Rose Geranium Berry Tart

Ingredients:

2 prebaked  9” tart shells

2 cups whole milk

12 rose geranium leaves*

½ vanilla bean split

4 egg yolks

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Pinch salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 to 8 cups ripe berries

Heat the milk in medium-sized saucepan. When it is nearly at a boil, stir in the rose geranium leaves and vanilla bean. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for at least 15 minutes. Strain and return to the pan.

Whisk together the egg yolks, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Bring the infused milk back to a simmer. Whisk about ¼ cup of the milk into the egg yolk mixture to loosen it, then whisk in the remaining milk. Whisk the custard over medium heat until it thickens and begins to boil. Whisk in the butter.

Scrape the custard into a bowl and cover the surface directly with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent it from forming a skin. Chill.

Within an hour or two of serving the tarts, spread the custard evenly between the two tart shells. Arrange the berries on top.

*Or substitute 2 teaspoons lavender buds, fresh or dried, or four 4-inch sprigs of anise hyssop or lemon verbena.

From The Herbfarm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld

Cinnamon Basil Ice Cream

Makes 1 ½ quarts

2½ cups whole milk

1½ cups heavy cream

eight 4” sprigs cinnamon basil, or use sweet basil and 1 cinnamon stick

¼ vanilla bean, split and scraped (page 000) or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

8 large egg yolks

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Pour the milk and cream into a 2-quart saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the lavender and vanilla, cover, and remove from heat. After about 15 minutes of steeping, strain the liquid and pour it back into the saucepan.

Put the egg yolks in a medium-sized stainless steel mixing bowl and float that bowl in a larger bowl half full of hot tap water. Whisk the yolks until they are lukewarm, then lift the bowl out of the water.

Add the sugar to the infused milk and cream and bring it back to a boil over medium-high heat. The instant the milk mixture comes to a rolling boil and rises in the pan, lift it off the heat. With the whisk in one hand and the saucepan in the other, pour the boiling milk mixture into the egg yolks as you whisk constantly but gently. At this point it should be fully cooked. It will coat a teaspoon, but it will become much thicker when it cools. (If for some reason the custard did not get hot enough to thicken, you can place the bowl on top of a saucepan of boiling water and stir it with a rubber spatula until it reaches temperature. Do not over-heat the custard or you risk it curdling.) Pour the custard through a fine sieve. If using vanilla extract, add it now. Refrigerate this custard base until thoroughly chilled. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.

Terrific with blueberry compote!

From The Herbfarm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld

Blueberry Compote

½ cup sugar

¼ cup water or berry liquor

½ cinnamon stick

1 quart ripe blueberries

Pinch salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring the sugar, water, and cinnamon stick to a simmer. Add the blueberries and cook until the begin to burst. Stir in the salt and butter. Serve warm or at room temperature.