Chamomile Shortbread

Shareholder Mark enjoying the fragrance of fresh chamomile



You can make a lovely tea from fresh chamomile flowers, but if you take the time to dry them, you can crush the flowers to a fine powder and add it to a variety of baked goods, conveying chamomile's subtle floral flavor with a hint of apple to your favorite cakes, cookies, or muffins.

It's easy to dry the flowers. Simply pull them off their stems. Compost the stems. Leave the flowers out to air dry for a couple of days, then store them in a glass jar or a paper bag.

To use chamomile in baked goods, it's best to pulverize the flowers. Use can do this in a mini food processor or a clean coffee grinder. You can also use a mortar and pestle. The flowers are soft and will crush easily when dry.

I added some pulverized chamomile flower powder to my favorite shortbread recipe to delightful results.

Chamomile Shortbread

1 C unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 C powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar, plus 1 T for sprinkling on top, if desired
1 t vanilla extract
1-1/2 C flour
1/4 t salt
3 T pulverized chamomile flower powder

1. Preheat oven to 300 Fahrenheit.

2. Cream butter with an electric mixer until fluffy and pale yellow.

3. Add 1/4 C powdered suger and 1/4 C granulated sugar. Continue beating until granulated sugar is completely incorporated and mixture is not gritty.

4. Beat in vanilla.

5. Sift together flour, salt, and pulverized chamomile flowers and add gradually to the butter mixture until just blended.

6. Using floured hands, press the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch square cookie pan. If desired, sprinkle top with 1 T granulated sugar.

7. Bake about 1 hour, until the edges of the shortbread are just slightly golden.

8. Remove from the oven and immediately cut into 3" x 1" strips. small triangles, or whatever shape you wish. Allow the shortbread to cool in the pan before removing the pieces.

You can use dried chamomile flowers in many recipes. However, chamomile's flavors are subtle, so pick recipes that have simple flavors, or substitute chamomile for other spices or flavorings. Try it in corn muffins or yellow cakes.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Fresh Chamomile Tea

Here's what Farmer John had for us at the Beachwood pick-up this week:

Fresh chamomile
Tat soi
Bok choy
Romaine mix
Mizuna
Red radish
Spinach
Chicoria
Turnip tops
Fresh garlic
Baby dill
Arugula

What a delight to have fresh chamomile for a steaming cup of tea on a windy afternoon! If you've never made tea from fresh herbs or flowers, here's your chance to check it out. Fresh chamomile has a naturally sweet flavor with a hint of apple and a beautiful yellow color.

For the most fragrant tea, use only the flowers. Pull off the flowers and compost the stems. Measure out a rounded 1/4 C of fresh flowers and place them in a teapot. Bring 4 C of cold water to a boil. Pour the hot water over the chamomile flowers in the teapot and steep for 5 minutes. Serve hot, or cool the tea, then refrigerate it and serve it cold.

Dried chamomile is perfectly fine, too. You can dry the flowers by hanging them upside down in a warm spot until dry; or you can pull off the flowers and dry them on a mesh screen set over a rimmed cookie sheet to facilitate air circulation. Once they're completely dry, store them in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or a metal cannister. To make tea with dried chamomile flowers: Use about 2 rounded tablespoons of dried flowers to 4 C boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Shelley