Fruits of My Garden May 17, 2012

Recently I shared with you the wonderful things growing in my garden.  As I write this a steady rain is pouring down on these lovely plants and I swear I can see them growing taller as they soak up the life giving water.

When I bought the lemon-verbena plant I wasn’t sure what I would use it for, but I found a recipe for Lemon-Verbena Blueberry muffins.  I whipped up a batch over the weekend and took them to work to share.  They may not look very pretty, but they are tasty.  I think in my next batch I might add a splash of lemon juice and a tad more milk.  These were more crumbly, like a scone than moist like a muffin.

Last night, worried that my first tomatoes might go bad before I had a chance to cook them up, I decided to make some bruschetta.  I was going to take it to work to share on crackers, but once I mixed it up and arranged a plate for the photo, I couldn’t resist eating.  Made for a refreshing dinner.

In a few days I will be visiting with my great-aunt who makes some of the best southern country cooking I know.  I am looking forward to swapping recipes with her.  Be sure to check back to see what I learn from her.  In the meantime, below is the recipe for the Lemon-Verbena Blueberry muffins.

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh lemon verbena
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups, or line pan with paper muffin liners. Whisk together the egg, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth; set aside.
2. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon verbena into a food processor. Pulse until the lemon verbena has been finely chopped. Add the butter, and pulse quickly until finely chopped. Pour the flour mixture into a mixing bowl, and stir in the blueberries. Pour in the milk mixture, and stir until just moistened. Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.