Lavender is a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family. It’s not only lovely and fragrant, but a charming culinary herb. It enhances sweet and savory foods with a floral and slightly sweet flavor.
Bees love lavender nectar—hence lavender honey. And you can drizzle some of that honey over lavender-coated goat’s milk and sheep’s milk cheeses.
Lavender pairs with chocolate, baked goods and desserts (lavender pound cake, lavender scones and lavender ice cream are favorites). The flowers are candied and used as cake decorations.
Lavender sugar is a popular addition to iced tea—but lavender iced tea or hot tea is a must-try if it isn’t already one of your favorites. Steep a spring of culinary lavender the next time you have a hot cup of tea, and see for yourself. Enjoy it with lavender marshmallows. Try this exquisite lavender white hot chocolate.
A bouquet of lavender. Photo by
EwaDacko | SXC.
Lavender syrup can be used to make soft drinks (mix with club soda), to glaze a duck and in so many other ways.
Note the difference between lavender and culinary lavender. You can pick up decorative bunches, but they may have been sprayed with pesticides. Culinary lavender is chemical-free.
You can fill your yard with lavender, or have a herb pot indoors. The herb will add grace to every dish it touches.
Tender jerky with a jolt. Photo by
Jerry Deutsch | THE NIBBLE.
Here’s one of the niftiest products to come down the pike in a while. We give it an A for originality and another A for execution.
Perky Jerky is “the world’s first all-natural performance enhancing meat snack.” In other words, protein- and sugar-laden beef jerky has been caffeinated with guarana, a natural energy booster with about twice the caffeine content of a coffee bean.
The idea is, if you need energy but don’t like energy drinks or coffee—or if you’re simply hungry—tear open a portion-controlled package and enjoy a flavorful snack full of nourishment and energy. Caffeinated beef jerky: Gotta love it—and we did.
The 100% beef jerky is tender and flavorful (some of the jerky brands we try are so dried out and unpalatable, we literally give them to the dog). And yes, it gave us ENERGY!
Perky jerky is available in one-ounce or two-ounce packages, 12 for $30.00 and $59.88, respectively. You can try an individual package for $2.00 or $4.99.
If this product isn’t for you, certainly you know a student, new parent or overworked adult who could use a jolt.
Fun fact: Perky Jerky is a accidental invention, like potato chips, yogurt and many of our foods. An energy drink spilled over some jerky, drenching the meat. Not about to throw good jerky away, the “inventors” ate it and discovered that it was not only more tender, but a great energy boost. (Today, the process for making Perky Jerky is a bit more sophisticated.)
Irish soda bread is irresistible any time. But St. Patrick’s Day provides an extra excuse to bake up a batch and treat family and friends.
Soda bread is a chemically-leavened quick bread* made with baking soda instead of yeast, which produces a lighter, airy crumb. Irish soda bread dates back to approximately 1840, when bicarbonate of soda was introduced to Ireland. It reacted better with the soft wheat grown in Ireland’s climate, and replaced yeast as the leavening agent.
When should you serve Irish soda bread? Anytime! As a slightly sweet bread, it’s a breakfast and tea time favorite; but it also disappears quickly in the bread basket at lunch and dinner.
Flat-leaf parsley available from
WhiteflowerFarm.com.
Parsley is perhaps the most common culinary herb—but do you ever use the entire bunch before it yellows away?
If not, a windowsill or garden pot of parsley will add beauty and convenience to your home.
Flat-leaf Italian parsley is more flavorful than the curly variety, so choose it to flavor your dishes. It also has a more modern sensibility as a garnish (or at least isn’t reminiscent of every curly parsley sprig you had in childhood).
Use it daily to add flavor:
Snip parsley into scrambled eggs and omelets, into green salads and sandwich fillings, soups, pastas, potato salad, vegetables…and if “parsley potatoes” isn’t in your repertoire, boil new potatoes, toss lightly with butter and lots of fresh-snipped parsley. If you like, add chives or scallions and minced garlic, with salt and pepper to taste. Add it to mashed potatoes and french fries, too.
The fresh flavor of parsley is a natural with with rice pilaf, risotto and rice salad. It accents just about any protein—beef, fish, lamb, pork or poultry. It accents soups and stews, and is the easiest garnish for just about any food.
If you do buy a bunch of parsley from the supermarket, it will keep for a week or more in the refrigerator if you stand it upright in a glass or plastic container with its roots in water. (This trick works with most herbs.)
Things you may not know about parsley:
It is part of bouquet garni, a bundle of fresh herbs used to flavor stocks, soups, and sauces.
It is a principal ingredient in tabbouleh.
It is part of a persillade is mixture of chopped garlic and chopped parsley (often used in French cuisine).
It is a component of gremolata, a mixture of parsley, garlic and lemon zest that is a traditional accompaniment to the Italian dishes.
And, as with all herbs, it’s an almost no-calorie way to season your food!
Irish Cream Icing for your favorite brownies or loaf cake: Take 1/3 cup Irish cream liqueur (such as Bailey’s) and 8 ounces of top-quality white chocolate. In a small pan, bring the liqueur to a slow boil; then remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped white chocolate until it’s completely melted and the icing is smooth. Refrigerate until it becomes thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally. Spread the icing over the brownies or cake. Keep refrigerated until 30 minutes before serving.
