lavender

Cooking with Lavender We cook with all sorts of herbs and spices, so why does it seem strange to cook with lavender? Try cooking with lavender-its leaves are good if used sparingly in savory dishes, especially with cheese, and also give an unusual flavor to roast lamb or chicken. Lavender flower spikes and leaves can be steeped in oil or vinegar for salad dressings, or include in herb mixtures. Lavender also blends will with tangy or slightly bitter flavors, and particularly with citrus fruits, a sprinkling of flowers will transform half a grapefruit into a special dish.

Lavender Syrup Lavender has a history of being used to make hot, tea like infusions and to flavor such sweets and baked goods as ice creams, custards, breads, an cookies. This syrup is delicately scented, sweet and light, with only the faintest taste of the flower's heavenly perfume. It gives exotic flair to fruit salads, and a drop or two in a glass of champagne makes an elegant aperitif.

Lavender for Cold and Tension Cures An infusion of lavender is a proven remedy for nervous tension and headaches, It is a good reviver! Lavender syrups are excellent for relieving the symptoms of colds. The syrup can be diluted with hot water and brandy in the winter, or carbonated mineral water in the summer. Try it!

The Pomegranate The Pomegranate-regal, luscious, and delicious, this is a food of the goddesses, with a history resplendent in legend and lore, and can we even be sure that it was an apple with witch Eve enticed Adam? Many scholars believe that the fruit of temptation, leading to banishment from the Garden of Eden, was none other than the pomegranate. Folk medicine has lone promoted the pomegranate--to treat illnesses ranging form sore throats to dysentery, it has significant antioxidant and antiviral activity, and even the cosmetic industry has exploited the astringent properties of the pomegranate, using it in soaps, body scrubs, and creams. We have included only a few recipes to start with and we suggest that you check out the book Pomegranates by Ann Kleinberg where these recipes all came from for more incredible uses of our pomegranates and the Evans and Main Pomegranate Syrup.

8 fresh figs

1/3 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup and combination of Roquefort

Gorgonzola, and goat cheese at room temp

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic crushed

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

1.2 cup Marsala wine

2 tablespoons Pomegranate Syrup

Cut an X in the top of each fig, slicing halfway down so that the sides open up like petals. Combine the cheeses, olive oil, and garlic in a mini food processor or a small bowl and mix well. Fold in the seeds. Carefully spoon about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into each fig. Place the stuffed figs in a baking pan. Stir together the Marsala and pomegranate syrup in a small bowl and drizzle over the tops of the figs. Place under the broiler for about 21 minutes, or just until the cheese melts.

Forget all previous associations with borscht. For a nouvelle version, try straining the borscht and serving as a broth with only chunks of meat and beets. It's a version in vermilion.

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 yellow onions chopped or 3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pound stewing beef, cut into chunks

3 beets peeled and diced

8 cups water covered

1/4 cup dried yellow or green spit peas rinsed

3 tablespoon Basmati or long grain white ride rinsed

1 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts

1 cup minced fresh flat leaf parley leaves

1 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

2 cups chopped spinach

Salt and freshly ground black pepper covered

2 tablespoons Pomegranate Syrup

Return the meat and beets to the pot and season.

Heat the canola oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the meat and beets and sauté for 3 minutes. Add 2 cups of the water and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, for about 1 hour, or until the meat and beets are cooked through. The beets should be fork-tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat and beets to a plate, cover and set aside. Add the remaining 6 cups of water, the split peas, rice green onions, parley, cilantro, and spinach to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to low and simmer. To taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the pomegranate syrup and cook for 3 minutes, taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

8 cups mixed salad greens

2 heads Belgian endive, trimmed & chopped

1 red onion thinly sliced into half rounds

1 avocado, peeled and cubed

2 navel oranges, peeled, and cut into bite size pieces

1 red grapefruit, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

membranes removed

1 cup black olive rings

1 cup pomegranate seeds

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

12 cu basic Vinaigrette with Pomegranate Syrup

Place the greens and endive in a large serving bowl and add the onion, avocado, orange & grapefruit pieces,

olives, and 1/2 cup of the pomegranate seeds. Add the poppy seeds to the vinaigrette, shake well. Dress the salad, toss gently, and sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds on top.

Pomegranate Lemonade Its easy, 6 cups water, 3 cups pomegranate syrup, 1 cup pure lemon juice. You can adjust these measurements to your taste.

1 tablespoon Pomegranate Syrup

1 tablespoon crème de cassis

1/2 cup champagne or sparkling wine

Pomegranate Seed for garnish

Combine the pomegranate syrup and crème de cassis in a champagne flute and stir. Pour in the champagne and drop in a few pomegranate seeds.