Autumn Looming

Coming soon:
"Small Shawls and Tea Parties: seven shawls to make small, or large, and the recipes they inspired".

Tea on Tuesday

It has been a long time since we've had tea on Tuesday, so I hope you will enjoy a nice cup of summer tea and this recipe.

Apricot Coriander White Chocolate Scones
Elegant and indulgent, these are the perfect scones to pamper your family and friends with. Be sure to use good quality dried apricots and white chocolate chips. These scones especially good warm, so you may want to make them ahead just up to the point of baking, and freeze the unbaked scones on the baking sheets wrapped well in plastic. The day of your tea party, remove the scones from the freezer, unwrap, and place them right
in the oven to bake. This recipe makes 12 larger scones, or you can cut them smaller for more servings.

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TBSP.(vanilla) sugar
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk (2 % OK)
1 large egg

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar,
and coriander. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives, until the flour takes on the texture of course meal. Toss in the apricots and white chocolate chips. Make sure the apricot pieces are separated and coated with the flour so they do not clump together.
In a separate bowl, beat together the milk and egg. Add to the dry mixture and stir with a fork until a soft dough begins to form. Knead lightly to incorporate all of the flour. Divide the dough into two balls and form into 2 six inch rounds. Cut each round into 6 triangles, OR pat the dough into a rectangle and cut diagonally for smaller scones. Separate the scones slightly and place them on the baking sheet. The sides should not be touching. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool on a rack. Eat one warm, you’ve earned a treat!
Copyright by Renee Van Hoy, Invisible Loom 2001, 2012. All Rights Reserved.

Tea on Tuesday

$12.00 US

Tea on Tuesday

Little Lemon Ginger Cookies

A sweet little gem of a cookie, my girls can not get enough of these. The cookies may be made a few days ahead of serving and stored in a sealed container between waxed paper or parchment paper. For an extra treat, sprinkle the tops with a little lemon sugar.

1 stick (8 TBSP.) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

1/4 tsp. lemon extract

1 and 1/3 cups flour

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup candied ginger, finely diced

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicon baking mats or parchment paper. In bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat to combine. Add the zest and lemon extract and beat in.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, salt and candied ginger. On low speed, add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture until just combined. Drop teaspoons of batter onto the baking sheets (a small sized cookie scoop or melon ball scoop works well for this and gives you very even, round little cookies.) Sprinkle tops with a little sugar or lemon sugar. Bake 7 - 9 minutes, until bottoms have browned. Centers will be a little soft.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Copyright 2000-2011 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved.

Tea on Tuesday

Tea this week includes a beautiful skein of Alpaca yarn sent to me by Regina of Howling Wolf Herbs. 375 yards of a deep brown fingering Alpaca that is soooooo soft! Regina is an avid loom knitter, who has a beautiful site with wonderful herbal products and yarn. Thank you so much Regina! On my loom, but nearing the end, the diamond and ruffle shawl is shown in the second photo. This pattern is part of the "shawl project", and will have both a simple and more challenging version. This version has a lace inset, and is made in fingering weight yarn. A simpler version can be made in heavier weight yarn without the lace inset, to make a simple crescent shawl with a gentle ruffle along the edges.

Here is a close-up photo of the diamond lace inset, which makes the pattern a little more challenging (but not too hard, I promise.) And now for tea: this past week, we enjoyed this pear pie with Bartlett pears right off our tiny pear tree.

Our Pear Tree Pie

dough for a double crust deep 9 inch pie

8 - 9 ripe pears, peeled and cut into small chunks

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a pie pan with dough (I like a deep dish clear glass pan,) chill until needed. Combine the pears, brown sugar, nutmeg, almond extract and salt. Taste for sweetness, add a little sugar if needed. Add flour and mix well. Pour pear mixture into prepared pie pan. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Place on a lined baking sheet. Bake in lower part of the oven for 20 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 40 minutes more, until pie crust is lightly browned and filling is bubbly. Cool and enjoy!

Copyright 2011 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved.

Tea on Tuesday

Loom knitters love tea ♥

Today's recipe is a favorite of mine. If you have never rubbed the leaves of a scented geranium, you have missed an herbal treat. Substitute mint if geranium leaves have not favored your garden. There is a lovely KAL at Ravelry in the Jane Eyre Fans group. The theme is "Tea on the Moors", and the patterns are open to any tea cozy or mitt pattern you would enjoy making. Prizes and a virtual tea party will be at the end of the KAL for anyone who has shared a finished project. I'm contributing 2 tins of Harney's Tea, winners choice.
Rose Scented Geranium Cake

Like tasting a wonderful aroma! A beautiful cake for a special occaision, or for your special family. This cake keeps well and can be made a few days ahead, or frozen, if need be.

1 1/2 cup sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 large egg yolks
3 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup (whole) milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 TBSP. finely chopped rose scented geranium leaves -stems removed

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and sugar a 10 inch bundt or tube pan. For an extra special treat, use rose vanilla sugar for the pan. In a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. On low speed, add cake flour alternately with milk. Beat in baking powder and vanilla. Beat in rose geranium leaves. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a platter and cool completely.
Copyright 2000- 2011 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved.

Tea on Tuesday

Deep Dish Blueberry Pie

A July tradition, fresh blueberry pie!

PIE FILLING:
6 cups fresh blueberries, washed and dried
6 TBSP. sugar
3 TBSP. flour
1 TBSP. butter
1 tsp. Kirsch
pastry for a double crust 9 inch pie

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9 inch deep pie pan with the pastry. Chill. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar and Kirsch. Taste for sweetness, and if ok, add the flour and toss gently. Pour into the prepared shell and dot with the butter. Top with the second crust, and cut vents on the top. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. REDUCE TO 350 degrees, and bake another 25-35 minutes.
Copyright 2000-2011 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy, Renee's Tea Party. All Rights Reserved.

Tea on Tuesday

Our tea table this week will be filled with Passover baking. We started last night with the first Sedar, and all the favorite homemade cookies : Vanilla Coconut Macaroons, Chocolate Chip Macaroons, Orange Almond Macarons, and Chocolate Walnut Mandelbrot. All are in the photo above.

The second photo is the Sedar table. The main meal had our familiar favorites: Matzo Ball soup, Apple and Pecan Charosis with matzo and Matzo Muffins, a Spicy Brisket, and Carrot Tsimmes.

The last photo is the china. This is not the family china, but a wonderful second-hand find. I love the flowers on the plates. They always seem just right for a Spring celebration.

The recipe for the Coconut Macaroons is under the recipes tab, March 30, 2010.

Copyright 2011 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved.

Tea on Tuesday, and some looming on the net

Just a few fun loomings to share with you before we have tea. The Loom Class Group at yahoo groups is making a darling bunny washcloth designed by KellyKnits this week. Brenda the Loom Lady has posted her amazing "LoomChet" patterns for granny squares. Tanya at Made by Telaine has shared two more beautiful stitch patterns from her Friendly Scarf Project, (the drop seed stitch is especially nice,) and Helen at My Heart Exposed is having a one year anniversary contest, with wonderful prizes, to celebrate the first year of her fiber dying business. Happy Birthday and congratulations Helen!

Chocolate Amaretto Biscotti

Although biscotti are traditionally made crisp to dip in coffee, this softer version will be perfect on the tea table. This cookie is rich in chocolate and walnuts, and flavored with just a hint of Amaretto, with a delicious result. The biscotti can be prepared up to 4 days ahead if kept in a well sealed container between sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper.

2 cups flour

1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. (kosher) salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 TBSP. vegetable oil

1 TBSP. Amaretto

1/4 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cup walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted

powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, walnuts and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, oil and Amaretto. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry with a fork. Stir until a soft ball of dough is formed. With your hands, gently knead the dough a few times. Divide the dough into two portions. Shape each portion into a log about 3 inches wide and 8 inches long, and 3/4 inch thick. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove biscotti from the oven and let stand a few minutes on the baking sheet. With a serrated knife, slice off the ends. Cut the logs into 10 slices each. Lay the slices on the parchment cut side up, and bake an additional 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool on the baking sheet. While the biscotti are still warm, roll the tops in a dish of powdered sugar.

Copyright 2011 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Tea on Tuesday

A little follow up to "Which loom to loom" post. No, I have yet to find a small gauge loom that I can use with my vision and neurological problems, but I have not given up! I have the AKB sock loom and the Markman adjustable loom in small gauge, and I'm hoping that one or both of these will work for me. In the meantime, I'm working on a few patterns. One is for a little cap, and the other for a diagonal scarf for using up your "scrap" yarn (a loom version of a popular needle knit pattern.) I've also tried to improve the links on the pattern pages for those of you who do not belong to Ravelry. Hopefully you can download the patterns easily now.

Continuing with the Lavender Tea theme, one of my favorite cookies for your tea table:

Lavender Lemon Ice Box Cookies

Lavender and lemon pair well to make this delicious cookie. These cookies will keep for up to a week - I think. They’ve never been around long enough in our house to know for sure. I have used organic dried English lavender flower buds (unopened flowers) in this recipe. If you use a different variety or if you use fresh lavender, you may get a stronger or weaker lavender flavor.

1 and 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 TBSP. light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 tsp. vanilla
zest of 1 lemon, finely grated (about 3 tsp.)
1 and 1/2 tsp. dried lavender flower buds
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp. salt

Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicon baking mats. In a mixer, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. (Don’t skimp on this step.) Beat in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest. Combine the flour, lavender and salt. Add to the creamed mixture on low speed, until just blended. Divide the dough into two, and roll into logs 1 1/2 inches thick in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the logs into 1/4 inch rounds, rolling the logs as you go to keep them round. Bake one sheet at a time for 8 - 10 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on racks. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Copyright 2000-2011 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Tea on Tuesday - on Thursday

I forgot what day of the week it is! Here is a tea treat, by special request from Karen, some Lavender for your tea table.

Lavender Honey Biscotti

Lavender, honey and pine nuts combine to make an elegant biscotti that will please everyone. And it’s simple to make. I have used organic dried English lavender flower buds (unopened flowers). If you use another type of lavender or fresh lavender, you may get a stronger or weaker lavender flavor.

2 and 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 TBSP. vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. dried lavender buds
2/3 cup toasted pine nuts


Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon baking mat. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lavender. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, honey, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Stir the liquids into the flour mixture with a fork. Stir in the toasted pine nuts. Stir gently to form a soft dough. Knead lightly a few times by hand to form a ball. Divide the dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a log on the baking sheet, about 8 inches long, 2 and 1/2 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Leave the oven on, and remove the biscotti. Cool a few minutes and remove to a cutting board. Trim off the ends, and slice each log into 10 pieces, about 3/4 inch wide. Lay the biscotti on their sides, and return to the oven for 10 minutes more. Cool. This makes a softer biscotti. If you like a very dry biscotti, extend the time for the second bake.
Copyright 2000-2011 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All rights reserved. Personal use only.

Tea on Tuesday

Orange Poppyseed Oatmeal Mini-Muffins

These muffins are quick ( and a little healthy,) and always a hit with kids. You can make 3 dozen mini-muffins, or 1 dozen full size muffins.

1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup sugar
4 tsp. poppy seeds
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
2 Tsbp. fresh orange juice
zest of 1 orange, finely grated

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder and baking soda. Mix together the milk, oil, egg, juice and zest. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Fill muffin cups just over 1/2. Bake 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on a rack.

Copyright 2000, 2011 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All rights reserved. Personal use only.

Tea on Tuesday

Double Ginger Cakes

This is a cake for chocolate and ginger fans. Not dry like ginger bread cookies, but moist and full of ginger flavor. Can be baked a day ahead. The heart shaped mini pans make a nice presentation, but a 10 " bundt pan would also work (extend the baking time.)

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup molasses
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp. dry ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. flour
1 1/3 cup milk (low fat ok)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and sugar 12 mini heart cake pans. Cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, molasses, and fresh ginger. Combine dry ingredients and add to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Bake in the mini cake pans at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove and cool on racks.

Copyright 2010 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Tea on Tuesday

Today I am sharing my favorite "Maple Pumpkin Butter", perfect for autumn tea tables. It is simple to make, and delicious to eat. Use the best canned pumpkin and maple syrup you can find, and a good, strong cinnamon.

Maple Pumpkin Butter

Maple syrup and pumpkin combine to make this a richly flavored butter that is simple to prepare. You may want to make double, as it tends to disappear quickly! The butter would also make a delicious tart filling.

2 cups pureed, cooked pumpkin
1/4 cup plus 2 TBSP. pure Grade A maple syrup
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of mace
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart heavy bottomed sauce pan. Cook on lowest heat, stirring often, until very thick and no excess liquid remains, about 30 minutes. If you are using fresh pumpkin, you will have a longer cooking time, because it has more liquid.
Cool and refrigerate for up to 1 month in clean jars.

Copyright 2000-2010 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Welcome Autumn Tea Recipe

Apple butter is a real treat for the Fall. It takes a little time to
make, but it is so worthwhile! Not only can you serve it for tea and
breakfast, but you will have extra for gifts or for making Apple Butter Tartlets. This recipe takes about 2 hours from start to finish, which is much shorter than the cooking time called for in most apple butter recipes. I think you’ll be very happy with the delicious result.

Apple Butter
3 and 1/2 pounds apples, mixed sweet and tart apples
2 cups apple juice
2 and 1/2 to 3 cups dark brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
zest and juice of 1 lemon
6 half pint canning jars, lids, and a water processor, if preserving

Peel, core and quarter the apples. Place them in a large dutch oven with the apple juice. Bring to a boil and simmer until the apples are soft and can be pierced with a fork. Since you are using a mixture of apples, some may cook faster than others, so you may need to remove them to keep them from disintegrating into the juice.
Remove the apples with a slotted spoon and discard the juice. Process the apples in two batches in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, until the apples are thick and smooth.
Before returning the apple puree to the pan, measure it into a liquid
cup measure. For each cup of puree, add 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar to the pan. You should have 5 to 6 cups of apple puree. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg* to the pan, along with the lemon zest and juice. Be sure the zest is very finely grated.
Cook over the lowest heat setting for about 45 minutes, stirring now
and then to prevent sticking. The heat is too high if the butter is
bubbling. The butter is ready when it looks dark and is thick enough to mound up on a spoon.
Pour the butter into clean, hot jars and process in a water bath for
10 minutes. Refrigerate after opening or if not canning.
*Quality ingredients can make a big difference in this recipe. If you
can use a whole vanilla bean sliced in half and grate a whole nutmeg,
the flavor will be more intense. The Vietnamese Cinnamon
is also wonderful.
Copyright 2000-2010 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal use only.

Tea on Tuesday - on Wednesday

Cheddar Chive Biscotti

Sharp cheddar cheese and cornmeal give this biscotti a lovely color and a nice crunch. This is a nice savory for your tea party, or a delicious accompaniment to a luncheon salad or appetizer tray. For spreading on this savory biscotti, try some herbal honey.

1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 TBSP. sugar
2 TBSP. finely minced fresh chives
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
3 TBSP. vegetable oil
1/8 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients, chives and cheddar cheese. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, oil and water. Pour the liquids into the dry mixture. Stir with a fork until moistened and crumbly. Mix by hand gently to form a ball of dough. Let rest a minute. Divide the dough in two, and shape each half into logs 3/4 inch thick. Place on the parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until firm to touch. Remove the sheet from the oven, but leave the oven on. Let cool two minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer the biscotti to a cutting board with a large spatula. Carefully trim off the ends and slice each log into 8 slices. Lay the biscotti cut sides up on the baking sheet and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Cool on a rack. Makes 16 biscotti.
Copyright 2000-2010 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Tea on Tuesday

This is a favorite cookie recipe of ours. I keep pots of mint growing fresh all year to give us the chance to bake these - the fresh mint makes all the difference.
Peppermint Shortbread
Source of Recipe
"Along the Garden Path" by Bill and Sylvia Varney

12 TBSP. unsalted butter, softened
9 TBSP. sugar
1 1/2 TBSP. brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. peppermint extract
1 TBSP. finely chopped fresh peppermint leaves
1/8 tsp. salt
2 cups flour

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In a mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and extracts. Add the flour on low speed. Stir in the peppermint leaves and salt. Divide dough into three portions. Place on plastic wrap and roll into cylinders 1 1/4 inch in diameter. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm. (1 hour) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap dough and slice into 1/4" thick slices. Rotate the cylinder to keep it round. keep the slices even and thin. They do not spread much, so you can place them close together on the sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until the bottom edges are just barely brown. Remove to rack to cool.
For cut out cookies, divide dough into three portions and place on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Place another sheet on top and pat or roll the dough out into a very thin sheet. Chill the sheets of dough until firm, about 30 minutes. Remove and cut quickly with miniature cookie cutters. Bake 8 minutes - watch these little cookies can brown very quickly. Remove immediately to rack and cool. For square cookies, shape logs with flat sides and chill and slice as above.
This dough can be made and frozen unbaked. Thaw slightly in refrigerator before baking.
These little cookies are especially pretty in miniature butterfly shapes surrounding a piece of cake. Enjoy!

Copyright 2000 - 2010 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Tea on Tuesday

We are still enjoying lots of lavender from our garden, so here is another wonderful lavender recipe, with blueberries and nectarines.

Lavender Nectarine-Blueberry Cobbler

This is a truly delightful combination of flavors. If you don’t have any vanilla sugar, use regular sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. I have used organic dried English lavender flower buds (unopened
flowers) in this recipe. If you use a different variety or fresh lavender, you may get a weaker or stronger lavender flavor.

COBBLER TOPPING:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 TBSP. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 TBSP. unsalted butter, chilled
1 large egg
2/3 cup whole milk
COBBLER FILLING:
4 cups sliced nectarines, 1/2 inch thick slice
1 and 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
6 TBSP. vanilla sugar
1 tsp. dried lavender flower buds
3 TBSP. flour

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the nectarines, blueberries, vanilla sugar, and lavender. Taste for sweetness. Stir in the flour and pour into a 1 and 1/2 quart ceramic baking or gratin dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and cut it into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives. Combine the milk and the egg, and stir into the dry ingredients. Stir to form a soft dough. Spoon or shape by hand rounds of dough on top of the fruit. The dough should cover the entire top, but leave spaces between the dough to let the fruit bubble up during the baking.
Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees, until the topping is cooked through and lightly browned, and the filling bubbles up. Serve warm (with a little vanilla ice cream).
Copyright 2000-2010 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Tea on Tuesday

Our garden is full of wonderful herbs, and the lavender is especially nice. We have four different varieties blooming. The white lavender is lovely when cut and bunched with the purple and blue varieties. Here is a simple recipe using lavender.

Lavender Cream

This is the perfect way to pamper yourself at tea time. Try this cream with scones and fresh berries. It pairs especially well with blueberries and blueberry jam. I have used organic dried English lavender flower buds (unopened flowers) for this recipe, as that is the most commonly found variety. If you use a different type of lavender, you may have a stronger or weaker flavor. If the cream’s flavor is too strong, whip a little unflavored cream and add it to the
lavender cream.

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. dried lavender flower buds
2 TBSP. confectioner’s sugar

Combine the cream and lavender and let chill overnight. Strain out the lavender. In a mixer, whip the infused cream and the confectioner’s sugar until it is very stiff and a spreadable consistency. Chill until ready to serve. Can be made several hours in advance.
Makes about 1 cup whipped cream.

Copyright 2000-2010 by Renee Van Hoy, Invisible Loom and Craft. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Tea on Tuesday

Tigger is posing next to the June Loom-a-long "Simple Lace Wrap". The colors seem much more vivid in the photograph than in person.

For this very nice summer day, something apricot for your tea. This has long been a family favorite.

Apricot Gratin

Bake this luscious dessert while the main meal is being served. It will smell heavenly and taste even better.

10 large ripe, firm, apricots
1 cup flour
1 cup almonds, finely ground*
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, softened
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Halve and pit apricots. Place in a shallow gratin baking dish (about 1 1/2 - 2 quart size).
Grind almonds in the food processor with the sugar. In a large bowl, combine almond mixture,flour, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork. Cover apricots with topping and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve warm.

*Grind the almonds with the sugar to keep them from becoming too
paste-like.

Copyright 2000-2010 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.

Tea on Tuesday - on Wednesday

The pdf files of my loom patterns seem to be well received over at Ravelry. I have almost all of the patterns available now. Let me know how you like them.

For our tea table today, one of my favorite cookies. From the herb garden, Chocolate Tarragon Biscotti. Enjoy!

Chocolate Tarragon Biscotti

You will be delightfully surprised how the tarragon brightens the chocolate in these biscotti. These are a softer biscotti, but if you like a very crunchy dipping cookie, extend the bake time of the second bake another 5 -10 minutes.

2 cups flour
1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. (kosher) salt
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 TBSP. finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 TBSP. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and tarragon. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, extract and oil. Add liquids and chocolate chips to dry ingredients and stir with a fork until all are combined. Turn dough out on to a sheet of plastic wrap, and divide in two. Knead each portion a few times, and place on the baking sheet. Form each portion into a log 8 inches long, 2 inches wide, and about 3/4 inch thick.

Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes. Place on a cutting board and trim off the ends. Slice the logs into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay biscotti on their sides on the baking sheet, and return to the oven for 5 minutes (longer for a very crispy cookie). Cool on rack. Makes 20 biscotti. These will keep several days in a well sealed container.
Copyright 2000 -2010 by Renee Van Hoy, Invisible Loom and Craft. All Rights Reserved. For Personal Use Only.