Home-Made Lavender Sugar Recipe
Lavender Sugar is one of those things I’ve always looked at and loved the idea of, but never really known what to do with. I’ve always liked crystallised lavender – it’s both pretty and tasty – but aside from medicinal or household use, I’ve never really known how to actually use lavender in food. Partly due to its strong flavour and partly due to its very floral flavour, it’s something you have to use with care, but should definitely use! Making lavender sugar couldn’t really be simpler – the two ingredients are in the name, after all. If you don’t have a food processor you can just mix the two and stir, but I like making the sugar just a little finer, so it’s not so crunchy. Be careful though – I don’t like making it icing sugar either! Just a finely granulated sugar is perfect.
Leave the lavender for a week or so, allowing the flavours to infuse thoroughly into the sugar. You can make Lavender Sugar ahead as a hostess gift, Christmas gifts, wedding favours and other gifting opportunities, and even include a recipe card or two with the jar. It’s a cheap and beautiful gift to make!
Make the Lavender Sugar two weeks before you’re going to gift it, and make sure to leave instructions to use withing 9 -12 months, so aside from drying out, I can’t image the lavender would go bad!
Recipe for Lavender Sugar
- 2 tsp lavender flowers
- 1kg white sugar
- Use a fork or your hands to remove the flowers from the stalk
- Add them to the food processor
- Add the sugar and blend together – depending on your food processor, adjust your speed to make sure you don’t end up with icing sugar.
- In the Thermomix, hit the Turbo button 2 – 3 times quickly.
- Decant the sugar into jars, and seal tightly.
PIN FOR LATER:
DIY Garam Masala
For Garam Masala, I’ve discovered, there are about as many recipes as their are people making it. There isn’t one authentic, or one original recipe, but rather it seems to be a matter of personal choice.
For a long time I would say that I didn’t like curries. I think this was because every curry I ever had from a takeaway was just an overkill of hot and I didn’t find that very pleasant. It was only when a friend served me a curry she made that I realised that there was a world of flavour out there that I knew very little about. Over the recent years I’ve learned to enjoy curries – but only those I make, so that I manage the heat!
Garam Masala is the foundation for many North Indian and South Asian dishes, but I’ve also learned that it can add amazing flavour to any meat dish without specifically making it a curry. Garam Masala actually means ‘warm spices’ and that’s precisely what these spices do – they add a warm depth of flavour to the meal.
As with all spices, if you’re able to blend it fresh when you need it, the flavours are stronger and richer, but I make a small amount at a time so that I make a fresh batch every month or so. You can freeze this and take it out as you need it, or just store in an airtight container.
- 1 Whole nutmeg
- 10 Whole cloves
- 1 Cassia Stick (sold as cinnamon sticks in supermarkets)
- 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 2 tbs Coriander seeds
- 1 tbs Cumin seeds
- 1 tbs Fennel seeds
- 1 tbs Cardamom pods (about 6 pods)
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper (add more if you prefer a hotter spice, or substitute for dried chillies)
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- If you’re using a Thermomix, you can add all the ingredients to the bowl and whizz at[b] speed 10 / 20 seconds[/b]. Check inside to confirm, but everything should be a fine powder.
- If you’re not using a Thermomix or similar high powered blender, add the first four ingredients, and blend for 30 seconds or until broken into pieces. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for a further 30 – 60 seconds depending on your blender, until all the spices are crushed.
- Store in an airtight container and use within a month for the best flavours.
Strawberry Elderflower Jam Recipe
I took the children fruit picking and foraging this week and we had a fantastic haul, certainly more than we could eat, so I made beautiful fresh Strawberry and Elderflower jam. In the Thermomix it’s such a simple recipe too – no thermometer required. I love this recipe!
- 250g jam sugar
- 440g strawberries
- 10g Elderflower
- 2 tbs lemon juice (or 1/2 fresh lemon juice)
- Put the jam sugar in the bowl and turbo two or three times to make it finer.
- Add the strawberries and elderflowers, if using, and mix Speed 4/10 Seconds
- Add the lemon juice.
- Boil Veroma/ Spoon Speed/18 Minutes
- Pour into sterilized jars and seal.
Fruit Bottom Compote For Yoghurt
I’m a bit of a boycotter – of companies whose ethics are beyond reprehensible – and as a result I had to give up not one, but two of my favourite brands of yoghurt. I had to learn to make my own though, because once the nicest were no longer an option, it seemed all that was left was the very sugary, the 0% fat, or the artificially sweetened, none of which were ideal to share with my children. (With the exception of Yeo Valley, which I will still buy when I’m buying, because they’re more or less local, I’ve seen their cows with my own two eyes, and they’re actually yum and good for you at the same time. I didn’t know about them when I started making yoghurt, however.)
So the recipe I’m sharing with you now is just for the fruity component of my own fruit bottom yoghurt. For the yoghurt recipe, have a look at yesterday’s post.
- 100g frozen fruit
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar or rapadura
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Add all the ingredients to the Thermomix bowl.
- Cook at 70C/Speed Spoon/ 10 mins
- Check that fruit is soft and pour into sieve. Drain off the fluid and pick out some of the whole fruit, avoiding as many seeds as you can. Discard seeds and pulp (or save for fruit leather)
- Pour into container and top with yoghurt.
- Seal and keep in fridge for 2 – 3 days
- Add all the ingredients to the stove and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. You don’t want the sugar to burn.
- When fruit is soft, and some liquid has formed, remove from heat,
- Pour into sieve. Drain off the fluid and pick out some of the whole fruit, avoiding as many seeds as you can. Discard seeds and pulp (or save for fruit leather)
- Pour into container and top with yoghurt.
- Seal and keep in fridge for 2 – 3 days
I tend to remove the seeds as far as possible as they get stuck in the yoghurt pouches we use, or worse in my teeth. Quarter fill your yoghurt container with the compote, and top the rest with yoghurt.
Mix it all together before serving, topped with muesli or on it’s own. Yummy, no additive, no preservative, no colouring, no fake sugars. Just good for you, and only cost about 55p to make.
Damson Jam / Damson Jelly Recipe
Autumn bounty includes Damsons in the UK, and the trees are laden with them. People can’t get rid of them fast enough. The problem with damsons is that unlike, say, blackberries, you can’t eat them raw, so they often go unappreciated till they fall to the ground.
My daughter came home from a walk in the forest with her pockets bulging with damsons, so I decided to turn it into jam, something I’ve never done before.
- 200g Damsons
- 250g (9oz) Sugar
- 1 orange, washed
- Wash damsons and drop them into your pot.
- Squeeze the juice of the orange out over it.
- Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes till the fruit is soft. (20 mins/100C/speed 2).
- After 20 minutes, remove from the heat. It’s useful at this point to remove all the pips. If you keep the orange in at this point, you’ll have a slight marmalade undertone to the damson jam. I’m not a fan of marmalade, so I prefer to remove the orange before adding the jam sugar.
- Boil for another 20 minutes at 100C/212F.
- Remove from the heat and tip the pot slightly. If the jam looks like it is creating a wrinkle, remove from heat and pour into steriised jars to keep for later, or into a jam jar to start using straight away.
- If it doesn’t seem to be wrinkly yet, cook for a further five minutes before dispensing into jars. Remember that damsons have a lot of pectin in them and will set as it cools.
Awesome Autumn Apple Chutney Recipe
Around this time of year, the apple trees are laden with juicy, lovely fruit, just waiting to be picked. A few years ago we lived in a house with a huge apple tree in the centre of the yard, and I learned to make apple-everything! I’ve missed this beautiful apple chutney since then, but where we live now the apple trees line a public walk way, free for anyone with a long enough arm to help themselves.
I’ve made a few batches of this apple chutney this year – with apples from a friend’s garden, actually – and it gets rave reviews every time. I core the apples too, but don’t peel them. If you do, however, sprinkle the skins with cinnamon and pop them in the dehydrator over night or a low oven for two hours for a lovely apple crispy snack.
Great with cheese and crackers, or mixed in with mince or other cooked meats, this is my favourite home made apple chutney.
- 5 green apples, cored
- 3 large tomatoes, quartered
- 2 large onions
- 5g fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- 80g raisins
- 30g orange juice
- 20g lemon juice
- 225g soft brown sugar
- 200g apple cider vinegar
- Chop the ingredients finely. (Chop lightly in a food processor if you can)
- Add the liquids and sugar into a pot and stir till the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Simmer on low heat for 2 hours.
- Pour into warm sterilised jars and keep for up to a year.
- Add the apples, tomatoes and onions to the Thermomix and chop 10 seconds/speed 4
- Remove to a large container.
- Add the ginger and garlic to the Thermomix and chop, 5 seconds/speed 8
- Add the raisins, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar and cook for 3 minutes/speed 3/ 90C
- Add the apple mix back to the Thermomix with the apple cider vinegar
- Cook at Varoma temperature for 40 mins/REVERSE speed 2 without MC.
- If it’s still too runny, do the same for another 20 minutes. Just keep an eye on it.
- When it’s finished and looks like chutney, pour into sterilised jars.
Two Pepper Dip
Whenever I make this dip, I have people asking me for the recipe. It is fantastic. The funny thing about it is that I don’t like peppers, and I’m not crazy about sun dried tomatoes, but put them together, and they make this beautiful, tasty dip that works with vegetables, crackers, or even as a pasta ‘sauce’. It’s a keeper, for sure.
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 garlic clove
- 5-7 sun dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- 100ml oil from sundried tomatoes or olive oil
- Add all the ingredients into a food processor. Add the olive oil steadily, till the dip is the consistency you want.
- Blend together briefly for a chunky dip or pasta sauce, and longer for a smooth dip.
- In the Thermomix, this takes about 8 seconds on speed 10.
Four Thieves Vinegar
Four Thieves Vinegar can be used both for food, and around the house for cleaning and decontaminating. It can also be put in the bath or used medicinally.
Allegedly, Four Thieves Vinegar is so named after the four thieves who pillaged the homes of Plague victims but were not affected by the Plague themselves. When they were eventually captured, they would have been put to death for their looting, but were instead given their lives in return for their secret. If you Google Four Thieves Vinegar, you’ll find a few variations on the ingredients. This is the one we use. It makes a pretty good salad dressing, if nothing else.
- 1 Tablespoon each of: [br]
- [url href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dried-Lavender-flowers-200g-www-thespiceworks-co-uk/dp/B004DA9L8A” target=”_blank”]Lavender[/url]
- [url href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abbey-Botanicals-Dried-Sage-Herb/dp/B00AGWRDPW/” target=”_blank”]Sage[/url]
- [url href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/AbbeyBotanicals-Herbs-Thyme-Leaf-whole/dp/B002AK258I/” target=”_blank”]Thyme[/url]
- [url href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lemon-Balm-Love-Cleansing-150grms/dp/B004BAU2F8″ target=”_blank”]Lemon Balm[/url]
- [url href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hyssop-For-Protection-Cleansing-50grms/dp/B004BAZTR4/” target=”_blank”]Hyssop[/url]
- [url href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abbey-Botanicals-Peppermint-Dried-Loose/dp/B005WGKOAI/” target=”_blank”]Peppermint[/url]
- 3- 5 Garlic cloves
- 1 cup [url href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raw-Health-Apple-Cider-Vinegar/dp/B004JBRVAI/” target=”_blank”]Organic Apple Cider Vinegar[/url]
- Place the herbs in a large sterile jar and top with the cider vinegar.
- Cover tightly and leave in a cupboard for six weeks, till it’s well infused
- Strain off the herbs and garlic and use the vinegar as needed.