I decided to grow lemon verbena in my garden this year. I am thrilled with the beauty of the herb and the richness of the lemony taste. It is now producing like crazy and I am experimenting with recipes for it. Here is one that is exceptional! It is based on the homemade ice cream that we used to have when I was a little girl growing up in Georgia. My grandmother did not cook the base, and she did not use eggs in her ice cream. It is simply milk and sugar-based – and delicious!

Ingredients
1 cup cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup lemon verbena leaves (packed)

You will also need:
Small pot with lid
Slotted spoon
Ice cream maker (I use one with a compressor in it, but you can use just about any kind.)

Instructions
Infuse the cream with the lemon verbena by heating the half-n-half until it is almost boiling. Turn the heat off and add the lemon verbena leaves. Cover and let sit for about 20 minutes to let the flavor from the lemon verbena infuse into the half-n-half.

Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon. Add the sugar to the cream and stir well. Add the milk and stir again. Put the lid back on the pot and place it into the refrigerator for about an hour to fully cool.

Remove the milk mixture from the refrigerator and pour into the container of your ice cream maker. Freeze according to the manufacturers instructions. Note: If you are using an ice cream maker that requires the container to be frozen before you make the ice cream, then be sure that you followed that step.

Makes 1 pint of soft-serve ice cream. Enjoy!

Ingredients
12 ears sweet white corn, shucked and de-silked
1/3 cup water
¼ stick (2 T) butter
Sea salt to taste

You will also need:
Large pot, such as a Dutch oven, with lid
Serrated knife

Instructions
The secret to making fresh creamed corn is in the way that the corn is cut from the cob. Take an ear of corn that has been shucked and de-silked. Hold it inside a large pot or bowl with the stem end up and the pointed end down. Take a serrated knife and start to cut down on the kernels of corn, but just cut off the very tip of the kernel. This is really key! Don’t cut off the whole kernel, just the tip. Continue down the ear of corn until you have cut the tips off of all the kernels in that row. Turn the ear slightly and cut down the next row, just taking off the tips of each kernel again. Continue this process until you have cut off the tips of all of the kernels on that ear of corn. Then, using the same downward motion, take a knife and scrape down the cob on all sides, removing the remaining “cream” from the cob. Continue this process with all of the ears until you have a nice pot of corn and “cream”.

Add the water to the corn, cover it and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for about 15 minutes, stirring several times as corn tends to stick to the bottom of the pot. Turn off the heat and add the butter.Let it melt.Stir.Add salt to taste.

Serves 8.

I grew up on Southern-style buttermilk cornbread.  This cornbread is made with white corn meal and is savory, not sweet.  We used it also in our Southern-style cornbread dressing.   

Ingredients
3 T. olive oil (or bacon drippings, to be authentic)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups white corn meal (plain, not self-rising)
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups buttermilk

You will also need:
a seasoned cast iron skillet (or a heavy baking dish)
a mixing bowl
measuring cups and spoons
a large spoon for mixing

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425oF.

Put the olive oil or bacon drippings into the skillet and place the skillet into the oven to heat while you are mixing up the cornbread.

Beat the eggs, corn meal, the salt, the baking soda, the baking powder and the buttermilk together until combined.

Remove the skillet from the oven. Add the cornbread mixture. The skillet should be hot and the mixture should immediately start to bubble. Put the skillet back into the oven and cook for 25-35 minutes until the cornbread starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. The top should feel springy to the touch.

Serves 8.

Ingredients
1 cup light corn syrup (such as Karo)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (such as muscovado), packed
3 eggs
3 T. melted butter
1 T. Kentucky bourbon (such as Jack Daniels)
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. salt
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup pecan halves

Pecan pastry shell (see below)

You will also need:
2 mixing bowls
big spoon or roux whisk
measuring cups and spoons
pastry blender (or two knives)
rolling pin
plastic wrap
9″ pie dish (not deep dish, just regular)

Instructions
Make the pastry dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes (see below).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine corn syrup, brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, bourbon, vanilla extract and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly with a big spoon or a roux whisk. Stir in the pecan pieces. Set aside.

Roll out the chilled dough to about 1/8″ thickness and put it into the pie dish. Flute the edges.

Pour the pie filling into the pastry shell. Add the remaining cup of pecan halves.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the center is set. (The pie will likely crack – that is normal.)

Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for at least a half hour before serving.

Yield: 8 servings.

For the Pecan Pastry Shell:

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground pecans
1/4 t. salt
6 T. butter, cold
1 T. Kentucky bourbon (such as Jack Daniels)
2 T. cold water

Instructions
Combine flour, pecans and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle the bourbon over the mixture and stir it together. Add the water, stirring just until all ingredients are moistened. Shape the pastry into a ball and refrigerate for about half an hour. See instructions above for making the pie.