herbs

Lemon Verbena Sugar /  by Judy Kim

by Judy Kim

Lemon Verbena Sugar

Lemon Verbena Sugar

Yield: 2 cups

This was created after the purchase of a lemon verbena plant, bought on a whim at the farmers market. It is so fragrant and just seemed perfect for an infused sugar. It can be enjoyed in tea, on the rim of a cocktail or any baking project. 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups sugar

3 sprigs lemon verbena, leaves only

Zest of 1 lemon (meyer lemon if possible)

DIRECTIONS

  1. In the bowl of a mini prep or food processor, add all ingredients and blend until mixture is finely ground.

Note: If you want more flavor, add more leaves or combine with another complimentary of your choice. Use this ratio to help create larger batches of herbed sugar. Keep in refrigerator.

Sources:

Ceramics: Jono Pandolfi

Photography Surface: Erickson Woodworks

Garlic & Dill Yogurt Dip /  by Judy Kim

by Judy Kim

The Judy Lab Garlic and Dill Yogurt Dip.jpeg

Garlic & Dill Yogurt Dip

Yield: Approximately 2 cups

Pretty sure I've never met a party dip that I didn't like, this is no exception. I make a version of this dip for almost every party I have. This is a great base that you change up easily by layering on additional flavors such as scallions, chives cayenne or even horseradish. Enjoy this for any gathering or holiday party full of friends and family. Excellent with seasonal vegetables from the farmers market. My all time favorites are carrots, fennel, a variety of radishes and those cute little baby cherry tomatoes when you can find them. It might be fun to make some baked root chips, but we all know potato chips will always be a winner.

Below I make mention to microplane the garlic, a trick I learned from my friend Mark Bello, owner of Pizza a Casa (rockin' pizza school in NYC if you haven't tried it). It's a genius trick I've not been able to stop using. Particularly great in recipes when you don't cook the garlic since it is probably the finest you will ever get the garlic and it's a huge time saver.  

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plain whole yogurt

1 cup mayo, such as Hellmann's

2 garlic cloves, grated with a microplane or finely minced

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together. If possible, make this a day ahead so that all the flavors have time to bloom.

  2. Serve chilled.

Suggest to add 1 teaspoon of French Vinaigrette herb mix from Penzeys Spices.