From the Garden to the Kitchen
Yardboy, I just infused some natural honey with lavender and it is heavenly! All I did was take one cup of honey, 1/4 cup of lavender leaves, bruised a bit, mixed them together and brought the mixture to a simmer on the stove. I put a lid on the pan as it cooled so that the lavender oils would not evaporate. Then I strained it – wish you were here to enjoy this easy summer dessert using my special honey. The dessert originated with Deacon Jim Hennessey, our church deacon, during a class he and I taught at Holy Trinity on “the thrill of the grill”.
GRILLED PINEAPPLE
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, sliced
Juice of 1 lime
Lavender infused honey or regular honey
Vanilla ice cream
Mix lime juice with honey to taste. Brush pineapple on both sides with mixture and grill over high until caramelized and golden brown. Serve with rum caramel sauce:
CARAMEL SAUCE WITH RUM
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons rum (opt)
1/2 cup whipping cream, un-whipped
Melt butter in pan, add brown sugar and rum and cook until sugar melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in cream and cook until slightly thickened.
To serve: Top pineapple with ice cream and drizzle sauce on top.
-Rita Nader Heikenfeld, CCP, CMH
www.abouteating.com www.cincinnati.com/blogs/cookingwithrita
