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Cream of Asparagus Soup
15-20 spears of Asparagus, steamed
1 cup spinach
1 leek (white part only)
1/4 cup white wine
1/4- 1/2 cup milk
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of crushed lavender buds
Sauté the leek and
asparagus in the white wine until leeks are translucent, toss in spinach, thyme
and lavender. Simmer until the liquid is gone – usually 1-3 minutes. Place
mixture in a blender with milk and puree.
Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt and thyme
leaves.
Lavender-Infused Island
Seafood Chowder
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons fresh lavender
1 cup butter
1/4 cup finely chopped bacon
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped leeks
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup white wine
2 quarts (64 oz) clam juice
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups diced and par-boiled potatoes
1/2 cup minced parsley
1 lb island snapper, diced
1/4 lb crabmeat
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced parsley for garnish
Put bay leaves, thyme, and
1 tablespoon of the lavender in a piece of cheesecloth; tie into a sachet with
kitchen twine; set aside. In a small saucepan, melt 1/2 cup of the butter and
add the 2 tablespoons remaining lavender. Remove from heat, cool, strain, and
set aside. In a heavy saucepot over low heat, sauté bacon, onion, celery, and
leeks in 1/4 cup of the remaining butter. Add garlic and wine; bring to a boil
and cook, uncovered, until wine is reduced by 3/4. Add fish stock and the
sachet, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Make a roux by heating the
remaining 1/4 cup of butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
Vigorously whisk the flour into the butter. When mixture thins and starts to
come to a boil, reduce heat to low and whisk slowly. Stirring constantly, cook
until the roux has a toasty aroma, about 2 minutes. Add roux, potatoes, and
parsley to the fish stock mixture; simmer until potatoes are just tender. Add
fish and cook through; add crabmeat and cream. To serve, ladle soup into
serving bowls, top with 1 tablespoon of lavender butter and garnish with
parsley. Makes 8 servings.
Lavender
Tomato Soup
4-5 ripe tomatoes, skins
removed and quartered
2 cups chicken stock
1 loaf French bread, crust removed
4 tablespoons French Lavender Marinade
4 sprigs basil
Simmer the tomatoes, French
Lavender Marinade, and stock. 6-8 minutes. Stir in the bread and serve with
fresh basil.
Red Pepper and Chicken Lavender Soup
4 tablespoons French
Lavender Marinade
4 chicken legs
3 red peppers, seeded and quartered
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 can butter beans, drained
1 can chopped tomatoes
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups chicken stock
Freshly chopped parsley
Preheat a grill pan.
Moisten chicken, red peppers, and onions with French Lavender Marinade, spread
onto a grill and cook for 15 minutes
turning the chicken once. Allow the peppers to
char, and then remove their skins. Roughly chop the peppers and put them in a
large pan with the onions, butter beans, tomatoes, potatoes, and chicken stock.
Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft--10-15 minutes. In the
meantime, remove the grilled chicken from the bone. Add at the last minute and
serve with crusty bread.
Spinach & Carrot Soup With Herbes De Provence
3 Tablespoons Olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons All-purpose flour
2 medium carrots, shredded
1/2 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 Tablespoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups chicken stock
1- 5 oz. can Fat Free evaporated milk
1- 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Sea Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Garnish with fresh orange zest
In a stockpot heat the olive oil & sauté the
onions until translucent and starting to brown. Add the carrots and sauté
briefly. Next add sugar, herbes de provence, and seasoned pepper and sauté
briefly to release the flavors. Stir in flour until smooth and bubbly and slowly
add the chicken stock and evaporated skim milk. Add the spinach and bring all to
a simmer and cook over low heat for 10–20 minutes. Garnish with fresh orange
zest and freshly ground black pepper
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