Herbs, Flowers and dessert: redux

This post was inspired by the wonderful @PurpleFoodie last year and I thought I would polish it up and repost it since it was a such a fun one. Look for recipes with herbs and flowers with the Spring! 

At my last gig I was the Pastry Chef at a small boutique winery. There was a small garden & I spent a lot of time experimenting with herbs and flowers in my desserts.

I will likely take the White Chocolate Rose cheesecake recipe with me to the grave. Why? One of my server's fell in love with it and sold the whole thing in just a few hours!

I made a flourless white chocolate cake & decorated it with candied flowers to test it out for my soul mother's birthday and it was delicious as well as pretty.

I made strawberry sauce to accompany the light and lovely Lavender cheesecake.

Simple syrup is also easy to flavor: take 1 cup water + 1 cup sugar and boil clear. Turn off & while hot, drop in your flavoring. I love Lemon Verbena, Rose, Coffee Beans etc and let steep to the desired flavor. Strain before using.

During a conversation on Twitter today, @aldente mentioned to @PurpleFoodie, Rosemary Ganache.

Rosemary White & Chocolate are as natural a combo, to me, as Dark Chocolate and Lemon.

If making white chocolate ganache, simply add a sprig of fresh, clean rosemary to your cream as it heats. Do not boil. Strain out before mixing cream into chocolate.

I am seeing more herbs & chocolate everyday, so don't be afraid to experiment and come up with new combos. I can't wait to hear what they are!

Luna's Pick of the Day! Loft Liqueurs

Lisa @ Loft has unveiled the latest flavors to her standing trio of Ginger (my own personal favorite, a zingy & well balanced masterpiece), Lemongrass and Lavender. Her first seasonal flavor, Tangerine is just the right sweet and sour combo of orange goodness.

So how could she top them? Well she couldn't. But she could match them!

The brand new Blueberry is perky and way better than any of the Blueberry Vodka's I have had the misfortune to encounter, so I would really rather have some good vodka and this yummy stuff in my glass.

The second new season flavor is Raspberry and it is wonderful. It tastes like Raspberry! I think I may have to mix it with the Ginger and see what comes up....