Cucumber Salad with Yuzu Rice Vinegar

Cucumbers can vary in their level of bitterness. Usually the older the more bitter, and the seeds are often more bitter than the flesh. Once you cut into a cucumber, taste it. If bitter, scrape or cut away the seeds. You might also want to soak the chopped cucumber in salt water to help offset the bitterness. The cucumbers we get are usually fine as is, but I have had some bitter ones. With regards to peeling, we almost always peel our cucumbers, but there are some varieties with thin, mild peels that you don't need to peel. Taste first if there is a question.

Ingredients

• 1-2 large cucumbers (or 4-5 lemon cucumbers), peeled, quartered lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
• 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, basil, or Thai basil*
• 2-3 Tbsp Yuzu Rice Vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

*To chop the basil, chiffonade it by stacking the leaves on top of each other, rolling them up like a cigar, and taking thin slices from one end to the other.

 

Method

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, toss to coat. Serve immediately, or make ahead (up to a couple of hours) and chill.

Serves 2-4

                                                        adapted from

Lavender and Blood Orange Shortbreads

The month of June started with me having a weekend home alone.  The boys were off to upstate New York to visit family and I stayed home and "held down the fort" as some would say.  I had a really hard time deciding if it was going to be a pure all me and know one else but me weekend or to have a gals weekend.  Well, I decided I wasn't ready for a pure all me and know one else weekend so a gals weekend it was.

The "gals" consisted of mom and I.  The theme was drinking, cooking, and baking but luckily we did the cooking and baking first and the drinking second.  I thought that would be a good idea considering we were trying recipes with my products to blog about and capture all our doings digitally. 

We tried 7 recipes that weekend.  This one came out perfectly but not so many pictures.  It seemed that if we took all kinds of pictures the recipes still needs work but if we only have two like for the shortbread's it turned out awesome on the first try.  Go Figure?

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons, 1/2 teaspoon Blood Orange-Olive Oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons dried lavender flowers

zest of 1 blood orange(seasonal Nov to May) or regular orangeIn a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch and salt. In a separate bowl, beat butter until creamy. 

While continuing to mix, slowly pour olive oil into butter until fully incorporated.

Stir in sugar, vanilla extract, lavender, and zest to butter mixture. 

 

Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring together until just blended.

 

Form dough into a ball and divide in half. Roll each half into a 6'' log, wrap logs in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat oven to 325. Unwrap dough logs and cut each log into 1/3''-inch thick rounds. Place rounds about 1/2'' apart on baking sheets. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire sheets and allow to cool.

This dough can be very crumbly so I would suggest making sure the dough is really cold.

 

Store the cookies in an airtight container and the flavor of the Lavender and Blood Orange will meld together into a wonderful citrus and floral sensation!

This recipe was adapted from A Couple in the Kitchen

Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Verbena

I found this recipe for olive oil cake and  I was intrigued.  I love olive oil and have many options and flavors to choose from.  The first question that came to mind when reviewing the recipe was how am I going to get my hands on Lemon Verbena?  

I figured I really had only one local option so I added it to my list of  stops and headed out the door.  Thank you to Briar Patch Coop in Grass Valley CA, you never disappoint.  I had hoped to possibly get some leaves fresh or dry but as I walked up to the door and saw all the herb and vegi plants I stopped to see if I could get lucky.  Well, it was my lucky day and I am now the owner of a beautiful Lemon Verbena Plant.   

•  3/4 cup O Meyer Lemon Olive Oil 
•  1/4 cup Meyer Lemon Syrup
• 2 Tbls  butter
• juice of 1 1/2 large lemons (just under 1/4 cup juice)
• zest of 2 lemons
• 7 leaves lemon verbena, minced 
• 5 egg yolks
• heavy pinch of salt
• 4 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour (the original recipe called for cake flour and to sift it but that was not a step I was going to take)

Combine the olive oil and the lemon juice and set aside in a liquid measure.

With the whip attachment, whip yolks, salt and 1/2 sugar until very light, thick and billowy.

Still whisking on medium speed, slowly stream in the oil/juice mixture.  Whisk in the zest and lemon verbena leaves.  I adjusted the amount of lemon verbena leaves from 15 to 7 because my version of this recipe uses the Meyer Lemon Olive Oil.

Whisk the whites with the other half of the sugar to medium peaks.

Fold the whites and the sifted flour together gently but thoroughly.  The batter should be very light and poufy.

Spoon into a greased 8″ cake pan and smooth the top a little.  Sprinkle with some sugar–white or demerara, whatever you have–bake at 350 degrees until light golden brown on top and well risen.  

Depending on your oven, this could take between 20-35 minutes.  Keep an eye on it, but don’t open the oven or your lovely cake won’t rise as high as it could.  

Serve warm or at room temperature.  I made this cake for dessert and felt it had to have more than just sugar sprinkled on the top.  So, staying with the lemon theme I drizzled it with this quick and easy syrup recipe.  

For the syrup; combine the Meyer Lemon Syrup and butter in a measuring cup and microwave for 30 seconds.  Whisk the syrup and drizzle over the top of each piece before serving and a hint of powdered sugar. 

The cake will hold a day or two at room temperature. 

This recipe doubles very easily, so if you want to make a larger cake, feel free to double up.  

This recipe was adapted from Online Pastry Chef