Cooking With Herbs -- The Class

I love sharing my passion and my love

Sharing both my love of herbs

and my passion for cooking.

I taught a cooking class tonight at

life+style

"Cooking With Herbs"

And how to cook with herbs you don't need a

special cookbook or "herbal" recipes

but rather regular recipes that you just add fresh herbs to.

We started with an appetizer . . . 

Premade shells (sold by life+style) and a container of chicken salad from the grocery store.

We added fresh chopped garden sage to the chicken salad

And spooned it into the little cups

We topped it with leaves of salad burnet.

And from the 2009 Cookbook

"Be Our Guest, A Collection of Recipes from St. Paul Lutheran Church, ELCA, Nevada Missouri"

Polly's Pasta Salad

Originally served at their 1984 Salad Luncheon

I added fresh oregano to the original salad

And from a 1949 cookbook, "Aunt Ella's Cookbook" by Marguerite Gilbert Mccarthy

This recipe for sour cream biscuits

Made herbal for half the flour was an herbal flour

It's a simple recipe:

2 cups flour (1 cup was an herbal mix)

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 cup sour cream

Mix flour, baking powder, solda and salt together.    Add sour cream until it's all mixed together.    Press out on board and cut out biscuits.

Bake at preheated 400 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes

We served them with chive butter

And the third recipe was this wonderful pea salad.

From a 1984 A Book of Favorite Recipes Compiled by Grace Lutheran Church Women, Glendora, California

Called simply - "Pea Salad"
it was submitted by June Begley

1 package frozen peas

1 small carton sour cream

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 c. bacon bits (real bacon bacon bits)

1 ribs celery, finely sliced
1/4 t. celery salt
1/4 t. seasoned salt
1/4 t. garlic salt
1/4 t. lemon pepper

Dump all into bowl.

(I adjusted the salad somewhat.   I omitted all the different "kinds" of salt and just used Kosher salt, I added lemon zest and plain pepper)

I added a nice palmful of fresh dill.

And for dessert . . . 

A real herbal recipe.

Basil ice cream with bittersweet chocolate sauce

It came from a new cookbook (and a new culinary hero), Noel Richardson,

owner of Ravenhill Herb Farm in Vancouver, Canada
Herbal Celebrations Cookbook

A simple ice cream recipe

And a simple sauce

Topped with a small basil leaf.

It was outstanding and everyone seemed to really like it!

BASIL ICE CREAM WITH BITTER CHOCOLATE SAUCE

(Makes 2 - 2 1/2 c.)

2 c. milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 c. basil leaves

4 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

Bring the milk, vanilla bean and basil to a boil in a medium saucepan.     Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 10 to 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy.    Pour the milk and basil mixture into the egg and sugar mixture.    Whisk well.

Pour into a saucepan and cook over low heat.    Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 5 to 7 minutes.    Strain and cool.    Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s direction.

Bitter Chocolate Sauce

Makes 1 cup

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 T. butter

2 T. white corn syrup

6 to 8 T. sugar

3/4 c. milk

pinch of salt

Melt the chocolate and butter over hot water.    Blend in the corn syrup and sugar.    Add the milk and salt.    Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.     Serve warm or cool on ice cream.

It's always fun teaching how fresh herbs can change the taste of food

And we had a great time at class tonight.

It is Friday and I"m joining Michael at Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.