Linderhof


Gardening, Cooking and Decorating on the Prairie of Kansas


Welcome to Linderhof, our 1920's home on the prairie, where there's usually something in the oven, flowers in the garden for tabletops and herbs in the garden for cooking. Where, when company comes, the teapot is always on and there are cookies and cakes to share in the larder.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Cooking With Herbs

Two of my passions are herbs and cooking and when the two come together as they sometimes do when I teach cooking classes at life+style, the cooking store for the everyday gourmet in our little town.

I teach other classes as well but the cooking with herbs classes are my favorite.    And tonight, the cooking with herbs class featured the following dishes:



It was not only a Cooking With Herbs class but a Cooking With Farmer's Market produce class.      All the vegetables for the class came from our local Farmer's Market.    All the herbs came from my garden.


At my classes, it is not just a sample but a real helping.    Three salads:

Broccoli/cauliflower salad with a pesto mayonnaise dressing
Strawberry Salad with a rosemary tarragon sweet dressing
Pasta Salad 3 Ways 
(Pasta with vegetables and an oil and vinegar dressing, one portion served plain, one portion with dill and the third portion with fennel)


Corn made lines infused with sage.    Fresh, hot out of the oven and served with chive butter.


Backups with rosemary, dill and parsley as well as sage.

And there can't be a meal without dessert and I simply adore herbal desserts.    Tonight it was


Mini lavender cherry cheesecakes.  

With a sprig of candied lavender on the top.

It's the old 80's recipe for those mini cheesecakes (in fact, I made them sans lavender for Daughter Sarah's 4th grade birthday party at school) with the addition of lavender in the batter.

It was a fun class and I so enjoyed visiting with the participants.    The lavender cherry cheesecakes were the hit of the evening.

LAVENDER CHERRY CHEESECAKES

16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 T. lemon juice
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla (optional)
2 T. ground lavender buds (I use a coffee grinder but you can leave them whole)
1 box vanilla wafers
foil cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350.   Place 1 cookie in each cupcake liner.    Place rest of ingredients in mixer bowl and mix until well blended.    Spoon mixture on top of cookies.    Bake 15 minutes.    When cool, top with cherry pie filling.

Thank you to friend Kate and friend Cynthia for the pictures.    My camera had a dead battery.   (the only flaw with my camera is the time between telling you that the battery is low and the battery is dead is a nano second!)    I think they did an awesome job!

It is Friday and I'm sharing this herbal feast with Michael at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday, Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

6 comments:

Southerncook said...

Your class sounded extra special and those Lavender Cherry Cheesecakes, oh my, I definitely need to make those. My Lavender is blooming right now.

Carolyn

Rebecca said...

I wish I lived closer to you! The class sounds so informative. As warmer weather arrives, I look forward to pasta salads--and your variations sound like "just the thing"! I may have to venture out on my own and get some recipes and find a source of good, fresh herbs since I don't have any in the ground this year.....

Rosemary said...

oh, I would love to take your class! You are after my heart with all your beautiful herbal creations! Love the sage madelaines and the sugared lavender, oh yes!

RachelD said...

Seeing the word "Linderhof" is always a pleasure---it connotes a charming little kingdom all its own.

A salad plate with so many varieties is the perfect Summer treat.

And those madeleines! That takes cornbread into a whole new sphere of sublime.

rachel

On Crooked Creek said...

Martha,
Delicious!!! I love that you use itemsfrom the Farmer's Market. By the way ours is again tomorrow morning. Last week it was new potaotes, squash and tomatoes! Always something good!
Fondly,
Pat

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

Cooking and herbs are two of my passions too and I love seeing what other people are doing! You are very inspiring!