Herb & Spice Mixes

[KYHeirloomer]

While searching for the za'taar recipe I came across an interesting comment in The North African Kitchen.

According to the authors, the reduced version of Ras-el-Hanout that Ms Harris calls "Moroccan Spice" is more likely found in Tunisia. And, according to them, Ras-el-Hanout can have as many as 30 ingredients.

Just another example, I'd say, of how Maghrebin cookery really does change radically at the Morrocan border, with less Turkish influence.

[cookie]

Thanks for the info, I am really into all the different spices and blends you can use together very interesting. I always have used Lavender,(mostly candles) to calm and relax but never cooked with it. so cool... thanks again, Cookie

[MsMai]

Lavender Lemon Cake

Buttery cooking spray
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 13 2/3 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated fresh lemon rind
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of dried lavender, steep in 1 cup of low fat buttermilk

For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar (I used 1.5 cups, it turned out too thin)
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried lavender

Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare the cake, coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons flour.

Lightly spoon remaining 3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 2 cups granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating at low speed, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add rind and juice; beat just until blended.

Spoon batter into prepared pan; sharply tap the pan once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar,lemon juice and dried lavender in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the top of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides

[MsMai]

As a member of the same family as many of our most popular herbs, it is not surprising that lavender is edible and that its use in food preparation is also returning. Flowers and leaves can be used fresh, and both buds and stems can be used dried. Lavender is a member of the mint family and is close to rosemary, sage, and thyme. It is best used with fennel, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, and savory.

English Lavender (l. angustifolia and munstead) has the sweetest fragrance of all the lavenders and is the one most commonly used in cooking. The uses of lavender are limited only by your imagination. Lavender has a sweet, floral flavor, with lemon and citrus notes. The potency of the lavender flowers increases with drying. In cooking, use 1/3 the quantity of dried flowers to fresh. The key to cooking with lavender is to experiment; start out with a small amount of flowers, and add more as you go. NOTE: Adding too much lavender to your recipe can be like eating perfume and will make your dish bitter. Because of the strong flavor of lavender, the secret is that a little goes a long way.

The lavender flowers add a beautiful color to salads. Lavender can also be substituted for rosemary in many bread recipes. The flowers can be put in sugar and sealed tightly for a couple of weeks then the sugar can be substituted for ordinary sugar for a cake, buns or custards. Grind the lavender in a herb or coffee grinder or mash it with mortar and pestle.

[MsMai]

Lavender Sorbet

Yield 1 1/2 quarts

5 cups strawberry puree, strained of seeds, from about 4 pints raw berries
(can substitute red raspberries)
3/4 to 1 cup lavender simple syrup, recipe follows
1/2 cup lemon juice

Puree strawberries and send them through a fine sieve to catch the seeds. Whisk in cool lavender simple syrup and lemon juice. Taste for balance of acid and sweetness. Chill overnight in freezer.

Lavender Simple Syrup:
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons dried lavender

Combine the sugar and the water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool. Bring simple syrup back to a simmer and toss in dried lavender. Cover and infuse for a 30 minutes. Strain and cool. Store in a refrigerator

[The Ironic Chef]

I would be skeered to use lavender. I wouldn't want a perfumy taste.
It's like coffee. I like regular coffee. If I get a cup of coffee that has strange flavors I can't seem to get it out of my mouth for days.

[MsMai]

if you have a problem with perfummy, then you probably shouldn't try recipes with lavender in them. Perhaps you are a bit more sensitive than some to perfummy aromas, etc. Sensitivity is a strange thing and sometimes not great to deal with

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

The Ras-El-Hanout recipe is in this thread IC and it is located on pg. 2

By the way I put neither Lavender nor rose bud petals in mine that I made from this recipe. The jar I ordered from Zamouri spices more than likely has it, but I do not catch a hint of a flowery or fruity flavor when using it.

[The Ironic Chef]

Cathy, you are freakin me out. I just came here looking for that after reading your recipe with the squash concoction and here you are before me telling me where it is.Where's Fox Mulder??

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

Cathy, you are freakin me out. I just came here looking for that after reading your recipe with the squash concoction and here you are before me telling me where it is.Where's Fox Mulder??

Birds of a feather Aye!!!