Lemon verbena

Drinks

• Pour hot water over fresh leaves for a lemony herbal tea, soak them in cold water for infused water, or use them to flavor liqueurs.

Desserts

• Warm milk and cream, add the leaves and steep for 30 minutes to an hour. Remove the leaves and use it as an ice cream base. It goes well with apricot sorbet, poached pears and strawberries.
• Steep it in cream instead of vanilla for custard desserts such as panna cotta or crème brûlée, or for the custard cream in a raspberry tart.
• Steep it in milk for rice pudding, or add it to syrup for poaching pears or peaches. Also add it to rhubarb tart, jelly or chocolate ganache.

Cooking

• Soak the leaves in olive oil to make a flavored oil for salad dressings.

Goes well with

PeachApricotRaspberryFigStrawberryPearRhubarbCreamMilk