Recipe: Crumpets & Blueberries with Chamomile Creme Anglaise

Crumpets with Chamomile Creme Anglaise & Blueberries

Amazing and amazingly simple recipe.  Store bought crumpets from Trader Joe’s were perfect for this, but you could probably use any sort of cajey base to enjoy this cream on.  Based on a recipe from Epicurious.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups half & half
• 4 T fresh chamomile flowers (there are about 18 flowers per tablespoon)
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/6 cup sugar

Bring half and half to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Add chamomile flowers; remove from heat. Cover; let steep 30 minutes. Strain mixture through strainer into bowl; discard flowers. Return half and half to same saucepan; bring to simmer.

Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot half and half. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sauce thickens very slightly, about 15 minutes (do not boil; sauce will be thin but will thicken slightly when cold). Cover and chill. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

To serve, plate a crumpet, top with a small handful of blueberries and a dollop of the creme anglaise.  I think ours turned out a little thick, but it was delicious!

Some Recent Meals

Quinoa and Greens Pie with Mashed Turnips and Beet Chips

Crumpets with Chamomile Creme Anglaise & Blueberries

Wine Braised Turnips and Kohlrabi with Salad and Sausage

Kale and White Bean Soup with Home Made Stock

Strawberry Morning Muffins

Mother's Day Lunch

Beet, Citrus and Avocado Salad

Radish, Mint and Cream Cheese Finger Sandwiches

Beet Green & Mushroom Quiche

Mac 'n' Cheese with Braised Collard Greens

Recipe: Fresh Mint Chamomile Tea

We’ve gotten fresh chamomile a couple times in our CSA and it’s such a pleasant herb!  Pretty and makes a lovely tisane.  We got some mint too, so I combined them to make a nice bedtime tea.  Our lemon verbena is coming back to life, so I think I’ll experiment with that too.

Ingredients

• 1 T chamomile flowers per cup of water (use flowers only, the leaves don’t have much flavor)
• small handful of mint, bruised
• freshly boiled filtered water

Pour the hot water over the herbs in your tea pot and let infuse for about 3 minutes.  Strain and enjoy!