Posts Tagged vanilla bean

Blueberry Lavender Jam with Vanilla Bean

Sadly, this has not been a summer of canning. Rather, this has been a summer of work, writing a cookbook, throwing a pop-up beer garden for the World Cup, and getting ready for a tiny human. I’ve been distracted, to say the least.

In the midst of the craziness, I’ve found pockets of spare time to can and preserve a few precious jars of goodies. I inherited a rather large stash of blueberries recently, and made a number of different dishes (including these blueberry and corn crostini). I set aside most of the blueberries, however, with the intention of making jam as I absolutely adore blueberry jam. In fact, blueberry jam might be my second favorite jam of all time. (It should go without saying that my Grandmother’s strawberry freezer jam is the best jam of all time.) Blueberry jam is just so dark, sweet, and wonderful. It is especially delicious when slathered on biscuits, toast, scones, or any other bready item.

For this particular batch of blueberry jam, I wanted to mix things up a bit. So, I decided to add lavender and vanilla bean. Because, why not? It sounded good. As it turns out, the combination of blueberries, lavender, and vanilla bean really is quite good. If you happen to have a few extra blueberries lying around, I highly encourage you to make a batch of this blueberry lavender jam. You won’t regret it.

Blueberry Lavender Jam with Vanilla Bean

Ingredients

8 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender
4.5 cups sugar
Zest & juice of one lemon
1 vanilla bean, scraped
3 tablespoons Ball RealFruit Pectin
½ teaspoon unsalted butter

Instructions

Wash and sterilize jars and lids. In a large canning pot, cover jars with water and bring to a boil. Boil for at least 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow jars to rest in the hot water until needed. Additionally, places the bands and lids in a small pot and boil for a 5 minutes.
Place lavender in a small bowl or cup, and pour ½ cup of boiling water over the dried lavender. Allow to steep for 15-20 minutes. Strain out the dried lavender and reserve the remaining liquid for the jam.
Using a blender, immersion blender, food processor, or potato masher – mash or crush the blueberries.
In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of sugar with the pectin.
In large stock pot or pan, combine the crushed blueberries, lemon zest and juice, vanilla bean seeds, and lavender liquid. Stir in the sugar-pectin mixture and the butter. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Once the mixture is boiling, add the remaining sugar (4.25 cups). Return to a full rolling boil, and boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove jam from heat and skim off any foam.
Remove jars from the hot water, and ladle jam into hot jars. Leave a ¼” head space. Wipe the jar rims clean, and place lids and bands on the jars. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

http://rosemarried.co/2014/08/19/blueberry-lavender-jam-vanilla-bean/

Meyer Lemon Yogurt Cake

Tomorrow morning, I will wake up long before the sun comes up and I will drag my sleepy self to the airport. Clad in borrowed snow boots and a down coat, I’ll board a plane to Minneapolis.

It was -26 in Minneapolis earlier this week. I can’t even imagine what that kind of cold feels like, honestly. I certainly don’t have the clothing for such temperatures. I’ve cobbled together a borrowed wardrobe of snow clothing and I’m hoping for the best. I may just hole up in the Mall of America for the week. (I can subsist on Cinnabon and roller coasters!)

It should go without saying that Minnesota in March is not my dream vacation. But, my middle sister now lives in Minneapolis and she’s turning the big 3-0 this week. She insisted that she had to have both of her sisters with her on her 30th, and so we agreed to make the trek to the frigid Midwest.

Since there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of sunshine in my immediate future, I decided to make my own sunshine in the kitchen. One of the best things about winter is the abundance of citrus. Even on the darkest and gloomiest of days, the mere scent of citrus brightens my spirits.

This cake is the perfect remedy for wintertime blues. It’s decidedly simple, and the Meyer lemons truly shine through the batter. If you need a little sunshine in your life, I suggest you give this cake a try.

Meyer Lemon Yogurt Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar
3 large cage-free eggs
1 tablespoon grated Meyer lemon zest (approximately 2 Meyer lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Next, fold the vegetable oil into the batter until it is combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
Meanwhile, in a small pan, combine 1 tablespoon of sugar, the remaining lemon juice, and the vanilla bean seeds. Heat over med-low, until sugar dissolves and mixture is clear. Remove from heat.
When the cake is done, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes. Remove from pan and place on a baking rack. Pour the glaze over the cake and allow it to soak in. Allow to cool before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

http://rosemarried.co/2014/03/04/meyer-lemon-yogurt-cake/

Vanilla Bean & Lavender Panna Cotta with Fresh Peaches

I like to think of this dessert as peaches and cream, all grown up.

My husband, however, describes it as “milky jello.”

The funny thing is, he’s kind of right. Panna cotta is essentially milky jello.

However, I don’t think that description does this dessert justice. This panna cotta is light and creamy, sweet but not cloying. The addition of honey, lavender and vanilla give the dish a subtle and lovely complexity. In addition, it’s the perfect summertime dessert, as it requires very little cooking.

And it should be said that this dessert is just really, really pretty. Not only does it taste good, but it’s just so lovely to look at.

Therefore, I implore you, friends: go forth and make this milky jello!

Vanilla Bean and Lavender Panna Cotta with Fresh Peaches
(Adapted from Cherry Tea Cakes)
Makes 4 small panna cottas

For the panna cotta:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons honey
1.5 teaspoons culinary lavender
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

For the peach topping:
1-2 peaches, sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon raw sugar

Method:
Prepare four small dishes (cups, mugs, ramekins, etc) by greasing them with a small amount of canola or vegetable oil. Set aside.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the 2 tablespoons of water. Allow the gelatin to ‘blossom’. Let sit for 10 minutes.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, cream, and honey over medium-low heat. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp knife, and scrape out all of the vanilla seeds. Stir the vanilla into the milk. Add in the scraped vanilla pod and the lavender. Heat for 10 minutes, or until the milk is warmed all the way through and the honey is dissolved and combined with the cream.

Strain out the vanilla pods and lavender, using a mesh strainer or cheese cloth. When the milk mixture is still warm, stir in the gelatin mixture until combined. Pour contents into the containers. Refrigerate for 6 hours (or overnight), until set.

30 minutes prior to serving, slice the peach(es) and toss with sugar, lemon juice, lavender and thyme. Allow the peaches to sit for 30 minutes or more, in order to get the juices flowing.

When ready to serve, remove the panna cottas from the fridge and top with a spoonful of the peach mixture. Enjoy!