Lemonade With Lemon Balm And Lemon Verbena Food

LEMON VERBENA LEMONADE

Steps:

• Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, and add lemon verbena. Cover, and steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, and let cool completely.
• Combine lemon juice and lemon verbena syrup in a pitcher. Fill glasses with lemon verbena ice, and divide lemonade among glasses.

OLD-FASHIONED LEMON VERBENA LEMONADE SYRUP

Steps:

• Make the syrup by heating together the water, lemon zest and the sugar. Bring to a boil, take off the heat and allow to infuse until cold. Bring back to a boil and immediately add the lemon verbena leaves. Take off the heat and allow to infuse until cold.
• Strain the syrup in to a bottle or jar in the fridge until needed. Discard the lemon verbena leaves.
• To make Lemonade: Pour some syrup into a glass and add water to taste. Serve with ice and garnish with a lemon verbena leaf and a lemon slice.

OLD-FASHIONED LEMON BALM LEMONADE

Steps:

• Scrub the lemons well. Peel the rind thinly, avoiding the white pithe, and set aside the lemons.
• Place the lemon rind, lemon balm leaves, and the sugar into a small heat-proof pitcher. Pour the boiling water into the pitcher and stir well, crushing the lemon balm leaves to release their flavor. Leave mixture to infuse for about 15 minutes.
• Now, cut the lemons in half and squeeze out the juice. Strain juice into a large glass pitcher, add a few fresh sprigs of lemon balm, and add the cooled, strained syrup. Top up with water or half-water half-ice, and chill until needed.

OLD FASHIONED LEMON BALM AND LEMON VERBENA LEMONADE SYRUP

Steps:

• Place the sugar, lemon halves and water into a saucepan and heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.
• Add the lemon verbena and lemon balm leaves and boil for 2 minutes; leave to cool. Add the citric or tartaric acid if using at this stage. Allow to cool and then cover and allow to infuse for 24 to 48 hours, depending on what strength you require. (I have left this for 3 days sometimes too, for a real lemon zing.).
• Sieve through a fine mesh or colander, discarding the lemon halves and the herb leaves - then pour into clean and sterile bottle/s; seal tightly and store in a cool dark place for several months or in the fridge for several weeks.
• To use: 1 part syrup to 4 parts water or sparkling water, to taste - add more for a stronger lemon flavour or less for a more delicate flavour. Add ice, a slice of lemon and some lemon balm or lemon verbena leaves as a garnish.

LEMON VERBENA BREAD

Steps:

• For the bread cream butter with verbena leaves in a mixer or food processor.
• Add sugar,eggs and milk and beat well.
• Add remaining ingredients and pulse a few times until blended.
• Grease loaf pans (1 large,2 small or 4 mini) and pour in batter.
• Bake at 350º for 30-45 minutes, depending on pan size, or until toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean.
• Leave loaf in pan and pour glaze over loaf while still hot.
• Let sit several hours.
• Remove loaf from pan.
• Wrap in foil to ripen overnight if you like, or serve when cool.
• You can also freeze this bread for later use.
• GLAZE: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tbsp fresh lemon verbena leaves,finely chopped, with the juice of one lemon.

LEMON VERBENA AND HERBAL SIMPLE SYRUPS FOR LEMONADE ETC!

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine water and sugar. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
• Add one of the infusions; boil gently, uncovered, for 2 minutes more.
• Remove from heat; cover and cool in saucepan for 1 hour. Remove and discard infusion ingredients.
• Transfer syrup to a clean covered storage container. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks, or may be frozen. Makes 2 cups syrup.
• VARIATIONS:.
• VANILLA INFUSION: Add one fresh vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, to the hot sugar-water mixture. If desired, after cooling, remove the vanilla bean and use the tip of a small knife to scrape the seeds from the beans into the syrup (flecks of dark seeds will color the crystal-clear syrup).
• FRESH HERB INFUSION: Add three 3-to-4-inch sprigs fresh rosemary; 3/4 cup lemon-verbena or mint leaves, slightly crushed; or 3/4 cup basil leaves, slightly crushed, to the hot sugar-water mixture.
• LEMON-GINGER INFUSION: Add three 1x3-inch strips of lemon peel and a 1-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced, to the hot sugar-water mixture.

LEMON VERBENA LEMONADE

Steps:

• Bring sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and add lemon verbena. Cover, and steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, and let cool thoroughly.
• Combine lemon juice and lemon verbena syrup in a pitcher. Fill glasses with lemon verbena ice, and divide lemonade among glasses (or cover and refrigerater for up to 3 days).
• LEMON VERBENA ICE CUBES:.
• Fill 2 ice trays halfway with water, and freeze. Top each cube with a lemon verbena leaf and cover with water, and freeze for up to a week.

LEMON VERBANA OR LEMON BALM PESTO

Steps:

• Rinse lemon balm well in a bowl of water. Let it soak until needed.
• Grate parmesan if needed.
• Peel garlic. Set up your food processor with the cutting blade or use a blender. Turn the machine on and drop the garlic in while the blade is turning. Turn off when garlic is minced, after about 10 seconds.
• Rinse the lemon balm well and pat dry with towel. Remove leaves and put in food processor or blender. Put walnuts and salt on top of leaves. Process until finely chopped but still a bit rough.
• With the machine going, slowly pour in olive oil.
• Stop the machine and add parmesan cheese. Process briefly to mix. Taste. Add salt and pepper as needed.
• To serve, stir pesto into hot cooked pasta or spread on bread or crackers. Eat warm or at room temperature.
• Refrigerate or freeze any extra.
• Enjoy!