2005 Tea-off Recipes

Congratulations to the 1st and 2nd place winners of this year’s very successful Fall Herb Days event! Every entry into the herb tea and dessert contest was delicious! North Haven Gardens’ customers definitely reaped the rewards of a few Dallas area herb gardens! Don't forget to plan now for next year's competition!

First Place Winner: Herbal Tea -- Gladys Denham

Herb Sun Tea

2C Lemon Balm
1C Spearmint
Few Sprigs Rosemary Tops
1 Sprig Sage
Place herbs into a 1-gallon glass jar, fill with spring water and steep in the sun for several hours. Remove herbs, strain and filter tea. Sweeten with honey if desired.

 

First Place Winner: Herbal Dessert – Susan Thornburt
Garden Party Mints
2C Powdered Sugar
5 tsp Evaporated Milk
1 Tbl Melted Butter
2 Tbl finely chopped mint leaves
A few drops of Oil of Peppermint
6 oz Melted Semisweet Chocolate Mix powdered sugar, milk and butter.
When smooth add mint and a few drops of oil of peppermint. Form into patties and chill. Melt chocolate over very low heat. Dip patties into chocolate and allow to set. NOTE: use only organically grown mint. This recipe used chocolate mint.

 

Second Place Winner: Herbal Tea – Jamie Hilbig
Chocolate Mint Geranium Tea
10 Chocolate Mint Scented Geranium Leaves
2 cups Chocolate Mint Leaves
½ tsp Chocolate Extract (for color)
Boil water and seep the leaves for 20 minutes. Add enough more water to make almost 1 gallon of the tea. Put some of the yellow tea in ice cube trays. Add the chocolate extract to turn the color from a pale yellow to a chocolate color. Sweeten with your favorite sweetener, add the ice cubes, some fresh geranium leaves and mint leaves and enjoy!

 

Second Place Winner: Herbal Dessert – Nancy Johnson
Cinnamon Basil Cookies
1cup Sugar
1cup Butter
1 large Egg
1 ½ tsp Vanilla
Combine and add 2cups Flour 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder 1 Tbsp Crushed Cinnamon Basil Mix well. Shape in rolls. Chill or freeze. Slice ¼” thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes.

Other delicious recipes…

Vanilla Almond Tea by Becky Ashley
3 Heaping Tablespoons instant unflavored tea
2 cups Hot Water
1 12oz Can Frozen Lemonade
½ to 1cup Sugar
2 Tblsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Almond Extract
Dissolve tea in hot water. Add lemonade, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. Fill to top with water or sprite to make one gallon. Garnish with mint sprig or orange slice.

 

Cornmeal Thyme Cookies by Becky Ashley
1 ¾ cups Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal
8 oz softened, unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 large eggs
¾ cups dried currants
1 Tbsp plus ½ tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, baking soda, corn meal in a medium bowl. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add flour mixture. Mix on low speed until combined. Mix in currants and thyme. Drop dough by tablespoons on parchment lined pans. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until pale golden.

 

Mexican Mint Marigold Almond Truffles b y Gladys Denham
16oz white chocolate baking squares
¼ cup whipping cream ¼ cup cream of coconut
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted and chopped
2 TBL finely chopped Mexican Mint Marigold leaves
2 TBL amaretto
18 oz semisweet chocolate squares
3 TBL shortening
Heat on low heat, stirring constantly, white chocolate, whipping cream and cream of coconut, just until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. Stir in almonds, amaretto, and Mexican Mint marigold. Cover, freeze until firm. Shape into about 50 balls. Freeze for 15 minutes. Melt semisweet chocolate and shortening, stirring to combine, just until melted. Using a fork, dip frozen balls, one at a time, into melted chocolate mixture. Place on wax paper covered baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes.

 

Chocolate Mint & Scented Chocolate Geranium Cookies
by Jamie Hilbig
1 cup Butter
½ cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour ¼ tsp.
Salt 1 tsp. Chocolate extract
½ cup chopped crystallized chocolate mint leaves**
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and powder sugar. Sift the flour with the salt. Gradually add the flour to the butte mixture. Stir in the chopped crystallized chocolate mint leaves. Shape into balls, and then slightly flattenthe balls when you put them on the cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes or until they are light brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while still warm. Put melted chocolate on top of that then garnish with crystallized mint leaves, then sprinkle with crystal sugar.
**Crystallized Plant Leaves Pick the small, freshest geranium leaves in the morning. Wash the leaves, then dip them in ice water to perk them up and then place them on paper towels and allow to air dry. They must be completely dry before proceeding to the next step.  Next, dilute meringue powder with water. Hold the leaf with surgical tweezers and apply a thin layer of meringue mixture with a small paintbrush in a thin even layer on each side of the leaf. Sprinkle superfine sugar over the entire leaf. Place the leaf on a piece of waxed paper to dry. Let dry in a cool place for 2 to 4 hours.

 

Pumpkin Tarragon Streusel Cake by Edith Hiett
1Pkg. 27-¼ oz Pillsbury Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Mix
3 Large Eggs
¼ cup Softened Butter
1 ½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
4 or 5 Sprigs fresh French Tarragon, finely minced
2/3 cup liquid* (water or fruit juice)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine cake mix packet with eggs, pumpkin, butter, nutmeg and French Tarragon. Add liquid of choice. Mix as directed on Pillsbury package. Layer batter into bundt pan with streusel mix as directed on package. Bake at 375 for 45 to 50 minutes or until wood toothpick inserted into cake at several points comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack until lukewarm. Remove from pan and glaze with third packet as directed on package. Serves 12.
*Liquid can be a mixture of brandy or run and water. Juices that go well with pumpkin/tarragon flavor include apple juice, white grape juice, and pear nectar.

 

Hummingbird Cake by Edith Hiett
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cloves
1 heaping Tblsp dried French Tarragon
¾ cup butter
2 cups mashed ripe banana
1 8oz can crushed pineapple
3 eggs 2 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup finely chopped pecans
powdered sugar (optional)
Grease and flour a 10inch fluted tube pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, cloves and dried French Tarragon. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add bananas, undrained pineapple, eggs, and vanilla; beat until combined. Add flour mixture. Beat on low speed until combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Fold in pecans. Spread batter in the prepared pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 70 to 75 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wore rack. If desired, decorate cake with a powdered sugar design. Place a paper doily on top of cake. Sift powdered sugar over doily to fill cutout designs. Carefully remove doily. Makes 12 servings.