BROWNIES Step-By-Step

Ingredients
3 oz butter
3 oz chocolate (bittersweet)
1+1/2 cup (10.5 oz) sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup (3.3 oz) flour
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter one 9” square baking pan.


















In a small saucepan, melt chocolate with butter, remove from heat, add sugar, and mix with a fork.














Add eggs, mix again with fork only until smooth, without whipping.














Just until eggs are incorporated.














Add flour, mix only until all flour is incorporated.














It will look nice and smooth without much work.














Pour into the prepared pan.














Bake 35 minutes or until the cake just starts showing cracks in the surface. For less fudgy, more cake-like brownies, let the cracks open wide.
Cool in pan 30 minutes, cut into squares. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. For variety, add nuts to the batter, or sprinkle cherries or raspberries over the batter. They will sink in during baking.

RASPBERRY PRESERVES

This is a step-by-step recipe for raspberry preserves, using the quick-boil method.



Add fresh raspberries to a large pot with 1 cup of water per one gallon of raspberries.
Bring to rapid boil and cook for 5 minutes.



Run twice through the chinois sieve. Some pits will slip through. If you are very particular and want to remove all of the pits, squeeze through a cheesecloth instead.



Measure the resulting mush, return to pot and add one cup of sugar per two cups of raspberry mush.



Bring to rapid boil, and stirring often, cook for 5 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 220°F (jelling point).



Pour into clean jars, top with lids and let cool in room temperature without crowding the jars.

Summer LETTUCE WRAPS with Shrimp, Corn and Tomatoes

Easy to prepare, and you can easily make different variations of vegetables and herbs.

Here is a step-by-step recipe:



1. Choose two ripe tomatoes, heirlooms would be best.



2. Chop the tomatoes and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon sugar, which improves the flavor of tomatoes.



3. Chop up about 2 tablespoons of cilantro.



4. Combine the tomatoes, cilantro and 1 teaspoon of crushed pepper, let stand.



5. Roast four corn ears on a grill or under the broil for 5 minutes or until brown edges appear.



6. Cut the corn off the cob, and combine with the tomato mix



7. Wash and pat dry several large butter lettuce leaves.



8. Drizzle skewered shrimp with sesame oil and BBQ sauce or Hoisin sauce and place under broil for about 3 minutes on each side.



9. Shrimp will flake easily with fork when done. Don't over do it unless you like rubber shrimp.



10. Arrange the tomato-corn salad and four shrimp on each leaf, roll up and enjoy.

PIE PASTRY

2.25 cup flour
6 oz butter
1 egg
2 TBSP vinegar
water

Mix egg and vinegar in a measuring cup, add enough water to make 1/2 cup of liquid. Place the flour and cut up butter in a food processor and pulse several times while pouring the liquid in. Turn out onto a floured board - it will be very crumbly. Gather into two balls, pat into flat discs and place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer, place between two sheets of wax paper, roll to desired size and shape. Freeze again to be able to remove the wax paper. Enough for 2 open face pies or one closed pie.

BISCUITS

2.5 cup flour (600 ml)

1/2 cup (112 g) soft butter
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

1 egg for glaze

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Flake the butter in the flour using a fork. Add the buttermilk, stirring with a fork, until clumpy. Turn out onto a floured surface, knead quickly 3-4 times. Pat flat , about 1" thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter. Arrange on a cookie sheet lined with a parchment. Glaze with the egg, using a pastry brush. Bake at 450°F until pale golden. Serve immediately.

UPDATE: if you don't have buttermilk, but you do have sour cream, your day is saved! Mix 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/2 cup milk or half&half and you have an approximation of buttermilk. The longer you let it sit at room temp, the better (up to 2 hours)

CHEESECAKE CUPS

These delicious desserts with a swirl of chocolate are similar to cheesecake, but have no bottom crust.
Makes six 4 oz ramekins.

16 oz Neufchatel cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cocoa

Mix the egg yolks and sugar with a hand-held mixer until pale. Add the vanilla, combine until smooth. Add the cheese and whip until there is no clumps, just a smooth-looking cream.

Divide between the ramekins, reserving 2 tablespoons. Add cocoa to the reserved cream, mix well. Squeeze the cocoa cream on top of the ramekins, swirl the top with a toothpick. Place ramekins in a small cookie sheet with sides and place in a preheated 325°F oven. Pour boiling water around the ramekins and bake for 1.5 hour.

Turn the oven off and open the door to cool. Remove the ramekins when the oven has cooled and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, best overnight. Serve with raspberry or orange sauce.

LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE

Dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
zest of 1 lemon

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup sour cream
3.5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
4 eggs
6 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons poppy seeds
boiling water

Frosting:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup powder sugar

1 bundt cake pan buttered and floured.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the poppy seeds in a cup, pour boiling water over them, and let stand for 2 minutes. Drain over a fine sieve, let cool.
Place all of the dry ingredients and the poppy seeds in a bowl of a mixer, stir to mix. Place all wet ingredients in a smaller container and mix with a fork to combine thoroughly. With the mixer equipped with a paddle and running on low, add the liquid in a slow stream to the dry ingredients, when mixed turn on high for 30 seconds. Pour into the prepared pan, and bake 60 minutes until the wooden skewer comes out clean (210°F on the cooking thermometer inserted into the center of the cake). Remove from oven and reverse onto a cookie rack after 5 minutes.
Make frosting by stirring the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small cup until combined. Place the cake on the rack over a cookie sheet to catch the drippings and pour the frosting in swirls over the top of the cake. Let cool.

WAFFLES

4 oz/110 g butter
1 cup/160 g white flour
2/3 cup/160 g white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sour cream

Turn the oven on to 200°F. Start heating the electric waffler or the waffle iron.
Melt the butter in a large measuring cup. Add the water and sour cream,
mix until smooth, best with a fork pressed against the inside wall of the cup.
Add the eggs, mix only until the egg white combines, do not whip.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and add the egg mixture to the dry
ingredients, mixing with a fork only until the dry ingredients are incorporated,
do not whip. Bake in a waffle iron, until golden on both sides, transfer to the
oven and place directly on oven racks. Leave in the oven for 10-20 minutes,
while making the rest of the waffles.

The waffles will be very soft and floppy when they come out of the waffle iron,
but they will dry out in the oven and will be quite crispy. Open the oven from
time to time to let the steam escape.

Serve with warm maple syrup, heated raspberry jelly and whipped cream,
or sliced fruit and powder sugar.

Coconut Walnut Flourless Cookies

No butter, no egg yolks, no flour - light and delicious!

6 egg whites

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups chopped walnuts

2 cups shredded coconut

2 Cookie sheets lined with parchment

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 3/4 of the sugar, whip until stiff like marshmallow cream. Add the remaining sugar, the walnuts and coconut, fold delicately with a spatula. Place walnut-sized nuggets on the parchment, 1" apart. Bake until pale golden, and the centers are soft, but baked through. remove one to test, bake 5 minutes longer if necessary. Cool on a cookie rack.

Chicken Wings

This is a homemade "shake and bake" method, which makes wonderful, crunchy skin and moist meat.

2 lbs chicken wings

1 tabespoon crushed pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry italian dressing mix

1/2 cup white flour

2 tablespoons garbanzo flour (makes crunchier coating)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Chop each wing into three parts. Reserve the wing tips in the freezer for a future broth.

Place the dry ingredients in a ziplock bag, shake. Add the wing pieces, shake to coat well. Smear the olive oil in a cookie pan, arrange the wing pieces. Bake 20 inutes, turn, bake 15-20 minutes longer, until golden.

Ham Bone Soup Dinner

1 ham bone with little ham scraps attached, about 1 lb

2 carrots

1 small onion

2 celery stalks

1 parsnip or small potato

1 Tablespoon dry herbs (sage, rosemary, oregano, thyme)

1 teaspoon crushed black pepper

1 Tablespoon Maggi Sauce

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

3 lovage leaves (optional, because it’s hard to find)

3 bay leaves

about 1 cup of green vegetable scraps, such as broccoli legs, mushroom legs, kale stems, cabbage cores, cauliflower leaves, etc.

1 gallon water

Place the ham bone, all spices, herbs, and vegetables in a large pot and add 1 gallon of water. Bring to boil, then simmer for 2 hours, uncovered. Do not add more water – let the broth concentrate.

Meanwhile, slice

1 medium onion

caramelize in a skillet with

1 tablespoon olive oil

Set aside. In a medium pot, place

2 cups white navy beans

and enough water to cover 1″ above the beans. Bring to boil, then simmer 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes longer, covered. Drain, rinse well under running water, drain again.

Add fresh water, bring to boil, simmer 5 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let stand until cool. Drain, rinse well under running water. Taste the beans. If they are not soft enough to eat, add water and simmer until soft, then drain.

Drain the ham broth through a colander into another pot, discard all the bones and vegetables, but reserve any remaining ham meat pieces. Add 1 tablespoon dried marjoram or oregano, the caramelized onion, ham pieces, and the cooked beans to the broth, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust the flavor with Maggi, soy sauce, salt and pepper, but make sure to simmer for 5 minutes after adding these to let the flavors combine. Taste again. Serve with bread as a single meal.

Chocolate Truffles

Dazzle your friends at the next potluck with this sweet concoction or package them in pretty boxes for gifts.

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream
2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (60% or more)
3 egg yolks
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
2 oz - 1/2 stick butter

2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

In a small pan, bring the cream to boil, add chocolate, remove from the heat and stir until combined. Cool.

Whip the egg yolks with 1/2 the sugar until pale.

Add the butter to the cooled chocolate mix and whip 1 minute with am mixer. Add the rest of the sugar and the whipped eggs to the chocolate mix and whip another minute.

Transfer to a ziplock bag, snip off the corner and squeeze small mounds onto a parchment paper-covered cookie sheet.

Place in a freezer for 10 minutes. Sift the cocoa and the powder sugar 2-3 times through a fine sieve, place in a pie plate.

Remove the chocolate mounds from the freezer, roll each in your hands for 2 seconds and drop into the cocoa-sugar mix. Roll in the pan to coat all around, return to the cookie sheet and chill until hard. Keep refrigerated or frozen.

Bring them to room temperature before serving.

CAJUN MEATLOAF

10 minutes before mixing the ingredients for the meatloaf, place 2 slices of dark bread in a bowl and cover with milk. Just before adding the soaked bread to the rest of ingredients, squeeze the milk out slightly.

Place a heavy skillet on high heat, add
4 tbsp olive oil

when sizzling, add in a succession:

1 cup chopped onions
1 jalapeno, chopped without seeds
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper or sweet pimiento pepper
1 cup chopped celery stalks
4 chopped cloves of garlic

saute 5 minutes, trying to brown the edges of the chopped peppers. Transfer to a large bowl. Add:

2 slices of dark bread soaked in milk
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon maggi sauce (or Worcestershire)
1 teaspoon crushed marjoram
1 teaspoon crushed red or black pepper

Mix thoroughly. Transfer to 2 bread pans. Rub 4 strips of bacon with hot paprika on both
sides, lay on top of the meat, 2 strips per loaf. Tightly cover with aluminum foil, and bake about 1 hour
at 350°F until a thermometer inserted into the center reads 170°F or more, and the center of the meatloaf is not pink.
Make roux of 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tbsp flour, whisking constantly add juices form the pan and enough water to create thick sauce. Add a little bit of smoked paprika powder to taste. Serve with a salad of tomatoes, red peppers, and chopped cabbage with lime-cilantro vinaigrette..

MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

Butter and flour one 9" spring form or bundt cake form.
Preheat the oven to 340°F.
The ingredients below are listed by weight and by measure - choose one.
Place in a bowl of a mixer:
65 g / 0.75 cup cocoa
400 g / 2 cup sugar
225 g / 1.75 cup flour
1.75 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 teaspoon baking soda
Combine, then add a mixture of:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120 ml / 0.5 cup canola or grapeseed oil
240 ml / 1 cup milk
Mix 2 minutes on high, then slowly add:
240 ml / 1 cup boiling water
Combine well. The batter will be very thin. Pour into the prepared form and bake 80 minutes or longer.
Test with a wooden skewer for doneness.
Cool 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely on a cooling rack. Serve as is, no need for frosting, as it is very moist.
However, those who like to be decadent, may slice the cake into 2 layers, and spread with chocolate frosting. Sprinkle layers with Cointreau or Grand Marnier, or coffee or Kahlua.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING
12 oz heavy cream
12 oz chocolate chips, at least 60% cacao
Bring the heavy cream to boil, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is melted, then cool completely. When cooled, whip with a mixer on low until desired consistency. Do not overwhip or the frosting will curdle. If the frosting curdles, melt it in the microwave and repeat, this time shorter whipping time. The frosting will stiffen further after you have stopped whipping it.

HOMEMADE CRACKERS

2+1/4 Cups flour
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1 clove of garlic

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Do not grease the cookie sheets. Combine flour, baking powder and salt  with garlic and rosemary in the food processor for 10 seconds to chop the herbs. Stir in water and oil mix and pulse until a clumpy dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface and form into an oblong. Halve the dough and roll thinly using more flour when turning the dough over. Transfer pieces of rolled dough to cookie sheets. Don't worry if they tear - just fit them together without overlapping. Cut them on the sheet into 2" x 4" rectangles before baking or leave whole and break after baked for that rustic look - or cut one sheet and leave the other rustic. Bake until pale golden. Do not brown. Turn the oven off, open the door of the oven half way, and let the crackers dry in the remaining heat.

These crackers taste very buttery, even though there is no butter in them, only olive oil, and they may be considered vegan.

CINNAMON CHICKEN - Dinner in 0.5 hour #101

Cinnamon Chicken

Go ahead, be brave! when you need to speed up the reality, reach for this recipe, which may seem exotic, but is so easy that it doesn't even register on the difficulty scale. I mean, less than 0 difficult. How is that for a dinner from scratch that can be on the table in half an hour from the time you enter your kitchen? And everyone loves it. Here's what you'll need to have in your fridge or pantry to make this dish for 2-3 people (OK, 2 people and one lunch, depending on the size of the chicken breasts):

* 1 cup dry white rice + 1.5 cup water/rice cooker
* 1 head of washed lettuce/salad bowl
* for vinaigrette: 2T balsamic vinegar, 2 T olive oil, 1 t salt, 1 t pepper
* 2 pieces of chicken breast meat, enough for 3 people
* 2 T butter + 2 T olive oil
* 1 T honey, 1 t salt, 1 t cinnamon, 1 t black pepper, cayenne to taste

Process:

* Start the rice
* Combine the vinaigrette ingredients, later shake well before pouring over the lettuce
* Slice the chicken meat into thick strips
* Heat butter and oil in a skillet, add the meat and brown stirring occasionally on medium heat until evenly cooked through
* Remove the meat to a warm plate, add the salt, pepper, cinnamon and honey to the skillet, and cayenne to taste if you like spicy dishes
* combine and bring to sizzle, about 30 seconds, add the meat, stir until coated, remove from heat
* serve immediately on cooked rice
* dress, toss and serve the salad

LAVOSH CRACKERS with Herbs of Provence

If you grow culinary herbs in your garden, take a walk about mid-morning to gather some and make delicious crackers for the afternoon snack. Or buy fresh herbs from your local organic farmer.

INGREDIENTS

2.5 - 3 cups white flour
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
.75 cup water
1 egg white
2 tablespoons butter, melted
egg yolk + 1 TBSP milk, combined
1 teaspoon each of very finely chopped FRESH herbs:
sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, culinary lavender, salt, garlic

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl of a KitchenAid mixer, stir together flour, sugar, chopped herbs, garlic and salt. Combine water, 1 egg white and melted butter; add to flour and knead well adding more flour to make a stiff dough.
Knead until dough is smooth, about 1 minute. Roll through an Atlas pasta machine till mark 5. Arrange strips of dough on a greased, or lined with parchment, cookie sheets. Smear with egg yolk mixture. Cut with a pizza wheel or a knife into 2" wide ribbons. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden.

FRIDGE REVIEW #100

This dish is from the fridge review of May 26, 2009

Chicken breast, defrosted and cut into 4 pieces lengthwise (boneless thigh meat is also very good for this)
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 cup bullion
1/2 cup heavy cream

1 medium yellow onion
2 potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cut the potatoes, place in a small pan, submerge in cold water, add salt and bring to boil, and boil for 10 min or until done. Check doneness by using a sharp pointy knife to see if it goes easily through the potato. Drain. Slice the onion and cook until golden in olive oil. Add the cooked potatoes and stir on medium heat until potatoes are slightly browned. Keep warm in the skillet.

In another skillet, heat the butter and cooking oil until sizzling. Add the heavily peppered chicken breasts and fry until golden on both sides. Remove the meat from the skillet. Add broth to the skillet, stir the bottom clean of the frying particles, add cream and bring to simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. Add salt to taste, add the meat and stir to heat through.

Arrange on a plate with the potatoes and onion, drizzle the sauce over the meat.

This takes about 30 minutes, less if you're really organized and assemble all your ingredients in advance.

Corn Bread

2 cups yellow corn meal
2.5 cups white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups buttermilk
4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Oil one 8 x 12 pan.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl of a mixer. Whisk the eggs with the buttermilk until combined. Mix at medium speed, adding the buttermilk mixture in a steady stream. Transfer to the prepared pan, bake until the stick comes out clean from the center, about 40 minutes.

Muesli Cookies

In a large bowl of a KitchenAid mixer place:
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 white sugar
Whip until somewhat combined, add
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Whip 30 seconds, add
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix slowly to combine. Whip 30 seconds on high, then add
2 cups Bob's Mills Muesli
1.5 cup Craisins
Mix slowly to combine.
Place egg sized chunks of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet, flatten with wet hands. Bake in a preheated oven at 340°F until edges are golden and the center is set, about 12-14 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, remove to a cooling racks until set.

Homemade Dog Biscuits

3.5 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup cornmeal
3 TBSP peanut butter
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1.5 cups water
0.5 cup oil (safflower, canola, olive, etc.)

Knead in a KitchenAid until combined and no flour is showing, then knead additional minute. The dough should not be sticky. Roll out on floured board 1/4" thick, cut with bone shaped cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps until all dough is used. Bake 25 minutes at 400°F, turn off the oven, leave in the oven for another 20 minutes to crisp.

Marinated Mushrooms

Adapted from my Mother’s recipe for marinating wild mushrooms.

2 lb small white button "store" mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)
1/2 lb pearl onions
1 carrot
4 tablespoons salt
2 quarts water

32 oz white vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 bay leaves
4 allspice berries
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dill seed

Peel the onions. Cut off the mushroom legs flush with the caps and discard. Slice the carrots thinly. Bring 2 quarts of water with the salt to rapid boil. Add onions and carrots to the water, bring to boil. Add mushrooms, cook 1 minute, drain.

Mix vinegar with 1 cup of water, sugar and spices, bring to boil. Place drained mushrooms and
vegetables in jars, 3/4 full. Fill jars with hot vinegar, cover and twist.

Best after 2 weeks. Use within 12 months. Refrigerate open jars.

Magdalena's Scones

3 cups white unbleached flour
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
1 flat measuring teaspoon baking soda
1+1/2 flat measuring teaspoons baking powder
zest of 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup Half&Half
1 cup frozen berries (keep frozen)

top glaze:
1 yolk
1 teaspoon cream or milk

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Butter one cookie sheet, or line it with baker's parchment (not wax paper, as that will smoke at this temperature).

In a small cup, mix the egg yolk with cream using a pastry brush, keep it handy.

Prepare your work surface: sprinkle liberally with flour, set the bowl with frozen berries close to hand, and have the cookie sheet within reaching distance, since once you get your hands clumpy with dough, you don't want to touch anything.

Place the butter, flour, sugar, lemon zest and extract, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl of a mixer.

Have the measured lemon juice in a larger cup and the measured Half& Half next to it. You will try to combine them and then pour all into the mixer just as you hit the start button, all in one motion, as fast as possible. When you combine the juice and the H&H, it will instantly curdle - don't worry about that, keep pouring quickly into the mixer. Process for 5 seconds, stop. Pulse 2-3 times, let the dough come together, swirl once around and stop.

At this point the lemon juice and the soda start working together and the dough becomes spongy. Using a spatula, turn out the whole mess onto the floured work surface trying to form an elongated blob. Flatten the blob on the floured surface and pour out the frozen berries on top. Fold the dough on itself lengthwise enveloping the berries (you can see this clearly in the photo), and pat it with your floured hands into a 2" high, 3" wide , 12" long mound, flatten the top. Spread the egg yolk mixture with a brush on top. This is not an exact art, they can look blobby. And if the berries stick out too much, push them in with your finger, so a minimum number of berries will be exposed.

With a wide knife cut the mound in a zig zag, like this: | / \ / \ / \ |

You will end up with 5 triangles and 2 end blobs. Place those using the wide knife or a spatula onto the prepared cookie sheet with as much space between as possible. Place in the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the cracks look baked. Lower the temperature to 400°F after the first 10 minutes.

Remove to cooling racks, let cool a bit before serving with butter or jam, or clotted cream.

Can be frozen and reheated for 10 minutes in 400°F oven, or like pop tarts in the toaster.

To clean the work surface, scrape off the mess with a knife or pastry cutter to make the wash up easier.

Baked Beans with Apples, Raisins and Lavender

One 15 ounce can of beans (such as Bush's Vegetarian Beans)
2 sour apples, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup raisins
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. lavender
salt, pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Mix all ingredients. Transfer to a baking dish. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Serve as a side dish with entree, or with rice or tortillas as a main dish.

Cream Puffs with Lavender Sugar

4 ounces of butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon culinary lavender, finely chopped
whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter and flour one cookie sheet. You will also need a pastry sleeve or a large sturdy Ziploc® bag with a corner cut off for squeezing out the dough shapes.

Bring water and butter to boil in a medium saucepan. Add flour all at once stiring vigorously with a wooden spoon. When the ball of dough forms, remove from heat, stir for 30 seconds, add one egg at a time, stir well to combine. It will slip and slide, but finally, it will come together to form a very thick and sticky dough. Transfer to the pastry sleeve or plastic bag. Squeeze round nuggets of dough about the size of an apricot onto the cookie sheet 3 inches apart. They will double in size during baking. Bake 20 minutes, open the oven door to release the steam, lower the heat to 325°F, bake 20 minutes or longer, until golden. Cut across one puff and check the interior. It should have a soft, souffle-like inside, and a stiff golden crust. Fill each half with whipped cream, sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar mixed with finely chopped culinary lavender. Decorate the tops of cream puffs with whole culinary lavender buds.

It is best to mix the sugar with lavender several days ahead to maximize the flavor. Keep it in a tightly sealed jar. If the sugar clumps, fluff it with a fork.