRAWBERRY LAVENDER LEMONADE

Adapted from Lemonade, by Fred Thompson.

Makes 1-1/2 quarts.

Equipment

medium saucepan with a lid
wire mesh strainer
2-quart glass pitcher

Ingredients

10 fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced + more for garnish
1/2 to 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds
4-1/2 cups water
1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the strawberries
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation

1. In the medium saucepan, add the 10 sliced strawberries, lavender buds, 2 cups of water, and the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and cool to room temperature.

2. Place the wire mesh strainer over the top of the glass pitcher and pour the strawberry mixture through it. Set aside the leftover strawberries and lavender, they are good over ice cream. Stir in the remaining 2-1/2 cups water and the lemon juice. Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until very cold, at least 2 hours. Serve over ice with strawberry slices for garnish.

Variations

Bubbly lemonade: In step 2 omit the water. Just before serving, add 2-1/2 cups cold seltzer water.

Spiked lemonade: In step 2 add 1 cup of water and 1-1/2 cups of vodka.

Sources for Dried Lavender

The Lavender Path

Blue Moon Lavender

Hood River Lavender

Olympic Lavender Farm

LocalHarvest.org – lavender

More Refreshing Beverages for Summer

More Lemonade Recipes From Around the Blogs

Laylita’s Recipes – Limonada, lemonade or limeade

Simply Recipes – Old Fashioned Pink Lemonade

Elana’s Pantry – Green Lemonade

A Veggie Venture – Cucumber Lemonade

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Pomegranates are one of the most festive fruits. The deep red color of the arils captures the eye, and the flavor of the juice is a wonder on its own and is very versatile. Though we’ve enjoyed pomegranate juice for a while, this year marks the very first time we ever purchased pomegranates, and as we munched on the arils we wondered how we ever managed without them.

Pomegranate juice is a perfect addition to cocktails, whether they have alcohol or not. This mocktail is a twist on mojitos with an easy-to-make ginger-habanero syrup and club soda for fizz. The pomegranate arils looks pretty floating in the bubbling cocktail. If you’ve never opened a pomegranate, the Pom Wonderful website has a video demonstration on how to do it easily and neatly.

More Festive Drinks

More Pomegranate Cocktails From Around the Blogs

White on Rice Couple – Pomegranate Cosmo

Fresh Approach Cooking – Pomegranate, Blueberry & Vodka Cocktail

Lisa Is Cooking – Pomegranate Manhattan

Wasabimon – Pomosa Cocktail

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Peppermint and chocolate is one of my all-time flavor combinations, and this hot treat with white hot chocolate, chocolate whipped cream, and minty Altoids is a perfect dessert drink for a cold day. A twist on the classic Hot Peppermint Patty drink, this white hot chocolate cocktail is spiked with brandy, white crème de menthe, and dark rum, making a mug of cheer sure to warm you all over.

Make sure you prepare the chocolate whipped cream ahead so it’s ready to dollop on top of the mugs. If you prefer to skip the alcohol, you can melt minty Altoids in the white hot chocolate instead.

More Festive Drinks

More White Hot Chocolate From Around the Blogs

Chew on That – White Hot Chocolate

Once Upon a Plate – White Christmas Hot Chocolate

Recipe Girl – White Chocolate and Peppermint Hot Chocolate

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Passion fruit juice may be tricky to track down in some areas, and I hit every single store we regularly shop at to find some. I finally had to give in and buy passion fruit nectar, a sweetened form of passion fruit juice, but I also had to read the labels because almost every brand I could find had high fructose corn syrup. La Fe brand passion fruit nectar was the only one to use regular sugar.

Cava is a Spanish sparkling wine, usually white or pink, and comes in a range of dryness. The brut cava is extra dry, which works well with the sweetness of the passion fruit juice.

This formula makes one large cocktail, but you can also make two small cocktails, just divide the passion fruit mixture between two champagne flutes and top with brut cava.

More Festive Drinks

More Cocktails with Passion Fruit From Around the Blogs

Family Style Food – Passion Fruit Caipiroska

Chez Us – Champagne and Passion Fruit Cocktail

[DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of The Bubbly Bar from the publisher.]

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As the snow fell and piled up during the now infamous blizzard of December ‘09, I stayed in the kitchen baking cookies and getting ready for Christmas with a mug of hot cider in hand. We like it spiked with spiced rum or cinnamon schnapps with a stick of cinnamon in the mug, but this hot cider cocktail is a variation on the classic sidecar cocktail and has apple brandy and triple sec. The orange flavor from the triple sec works well with the cider and we agreed the cinnamon sugar rimmer is perfect, though we used an orange wedge rather than lime to rim the mug. For a nonalcoholic variation, just add an ounce of orange juice to the hot cider.

More Festive Cocktails

More Cider Drinks From Around the Blogs

Elana’s Pantry – Hot Apple Cider

Baking Bites – Caramel Apple Cider

The Paupered Chef – How to Make Hard Apple Cider

Simply Recipes – Hot Mulled Cider

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Christmas is past, New Year’s Eve is approaching, and whether you host or attend large parties, intimate gatherings, or stay at home with your loved ones, festive drinks are part of the celebration of the new year. We began taste testing new (to us) cocktails over the weekend and will share some of our favorites this week in preparation for New Year’s Eve.

Citrus fruits are in season, making the Big O a perfect cocktail for holiday parties. Todd Thrasher, sommelier at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA, uses many different kinds of oranges and if you can find blood oranges they make a beautiful and festive display in this drink (though we used widely available Valencia). With an orange juice base plus orange vodka, triple sec, and orange bitters, the orange flavors permeate the drink.

The orange bitters were tough to track down, and none of my regular stores carried them. If you can’t find any you can omit them, but the orange bitters add a little spice that lends character to the drink. If you are feeling adventurous and have 25 days, you can even make your own bitters (see links below). There’s even a link to a video demonstration by Thrasher on how to make bitters.

Make Your Own Bitters

Star Chefs – Todd Thrasher How to Make Bitters Demonstration

Drink Dogma – How to Make Your Own Bitters

About.com Cocktails – Homemade Bitters (orange)

More Festive Drinks

More Orange Cocktails From Around the Blogs

Laylita’s Recipes – Bubbly Blood Orange Cocktail

White on Rice Couple – Blood Orange Cocktail (Midnight Ride)

Wasabimon – Blood Orange Margarita Cocktail

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I can’t imagine celebrating Cinco de Mayo weekend or enjoying a good Mexican meal without margaritas. My favorite margarita is the classic tequila/Triple Sec/lime juice concoction on the rocks with a bit of salt on the rim, but I’m always up for trying new varieties. This rhubarb margarita from 101 Margaritas by Kim Haasarud intrigued me, especially since we just added three rhubarb plants to our garden and I’m eager to cook with them. Unfortunately they aren’t ready yet, but rhubarb is coming in season and can be found in grocery stores and farmers markets around the country.

The flavor is pleasantly tart and sweet, not overwhelming, and the color will vary depending on the type of rhubarb used. We found it very enjoyable and look forward to making some again with our own homegrown rhubarb.

The original recipe makes one serving and I revised it to make four servings, enough to get a party started.

RHUBARB MARGARITA

Makes 4 servings.

Equipment

1 quart sauce pan
jar with lid
blender

Ingredients

SIMPLE SYRUP
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (240 ml) water

DRINK
1 stalk rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup (120 ml) simple syrup
6 ounces (177 ml) white tequila
4 ounces (118 ml) Grand Marnier
3 cups ice
basil or mint leaves, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. SYRUP: Pour the sugar and water into the sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the mixture just starts to boil and the sugar dissolves. Turn off the heat. Allow to cool, then pour into a jar to save for other cocktails.

2. DRINK: Cook the chopped rhubarb and 1/2 cup of the simple syrup in the sauce pan over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Cool. Combine the rhubarb mixture with the tequila, Grand Marnier, and ice in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and garnish each with a basil or mint leaf.

More Festive Drink Recipes

More Margarita Recipes From Around the Blogs

101 Cookbooks – Hibiscus Flower Margaritas

Use Real Butter – Margarita Jello

White on Rice Couple – Mango Margarita

House of Annie – Li Hing Margarita

References

Wikipedia – Margarita

Wikipedia – Rhubarb

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Source: adapted from 101 Margaritas, by Kim Haasarud

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Our weekday schedule is busy like any other family, and some days I feel like I meet myself coming and going with no opportunity to sit down and have a proper breakfast or lunch. So I try to keep easy healthy foods on hand such as fresh fruit and vegetables, things I can grab quickly and nosh on or turn in smoothies. Smoothies are a standing favorite for our family, an easy way to eat healthy and help us feel like we are treating ourselves. The boys’ favorite smoothie is mango, and avocado is one of my favorites, right up there with strawberry and blueberry.

My smoothie is a variation on the south east Asian avocado shake made with sweetened condensed milk, an addictive concoction. For an everyday smoothie I want something less sweet, so I use vanilla soy milk and skip the sugar, though you could add some during the blending if preferred. The texture is thick and rich and filling, and one smoothie will keep me going all morning.

AVOCADO SHAKE WITH SOY MILK

Makes about 2 to 3 servings.

Equipment

blender

Ingredients

1 medium (about 8 ounces/230 g) ripe avocado (Skin should be dark and feel somewhat soft under pressure.)
1 cup (240 ml) cup soy milk (I use vanilla soy milk.)
1 cup ice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)

Preparation

Scoop the avocado into the blender and pour in the milk, ice, and sugar (if desired). Blend for about 20 seconds, until the avocado is pureed and thoroughly blended with the ice and milk. Pour into glasses and serve.

More of My Favorite Recipes with Avocado

More Recipes With Avocado From Around the Blogs

Pinch My Salt – Avocado Pie

La Tartine Gourmande – Cold Avocado, Orange and Lime Soup

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Black Bean and Beef Chili with Cilantro, Lime, and Avocado Salsa

Simply Recipes – Seared Tuna with Avocado

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Last year Michael had a business trip that took him to Naples, Italy for the very first time. Needless to say he was very excited about the trip and sought all sorts of advice on local foods to try, and everyone familiar with the area told him he could not leave Naples without trying the limoncello. He came home from his trip enthused about all the different foods he enjoyed and he was stoked about the limoncello and arancello, but his favorite was the arancello. Listening to him describe the food made me feel a little bit envious, but hopefully someday I’ll have an opportunity to visit the famous city and other parts of Campania.

Arancello/limoncello is a traditional liqueur from Southern Italy, and it’s easy and inexpensive to make, requiring only citrus fruit, vodka or a neutral grain spirit such as Everclear or Gem Clear, sugar, and water. You shave the peel off the oranges and soak them in the alcohol for seven days, strain, then mix with the sugar syrup. The liqueur is usually stored in the freezer but the alcohol content prevents it from freezing solid, so it’s drinkable. The higher alcohol content in neutral grain spirits draws out more of the orange oils than vodka, imparting more flavor to the liqueur; however, neutral grain spirits are not sold in some states and might even be illegal in your state, so check your state’s liquor laws before having a friend run it across the state line for you.

With citrus in season, this is a great time of year to make arancello or limoncello. We keep several bottles on hand in the freezer, and though we enjoy it straight out of a shot glass, our favorite way to sip is with a little half & half poured in, which makes it taste like a very adult Creamsicle. We also tried it with eggnog at Christmas and really enjoyed that combination, and we even made a champagne cocktail with limoncello for New Years Eve.

Tips for Making Arancello or Limoncello

• Use the freshest fruit, which will have more oils in the skin, thus increasing the flavor.
• Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin, and peel carefully so that none of the bitter white pith is on the pieces.

ARANCELLO (ORANGE LIQUEUR)

Makes 4 (750 ml) bottles.

Equipment

vegetable peeler
1 or 2 large glass or ceramic containers with lids (canning jars work well)
6 quart pot
4 leftover 750 ml wine bottles, cleaned and sterilized, with corks or stoppers

Ingredients

1 bottle (750 ml) neutral grain spirit (95%/190 proof) or vodka (40%/80 proof)
4 pounds (1.81 kg) oranges, organic is best (or other citrus such as lemon or blood orange)
6-1/3 cups (1-1/2 liters) filtered water
6-1/2 cups (3 pounds/1.36 kg) granulated sugar

Preparation

1. SOAK THE ORANGE PEELS: Scrub the oranges with a vegetable brush to remove any dirt and other undesirable elements (i.e. pesticides if you chose not to use organic).

2. Carefully peel the oranges, making sure not to include any of the white pith. (It will make your cello bitter.) Juice the oranges and save for breakfast.

3. Put the peels in the bottom of the container(s). Pour in the alcohol and cover. Allow to rest for seven days in a cool, dark location. I keep mine in the cupboard.

4. SYRUP: Make this in the morning of the eighth day or the night before. In the 6 quart pot, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a fast simmer, not boil, and let it sit for 15 minutes, until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

5. On the eighth day, strain the orange peels from the alcohol and discard. Pour the alcohol into the pot with the sugar syrup and stir. (If you use Everclear, the mixture will turn cloudy, but this will not negatively affect the flavor.) Pour into the prepared wine bottles, cork, and store in the freezer.

References

Wikipedia – Limoncello

Wikipedia – Neutral grain spirit

Wikipedia – Everclear

Wikipedia – Vodka

Wikipedia – Naples

Wikipedia – Campania

More Beverages From This Blog

Recipes Using Limoncello From Around the Blogs

Ms. Adventures in Italy – Lemon French Macarons with Limoncello White Chocolate Ganache

Vanilla Garlic – Crema de Limoncello

White on Rice Couple – Limoncello, Kumquatcello, Blood Orangecello & So Cal Sunrise

Lucullian Delights – Crema di Limoncello

Chocolate & Zucchini – Lemon Kefir Ice Cream

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Source: adapted from What’s Cooking in America

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Limoncello is an Italian liqueur made with fresh lemon peel and alcohol, usually grain alcohol or vodka. The peels soak in the alcohol for several weeks, adding a notable lemon flavor. After straining, the infused alcohol is mixed with simple syrup and frozen in bottles, to be served ice cold as a digestive. Both imported and domestic versions of limoncello are sold in the United States, so check your local liquor or wine shop if you don’t have a homemade stash on hand.

We made our first batches of limoncello and arancello (orange) this summer and we think they turned out pretty well, but that’s a post for another time. This simple cocktail uses limoncello, Cointreau, and champagne to create a bubbly citrus concoction. Serve with a twist of lemon for garnish. Happy New Year!

More Festive Cocktails

LIMONCELLO SPARKLE

Makes one cocktail.

Equipment

measuring glass
cocktail shaker
champagne flute

Ingredients

1 ounce limoncello
1/2 ounce Cointreau
ice
champagne
lemon peel, for garnish

Preparation

1. In the cocktail shaker, combine the limoncello and Cointreau with ice. Shake a little and strain into the champagne flute.

2. Top off with champagne, garnish, and serve.

References

Wikipedia – Limoncello

Washington Post – Limoncello Recipe

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Source: adapted from 101 Champagne Cocktails, by Kim Haasarud

Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

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