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Showing posts with label Sugar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sugar. Show all posts

Dec 3, 2010

Body & Soul: Chocolate Spa Treatments

 This recipe was found in The Herb Companion Newsletter
Makes 6 ounces
Invigorate your feet at the end of a tough day with this rich and minty scrub.  The raw sugar scrub will smooth and cleanse, while the cocoa butter makes your feet super soft. Peppermint oil is a well-known energizer. Use this scrub anytime your feet—and spirits—need a lift.


• 2 tablespoons cocoa butter, grated
• 2 tablespoons almond oil
• ½ cup raw sugar
• 4-5 drops peppermint essential oil
1. Gently heat cocoa butter and almond oil until cocoa butter melts; stir well.

2. Add sugar and peppermint oil and mix.

3. Massage into clean feet and rinse with warm water. If your feet are extremely dry, massage in a bit more cocoa butter and cover your feet with clean cotton socks for 15 to 20 minutes.


Read more: http://www.herbcompanion.com/body-care/body-soul-cocoa-mint-foot-scrub.aspx#ixzz1761tiFvK
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Body & Soul: Chocolate Spa Treatments

 This recipe was found in The Herb Companion Newsletter
Makes 6 ounces
Invigorate your feet at the end of a tough day with this rich and minty scrub.  The raw sugar scrub will smooth and cleanse, while the cocoa butter makes your feet super soft. Peppermint oil is a well-known energizer. Use this scrub anytime your feet—and spirits—need a lift.


• 2 tablespoons cocoa butter, grated
• 2 tablespoons almond oil
• ½ cup raw sugar
• 4-5 drops peppermint essential oil
1. Gently heat cocoa butter and almond oil until cocoa butter melts; stir well.

2. Add sugar and peppermint oil and mix.

3. Massage into clean feet and rinse with warm water. If your feet are extremely dry, massage in a bit more cocoa butter and cover your feet with clean cotton socks for 15 to 20 minutes.


Read more: http://www.herbcompanion.com/body-care/body-soul-cocoa-mint-foot-scrub.aspx#ixzz1761tiFvK
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Nov 18, 2010

Stevia Syrup Recipe

Stevia rebaudianaImage via WikipediaStevia  Syrup • 1/4 cup fresh stevia leaves • 1 cup warm water 1. Pour one cup of warm water over gently bruised stevia leaves. Let the mixture sit for 24 hours and then refrigerate. (A teaspoon of ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C powder, may be added as a preservative.) Stevia  Sweetener • 1 tablespoon dried stevia leaves • 1 quart boiling water 1. Pour boiling water over leaves and allow infusion. Freeze the mixture in ice cube trays for future use. 2. This mixture can also be refrigerated, but then it must be used within a few days. To order STEVIA LEAF
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Stevia Syrup Recipe

Stevia rebaudianaImage via WikipediaStevia  Syrup • 1/4 cup fresh stevia leaves • 1 cup warm water 1. Pour one cup of warm water over gently bruised stevia leaves. Let the mixture sit for 24 hours and then refrigerate. (A teaspoon of ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C powder, may be added as a preservative.) Stevia  Sweetener • 1 tablespoon dried stevia leaves • 1 quart boiling water 1. Pour boiling water over leaves and allow infusion. Freeze the mixture in ice cube trays for future use. 2. This mixture can also be refrigerated, but then it must be used within a few days. To order STEVIA LEAF
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Oct 23, 2010

Fruit Cordials

I found these wonderful recipes in the Herb Mentor website.
Check them out You will find many good tips about Herbs over there!
There are three main steps to making cordials.
Steeping - in this step, the ingredients are steeped in the alcohol (usually vodka or brandy, but you can try anything you like).
Sweetening - typically a sugar syrup is used, but maple syrup is a great substitute.  Honey can also be used.
Aging - The flavors all improve tremendously with age.  Generally 2 to 4 weeks is good.  I like to leave mine longer, if possible.
 
Here are some recipes to get you going:
 Wild Blackberry Cordial- Christy Sarles (radicalweeds.com)
Pick enough berries to fill a clean glass jar in the size of your choice at least a third, and up to a half, full. I use about two quarts of berries for a gallon of cordial. If those lovely wild blackberries don't grow in your neighborhood, you can substitute raspberries or blueberries. The little wild blueberries will give your cordial a more intense flavor than the larger cultivated ones, but either way blueberries are relatively tough-skinned and you will need to macerate them - crush or grind coarsely - before adding the other ingredients.
Fill the jar to the top with equal parts of maple syrup and brandy. I usually use E&J brandy, but any decent variety of 80 proof brandy will do fine. As for the maple syrup, I like the dark, late-season Grade B syrup because it has the strongest maple taste and contains more minerals than the three lighter Grade A syrups produced earlier in the sugaring season. You can use whatever grade of maple syrup you prefer, but please make it real. Don't use the artificial stuff!!
Put the cover on the jar and shake to mix. Label, date, and leave the fruit to infuse for at least 10 days, and up to 6 weeks. Shake occasionally when you think of it. Strain out the fruit (marvelous over ice cream) and decant the cordial into glass jars or bottles. Keeps for years without refrigeration - but I guarantee it won't last that long!
Peach Cordial, Christy Sarles
Cut unpeeled peaches in quarters, and add them to a wide-mouth glass jar. Pits optional. Fill the the jar with brandy, to cover the fruit. (I use E&J brandy, which has no preservatives,although as a child of the 60s it still galls me to buy Gallo...). Anyway, let it sit, shaking it up occasionally, until the peaches lose their color and start looking mushy. Then, depending on where you are in the season, you can either proceed to the sweetening stage or strain and pour the brandy over a new batch of fresh peaches (and pits) for a more intense peach flavor.
When you're ready to sweeten and bottle, strain out the fruit and add the ginger syrup -- a quart per gallon, or more to taste. Start with a basic simple syrup recipe -- 2 parts water to 1 part sugar (demerara is my preference). Add sliced, unpeeled ginger to taste. I like it HOT, so I use LOTS of fresh ginger -- at the very least a cup.
Simmer/boil for 15 minutes or so til it thickens up, let it cool with the ginger in it, then strain and add to the peach brandy. Decant to smaller bottles as needed.
Pear Cordial, Christy Sarles
Use the basic fruit/brandy/maple syrup cordial recipe with either peaches or pears (or any other fruit), using 1/2 fruit and the rest equal portions of brandy and maple syrup -- or more or less of either one depending on how sweet you like it. I always look out at yard sales for pretty little bottles to fill up with summer cordials for winter solstice gifts -- a little bit of midsummer in midwinter!
Kahlua Recipe, Susanna Reppert (therosemaryhouse.com)
  • 2 C water
  • 2 C sugar
  • 1/2 C dry instant coffee (a dark roast is best)
  • 1 fresh vanilla bean, chopped
  • 1-1/2 C vodka
Slice open and scrape the vanilla bean into the water. The more you scrape/chop the bean the more flavor you will release. Boil the water, sugar and vanilla bean together for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and slowly add the instant coffee and keep stirring.
Allow to cool and combine this sugar/coffee/vanilla syrup with the vodka. It tastes yummy right away but improves and mellows as it ages. If you want a cleaner product strain out the vanilla particles. If you want an even smoother taste add 1 t glycerin to the finished blend. Yield: about 4 cups.
Tip: Drizzle over ice cream. Oh my goodness....
 
Tea Liqueur, Susanna Reppert
  • 1 T good quality tea leaves, we like earl grey or darjeeling
  • 1 ½ C vodka
  • ½ C sugar syrup
  • Steep the leaves in the vodka for 24 hours only.
  • Strain, filter, and add sugar syrup. Ready in 24 hours!
It's Berry Good, Susanna Reppert
  • 10 oz package of berries, strawberry, raspberry or any berry (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 ½ C Vodka
  • ¼ C sugar syrup
  • Steep berries and the juice in the vodka for one week.
  • Strain and filter.
  • Taste and add sugar syrup as needed.
Note: Many frozen berries are pre-sugared.
And some of my own personal favorites:
Elderberry Cordial
  • 1pint fresh elderberries OR 1 cup dried berries
  • 1 pint 80 proof brandy
  • 1 pint Maple syrup
  • 3-5 cinnamon sticks
  • a few slices of fresh ginger
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • the zest of one lemon
Put elderberries in a quart jar & muddle well.  Add cinnamon sticks.  Then add equal parts brandy & maple syrup until the jar is full.  Cover tightly.  Macerate for 6 to 8 weeks, shaking gently every few days.  Strain & bottle.
Chocolate Cherry Cordial
  • 2 pints pitted sour cherries
  • 1/2 cup cacao nibs
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1 qt brandy
  • 1 qt maple syrup
Muddle cherries in 1/2 gallon wide-mouth jar. Add cacao chips, brandy & maple syrup.  Stir well.  Put on the lid and wait.  This needs to age for 6 weeks.
Nectar of Venus Cordial
This beverage needs to be made up early in January for use mid- February, but it will be worthwhile. The flowers give it a beautiful deep pink color, and can be served with ginger ale and lime slices.
The following ingredients should be placed in a ½ gallon jar with a tight fitting lid that allows for shaking. Be sure to label and date the jar. Put out of sunlight while it sits for 1-6 weeks. Shake occasionally. All herbs and flowers are dry.
  • 1 fifth of good quality vodka ½ c red rose petals
  • ½ c hibiscus flowers ½ c rose hips
  • ½ c spearmint ¼ c granulated orange peel
  • ¼ c cinnamon bark chips
After sitting this mixture is ready to decant. Strain through fine cheesecloth or muslin into a pitcher large enough to also hold the additional 5 cups of Grand Marnier and simple syrup (below).
  • 1 c Grand Marnier
  • 4 c simple syrup made from 2 c water, 2 c sugar.
  • 1 T either rose water or orange blossom water.
 
Add these ingredients to the vodka mixture and blend well. Allow this to rest for a couple of weeks so that the flavors can become well acquainted. Pour into beautiful bottles, cork, label, and enjoy.
Lavender Limoncello
  • Zest from 10 lemons
  • 1 fifth vodka
  • 1 cup lavender buds
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 4 cups water
  1. First infuse the lavender in the vodka for 24 hours.  Strain.  If you leave the lavender longer, it gets too medicinal for my tastes.
  2. Next, infuse the lemon zest in the vodka for one week, and strain.
  3. Make a simple syrup with the sugar and water, boiling gently for 15 minutes without stirring.  Cool well, and add the infused vodka.  Allow this mixture to steep together for at least 2 weeks.  Serve ice cold.
  4. Substitute rose geranium leaves for lavender buds for a real treat!
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Fruit Cordials

I found these wonderful recipes in the Herb Mentor website.
Check them out You will find many good tips about Herbs over there!
There are three main steps to making cordials.
Steeping - in this step, the ingredients are steeped in the alcohol (usually vodka or brandy, but you can try anything you like).
Sweetening - typically a sugar syrup is used, but maple syrup is a great substitute.  Honey can also be used.
Aging - The flavors all improve tremendously with age.  Generally 2 to 4 weeks is good.  I like to leave mine longer, if possible.
 
Here are some recipes to get you going

Jul 23, 2010

Herbal Candies

lemon balmImage via Wikipedia

 A couple of years ago, Marty Webster wrote about making horehound lozenges, and the instructions were very inspirational for me.  Before I knew it, all kinds of ideas were running through my head!
Oh, it started simply enough.... what about elderberry?  Maybe something relaxing?  Oh! And Holy Basil "on the go"!
All you need is a candy thermometer, a large, heavy pan, and an afternoon.  A helper for cutting in the end helps too.
When I was a kid, one of my best friends was from a large farming family, and they had an interesting side business.  They made hard candies in about 15 flavors.  On candy making nights, I would often stay overnight and help, because many hands were needed.  In their basement, they had a stove, and would set 4 kettles filled with sugar, water, and Karo syrup to boil.  There was a ping-pong table (probably reinforced) that took up most of the room, and we were stationed all around the table with heavy shears. The table was dusted with confectioners sugar. The father would heave a marble slab up onto the head of the table.  As the first kettle reached the right temperature, he'd pour the molten mixture onto the slab, and work it with paint scrapers.  Then he'd add the color and flavor and continue to fold the sweet, thickening mixture together.  Finally, he'd start to cut it into fat 1/2" wide strips, and toss them out to us to cut into bite-sized pieces.  It had to be cut quickly before hardening, but those first few strips were soft and very warm.  We would always sample a piece or two.  Quality testing at its finest.  By the end of the night, there would be bins full of candy, and a bunch of kids high on sugar.
These memories also inspired me.  I'm sure that that production set-up would not satisfy today's regulations, but it sure was fun.
The recipe I use is:

  • 3/4 to 1 cup of strongly infused herbal "tea"
  • 2 1/2 cups of sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
I have not had a chance to experiment with honey, and I believe that one could use all sugar, but this recipe worked well for me.  You may want to try a few variations if the corn syrup is objectionable.
  • To make the tea, I put the herbs, berries, etc., in a pint jar and covered with boiling water, allowing it to steep for several hours.  Then I strained it and squeezed the dickens out of the pulp to get all the good stuff.  If there is less than a cup of liquid, that's fine. 
  • Put the liquid into a large (at least 2 quart) pan.  It bubbles up a lot during cooking, so you need a lot of space.
  • Add the corn syrup and stir to blend. Add the sugar and turn on medium high heat.  Stir only until the sugar is dissolved.  Set the thermometer on the side of the pan, with the tip in the liquid, but not touching the bottom of the pan.
Let 'er rip!
  • While it cooks, grease a 10 x 13 glass cooking dish and put down plastic wrap on a surface where you'll be doing the cutting - probably 2' x 3' is sufficient.  Sift confectioners sugar or cornstarch over the plastic wrap.
  • When the temperature of the candy reaches 300 degrees, turn off the heat and stir briefly.
  • Pour it into the baking dish.  Have something under the dish to protect the counter from heat.
  • Wait a minute or two, and lift the edge of the candy to see if it can be lifted to cut.  When this is possible, use scissors to cut a strip, and toss it out to a waiting helper who will cut it into pieces.  This really is difficult to do alone, but it's possible.  Keep cutting the strips until it is finished.
If the candy in the baking dish hardens before you've finished, you can place it into the oven and heat it, but it will probably stick to the dish.  I've taken out the whole piece that is leftover, melted it in another pan, and repoured it into the original baking dish.  Clean-up is easy, hot water dissolves the candy.

Here are the infusions I started with:

Elderberry Bits
  • 1 cup fresh elderberries
  • 2 slices ginger
  • zest from one lemon

Lemon Balm Bombe
  • 3/4 cup freshly picked lemon balm
  • 1/4 cup freshly picked passionflower leaves, flower, tendrils
  • 1/4 cup blueberries
  • zest from one lemon
  • 20 drops of lemon eo just before pouring into baking dish

Tulsi Twist
  • 3/4 cup freshly picked holy basil
  • 1/4 cup dried goji berries
  • 1/4 cup freshly picked chocolate mint

Herbalicious Medley
  • juice and zest from one orange and one lemon
  • 1/4 cup holy basil
  • 1/4 cup elderberry
  • 2 slices ginger
  • 3 rose geranium leaves
  • sprig of lemon thyme
  • sprig of rosemary
  • sprig of lemon verbena
  • 1/4 cup mint
  • 2 pods cardamom

I hope you give herbal candy making a try, and if you do, let me know what you made!

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Herbal Candies

lemon balmImage via Wikipedia

 A couple of years ago, Marty Webster wrote about making horehound lozenges, and the instructions were very inspirational for me.  Before I knew it, all kinds of ideas were running through my head!
Oh, it started simply enough.... what about elderberry?  Maybe something relaxing?  Oh! And Holy Basil "on the go"!
All you need is a candy thermometer, a large, heavy pan, and an afternoon.  A helper for cutting in the end helps too.
When I was a kid, one of my best friends was from a large farming family, and they had an interesting side business.  They made hard candies in about 15 flavors.  On candy making nights, I would often stay overnight and help, because many hands were needed.  In their basement, they had a stove, and would set 4 kettles filled with sugar, water, and Karo syrup to boil.  There was a ping-pong table (probably reinforced) that took up most of the room, and we were stationed all around the table with heavy shears. The table was dusted with confectioners sugar. The father would heave a marble slab up onto the head of the table.  As the first kettle reached the right temperature, he'd pour the molten mixture onto the slab, and work it with paint scrapers.  Then he'd add the color and flavor and continue to fold the sweet, thickening mixture together.  Finally, he'd start to cut it into fat 1/2" wide strips, and toss them out to us to cut into bite-sized pieces.  It had to be cut quickly before hardening, but those first few strips were soft and very warm.  We would always sample a piece or two.  Quality testing at its finest.  By the end of the night, there would be bins full of candy, and a bunch of kids high on sugar.
These memories also inspired me.  I'm sure that that production set-up would not satisfy today's regulations, but it sure was fun.
The recipe I use is:

Jul 18, 2010

Lavender Meringues

The recipe that follows is adapted from Olive Dunn’s, and they remind me of my magical day in her fragrance garden.
The secret to these delectable little morsels is long, slow cooking. As they bake, their fragrance fills the house.
1. Preheat oven to 225°F.
2. Place the flowers and granulated sugar in a blender container. Blend to a fine dust and sift it with the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl.
3. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and then beat in a drop of lemon juice. Fold in the sifted lavender sugar.
4. Drop small spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or parchment paper.
5. Bake for about three hours, or until firm and golden. Cool on a rack.
Filling
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers, crushed
  • Confectioners’ sugar to taste
1. Beat the whipping cream and dried lavender flowers until stiff. Add confectioners’ sugar if desired. Place spoonfuls of the cream between pairs of cooled meringues, and serve the sandwiches immediately.

Click here for the original article, A Fragrance Garden: Floresta Fragrant Gardens.
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Lavender Meringues

The recipe that follows is adapted from Olive Dunn’s, and they remind me of my magical day in her fragrance garden.
The secret to these delectable little morsels is long, slow cooking. As they bake, their fragrance fills the house.
1. Preheat oven to 225°F.
2. Place the flowers and granulated sugar in a blender container. Blend to a fine dust and sift it with the confectioners’ sugar into a bowl.
3. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and then beat in a drop of lemon juice. Fold in the sifted lavender sugar.
4. Drop small spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or parchment paper.
5. Bake for about three hours, or until firm and golden. Cool on a rack.
Filling
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers, crushed
  • Confectioners’ sugar to taste
1. Beat the whipping cream and dried lavender flowers until stiff. Add confectioners’ sugar if desired. Place spoonfuls of the cream between pairs of cooled meringues, and serve the sandwiches immediately.

Click here for the original article, A Fragrance Garden: Floresta Fragrant Gardens.
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Rose Petal Jam

The recipes that follow are adapted from Olive Dunn’s, and they remind me of my magical day in her fragrance garden.

Makes about 4 pints
  • 6 cups water
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 4 cups fragrant red rose petals, washed, with white heels removed
  • 1 packet powdered pectin
  • 6 cups sugar
1. Heat the water and lemon juice in a saucepan, add the rose petals, and simmer for 10 minutes. With a wooden spoon, squeeze most of the petal pulp against the edge of the pan to release the juice. Leave a small amount of pulp in the pan for texture.
2. Return the liquid to a simmer and sprinkle in the pectin. Stir until dissolved. Add the sugar.
3. Increase the heat and boil vigorously for 7 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Immediately place the jam in hot sterilized jars and seal.

Click here for the original article, A Fragrance Garden: Floresta Fragrant Gardens.
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Rose Petal Jam

The recipes that follow are adapted from Olive Dunn’s, and they remind me of my magical day in her fragrance garden.

Makes about 4 pints
  • 6 cups water
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 4 cups fragrant red rose petals, washed, with white heels removed
  • 1 packet powdered pectin
  • 6 cups sugar
1. Heat the water and lemon juice in a saucepan, add the rose petals, and simmer for 10 minutes. With a wooden spoon, squeeze most of the petal pulp against the edge of the pan to release the juice. Leave a small amount of pulp in the pan for texture.
2. Return the liquid to a simmer and sprinkle in the pectin. Stir until dissolved. Add the sugar.
3. Increase the heat and boil vigorously for 7 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Immediately place the jam in hot sterilized jars and seal.

Click here for the original article, A Fragrance Garden: Floresta Fragrant Gardens.
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