Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

• 1 cup salted butter (warmed)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 T lavender buds
• 2 T finely grated lemon peel
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 t lemon juice
• 1/2 t butter flavoring
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• dash of kosher salt

In a medium bowl, beat together butter and powdered sugar until smooth. With a mortar and pestle, combine lavender buds and lemon zest. Mix lavender-lemon zest mixture with vanilla, lemon juices and butter flavoring. Add flour and kosher salt, then beat just until well blended. With a rubber spatula, scrape the sides and bottom to make sure everything is combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, for 20-30 minutes. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 2" circular cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place them on parchment-lined cookie sheets until sheet is filled. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, chill pan for 10 minutes. Bake cookies until light brown on bottom and just barely golden around edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool completely. 

ICING

• zest of half a lemon
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 T cream cheese

In a medium bowl, slowly whisk together lemon juice into the powdered sugar. Add lemon zest and cream cheese and beat until well combined. Top each cookie with icing using a pastry spatula. 

Baked Salmon with Lemons, Capers, & Dill

Baked Salmon with Lemons, Capers, & Dill

• 2 salmon fillets
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• Cavender's greek seasoning
• 1 lemon
• 6+ capers
• fresh dill weed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a pan in aluminum foil. Lay the fillets down on the pan and cover both sides in olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and Cavender's. Lay down two lemon slices on each fillet and about two capers on each lemon slice. Sprinkle with dill and cover with another layer of foil. Cook for 15-20 minutes. 

Blackberry Thyme Cocktail

Blackberry Thyme Cocktail

• 1/3 cup blackberries, plus more for garnish
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 bottle dry sparkling wine
• few sprigs of fresh thyme

In a small saucepan, bring the blackberries, water and sugar to a boil. Turn to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Strain blackberries and let syrup cool. Add 2T of syrup to the bottom of each glass. Top with champagne and garnish with a sprig of thyme and blackberries.  

Pear & Goat Cheese Flatbread

Pear & Goat Cheese Flatbread

• 1 ball store bought pizza dough
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• kosher salt, to taste
• 1 container spreadable goat cheese
• 1 pear, sliced
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 2-3 tsp. balsamic glaze

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough into a long rectangle. Transfer to a parchment-lined pizza pan. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Dock the center of the pizza with a fork to prevent large bubbles from forming. Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, remove and set aside. Spread goat cheese on crust, leaving about an inch around the edges of the rectangle. Lay pear slices down on the goat cheese. Top with chopped pecans and balsamic glaze. Bake for 3-5 minutes, until the pears have softened and crust begins to brown. 

Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie Board

Creating a charcuterie and cheese platter can be intimidating, how do you begin to determine what to use? It’s important to have enough variety throughout the board: sweet and salty, smooth and crunchy, fresh and dried. I wanted to make sure that the cheeses, wines, and accompaniments paired well together. I like to create little pairing moments throughout the whole board.

Let’s talk cheese. How do you decide what to use? How many options should you have? When choosing cheeses, go with you palate. Chances are you don’t like every type of cheese, so start with some that you love and that will complement your favorite type of wine. I currently am obsessed with goat cheese and chardonnay. They pair well together and are a wonderful pre-dinner snack with crackers and a sweet pepper jelly. I would have at least 2-3 cheeses on every board since not everyone has the same taste. If you are really concerned about it, just ask your guests their preferences and go from there.

What about crackers? Choose crackers according to the types of cheese that are going on them. Softer cheese is great on toasted bread slices, while harder cheese goes well with plain wellington crackers. You want the cheese to stand out, so I suggest keeping the bread and crackers on the plain side.

How do you choose the meats? This is a preference choice again. I enjoy prosciutto and soppressata so I knew I would want them on my charcuterie board.

What about other accompaniments? How many should you have, what should you use? Some things went on the board just as options, while others were “pairing moments”. Dried fruit and pepper jelly go well with goat cheese, while things like olives and grapes would be more of a universally preferred options.

Now to the really fun part, wine! What tips can you offer for the perfect pairings? I chose chardonnay to go with the goat cheese, a red blend to go with the pecorino romano and manchego, and sparkling rosé to go with the gruyere. 

{Excerpt from Social South Magazine}

Charcuterie, Cheese, & Wine Choices

plain goat cheese | herb crusted goat cheese | pear slices | wellington crackers | gruyere cheese | rosé sparkling wine | sun dried tomato | stuffed olives | kalamata olives | pistachios | grapes | pecorino romano | manchego | whole grain Dijon mustard | strawberry pepper jelly | toasted bread slices | almonds | la panzanella crackers | chardonnay | craisins | apricots | soppressata | red wine blend |  prosciutto