Recipes for using Scented Geraniums
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In the kitchen, scented geraniums cast a lovely flavor and aroma into jellies, ice creams, sorbets, butter, cakes, biscuits, punches, liqueurs and salad dressings. As with bay leaves, scented geranium leaves are not eaten, but removed before serving. To impart the flavor of whatever scented geranium you choose to your cake, simply line the cake pan with the leaves before pouring in the batter.
Herbed Butter with Geranium Leaves
· ½ lb. of slightly softened butter
· 1 tsp. each of fresh, chopped chives, parsley and thyme, or herbs of your choice
· ½ tsp. of fresh, chopped scented geranium leaves (the lemon scented variety is particularly good in herb butter)
Mix the herbs into the butter and chill a little before serving.
Donated by: herbalcuisine.com
Scented Geranium Potpourri
· 4 cups of dried lemon and/or lime scented geranium leaves
· 2 cups of mint scented geranium leaves
· 2 cups of rose scented geranium leaves
· 3 Tbsp. of orrisroot or ½ cup of dried and crushed patchouli leaves
· 2 Tbsp. of dried coriander
· 2 Tbsp. of clove buds The last three components are fixatives. Mix all the ingredients well. Place them in an airtight jar and keep in a dark place, stirring or shaking occasionally for a couple of months to blend thoroughly before using.
Donated by: herbalcuisine.com
Lavender and Geraniums Potpourri
· 4 cups of dried lavender flowers
· 2 cups of dried rose geranium leaves
· 2 cups of dried rosemary
· 1 oz. of orris root
· 15 - 20 drops of lavender essential oil.
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and place in a sealed jar. Age at least one month. Shake the jar frequently.
Donated by: herbalcuisine.com
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Medicinal Uses: As a medicinal plant, geranium
has traditionally been considered an astringent and
used as a folk remedy in the treatment of ulcers. A
terpine hydrate synthesized from geraniol is known
to be, an effective expectorant. Leaves are
reported to have antifungal activity.
Cosmetic Uses:
Vinegar for the bath 2 oz rosemary, 2 oz rose petals, 2 oz lavender, 2 oz mint, 2 oz rose
geranium leaves, 6 cups apple cider or white
vinegar, 1 cup rose water. Mix herbs and flowers
together; add vinegar. Bottle and steep in
refrigerator for 3-6 weeks. Strain and rebottle.
Add a few fresh herb sprigs and the rose water.
Scented Geranium Face Cream
1 cup almond oil
¼ cup lanolin
1 cup lemon- or rose-scented geranium leaves
Place the almond oil and lanolin in the
saucepan and heat gently, stirring. Add the leaves,
stir, and steep for 30 minutes, over very low heat.
Pressing down on the leaves, strain the mixture and
pour into small, wide-mouthed jars.
Geranium Bath Oil
1 cup rose- or lemon-scented geranium leaves
1 /4 cups baby oil
2 drops oil of geranium
Place all the ingredients in a jar and leave
to steep. Use 1 Tbsp of this oil in bathwater as a
treat for your skin.
Facial Scrub: Grate a bar of moisturizing soap into
a bowl. Add 1 cup oatmeal, ¼ cup almond meal
and 2 cups finely crushed scented geranium leaves.
Mix thoroughly. Place a heaping tablespoon of
facial scrub in a muslin square. Tie up ends. To
use: wet muslin and moisten your face. Gently
scrub your face using a circular motion. Rinse
face.
Sweet Herb Dusting Powder
1 cup arrowroot
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup baking soda
1 cup dried scented geranium leaves
¼ cup lavender flowers
Finely crush scented geranium leaves between
fingers. Blend all ingredients thoroughly and place
in a covered container with a purchased powder
puff.
Culinary Uses: Not all scented geraniums have
tastes that complement cooking. Recipes call for
either rose, lemon, or mint. Most often their
flavors are infused into the dish and they are
removed and discarded before serving, although
fresh leaves can be used as a decorative garnish.
The leaves are used fresh. Scenteds are typically
used in sweet dishes. Rose varieties add a delicate
but stimulating flavor to sugar which is then used in
baked goods or to sweeten teas. Stack clean, dry
leaves in a large canister between 1 inch layers of
sugar. Place the canister in a warm spot for two to
four weeks, and then sift out the leaves. Some
cooks recommend first bruising the leaves to
impart more flavor. The sugar can be substituted
for all or part of the plain sugar called for in recipes
for white cakes or icings. Small rose- or lemonscented
leaves can also be candied by dipping
them in egg white and coating them with sugar to
create impressive cake decorations. Dry them on a
rack before using.
The leaves can be arranged in the bottom
of a lined or buttered baking pan and pouring cake
batter over them. Jellies flavored with rosescenteds
can be used as a filling for sponge- or
angel-food cake layers. Apple and crab-apple
jellies are most commonly used for this purpose.
Other uses include fruit punches, wine cups, ice
cream and sorbets. Use lemon and rose scented
geraniums in sweet vinegar recipes, they combine
especially well with lemon verbena, lemon basil
and mints.
Herb Geranium Butter
1 tsp freshly snipped chives
1 tsp freshly chopped parsley
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp freshly chopped lemon-scented geranium
leaves
6 oz salted butter, slightly softened.
Work the herbs into the butter, mixing until
they are evenly distributed. Chill for a few minutes.
Turn onto aluminum foil and pat into shape,
forming the butter into a long roll about 1½ in
wide. Wrap and chill. Before serving, cut into
slices ¼ —1/3 in thick. (The Complete Geranium)
Lime Potted Prawns
6 medium-sized, lime (or lemon) scented geranium
leaves
6 oz butter
8 oz peeled, fresh or defrosted frozen prawns, plus
extra for garnishing
1/2 tsp mace
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp crushed green peppercorns
Pinch of salt
Crush 2 leaves with your fingers and place
the leaves and butter in a small saucepan over a
low heat. When the butter is frothing but before it
starts to brown, remove from the heat, skim and
leave for 30 minutes for the mixture to steep.
Remove the leaves, add the prawns and seasoning
and cook over a low heat, stirring for 3-4 minutes,
until the prawns are cooked, if fresh, and the
mixture is very hot but not coloring. Spoon into 4
ramekins, pressing the shrimps lightly, to make sure
they are covered by the butter. Cook, then chill.
Before serving, garnish each with a few prawns
and a geranium leaf. Serves 4 (The Complete
Geranium)
Sweet ‘N’ Tangy Barbecue Sauce
2 garlic cloves
4 medium-sized lemon-scented geranium leaves
1/2 cup runny honey
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbs vinegar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
pinch of salt
Crush the garlic and finely chop the
scented geranium leaves. Mix all the ingredients
and use as a marinade or for basting. (The
Complete Geranium)
Scented Geranium Jelly
4 lbs cooking apples
3 1/2 cups water
White or preserving sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
15 scented geranium leaves
Chop the apples roughly, leaving the skin,
stalk and pips. Put in a large pan with the water
and simmer until soft. Strain for several hours
through a jelly bag or muslin; do not squeeze the
fruit pulp through or the jelly will be cloudy.
Measure the juice into a preserving pan and for
every 2 cups of juice add 1 pound of sugar. Add
the lemon juice and the geranium leaves. Stir over
a low heat to dissolve the sugar, then boil rapidly
until set, for about 10 minutes. Quickly remove the
leaves and pour into clean, warm jars. Cover the
jars while the mixture is still hot.
Rose Geranium Raspberry Liqueur
4 half pints raspberries
1 cup rose geranium leaves
4 cups vodka
½ cup white wine
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
Combine the berries, geranium leaves,
vodka, and wine in a large jar with a tight-fitting
cover. Place in a cool, dark place to steep for 1
month. Crush the berries slightly with a wooden
spoon or potato masher and steep for another 4
days. Strain the liquid, pressing as much juice as
possible from the berries, then filter. Boil the sugar
and water together in a small saucepan until the
sugar is dissolved; cool, then gradually stir into the
liqueur, tasting as you go. When the liqueur has
reached the desired level of sweetness, bottle and
age for an additional 3 weeks in a cook, dark
place.
Scented Geranium Dressing
1 large leaf apple-scented geranium
1 large leaf rose-scented geranium
4 large leaves lemon-scented geraniums
1 small leaf mint-scented geranium
3 T red raspberry vinegar (or use white wine
vinegar)
1 T granulated sugar
½ cup light fresh olive oil
Wash and dry geranium leaves. Cut out
the large center leaf veins. Place all ingredients,
except olive oil, in blender. Use high speed to
puree. With machine running, slowly add olive oil
until emulsified. Let stand 30 minutes before using.
Plan to use this dressing the same day as prepared.
Rose Geranium Punch
4 cups apple juice
1 cup sugar
6 rose geranium leaves
4 limes, sliced
5 drops yellow or pink food coloring
6 apple leaves (garnish)
geranium petals (garnish)
Simmer the apple juice, sugar, and
geranium leaves for 5 minutes. Add the limes;
cool. Strain. Mix in food coloring. Serve over ice.
Garnish with apple leaves and geranium petals. (A
Kitchen Witch’s Cookbook)
Rhubarb Pear Crunch Scented with Rose
Geranium
2 tsp orange zest
¼ cup orange juice
2 Tbsp finely chopped rose scented geranium
leaves
1 ½ lbs fresh rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 firm, ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-
inch chunks
½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp cinnamon
TOPPING
½ cup flour
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ tsp allspice
¾ cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
¼ cup butter, at room temperature
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
Set orange zest aside. In a saucepan, heat
orange juice with geranium leaves just until warm.
Cover and set aside to steep for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease 1 9-inch
square baking pan or a 1 ½-to 2-quart baking
dish. Place rhubarb and pears in a bowl. Toss
with orange zest and geranium-steeped orange
juice. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch,
and cinnamon. Add to fruit, tossing well to
combine. Spoon into baking dish. Combine flour,
brown sugar, allspice and rolled oats. With your
fingertips, rub butter into dry ingredients until the
mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in walnuts.
Spread topping over fruit, patting it down gently.
Bake 50-60 minutes, or until bubbly and brown.
(More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden)
Teatime Rose Geranium Biscuits
Preheat oven to 400. Use an 8 or 9” cake pan
12 fresh rose geranium leaves
2 T butter
2 T brown sugar
1 tube ready-mix buttermilk biscuits.
Wash and dry rose geranium leaves. With
scissors cut out heavy center vein of each leaf.
Finely mince tender leaf portions. Place butter in
baking pan and let melt in oven, while preheating.
Remove pan from oven and stir in brown sugar.
Return pan to oven to melt brown sugar until it just
begins to bubble. Watch carefully. Remove from
oven and sprinkle the minced rose geranium leaves
over sugar mixture. Separate biscuits and place on
top of mixture. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly
browned. Remove pan from oven and invert over
serving platter, sugary side up. Serve warm.
Geranium Cake
1 cup water
2 cups scented geranium leaves (fresh or dried)
8 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
butter or shortening
12 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup butter, at room temperature
1 16-oz box powdered sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
Petals from 2 to 3 dozen geranium flowers (dwarf
Martha Washington suggested)
whole flowers, for garnish
mint leaves, for garnish
First, either the day before or a few hours
ahead of time, make some geranium tea. In a small
saucepan, bring the water to a boil and add the
geranium leaves (dried leaves yield a stronger
aroma). Cover tightly, remove from heat, and let
steep for 1 to 2 hours. Drain well through
cheesecloth or very fine meshed sieve. Set tea
aside, or keep refrigerated overnight.
To make the log, preheat oven to 400oF.
In a large mixing bowl, preferably using an electric
mixer at high speed, mix the eggs, 1 tablespoon
prepared geranium tea, sugar, flour, and baking
powder for 5 minutes. Using butter or shortening,
generously grease an 11-by-15-inch baking sheet
(nonstick preferred). Pour the batter evenly on the
sheet, and bake on middle rack until top is golden
brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
Cake will deflate as it cools. Wait until the thin
skin covering the cake deflates, and then carefully
flip baked cake onto a clean kitchen towel. Set
aside to cool.
To make the icing, in a large bowl combine
the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and 1 tablespoon
geranium tea. Mix, preferably with an electric
beater, until smooth. Stir in lemon zest. To
assemble the log, with a spatula spread a thin layer
of cream cheese mixture on the flat cake. Sprinkle
with geranium petals. Using both hands, with the
long side facing you, gently roll up the cake like a
jellyroll. Transfer to a serving platter. With a knife
or spatula, frost the outside of the log with the
remaining icing. Decorate with additional petals,
whole flowers, and mint leaves. Chill for 2 hours
before serving for easier slicing. (Edible Flowers:
A Kitchen Companion)
Geranium-date Cookies
Filling:
¼ cup finely snipped geranium leaf
½ lb dates, chopped
2 2/3 cup water
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup nuts, chopped
Dough:
½ cup shortening
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 cup flour, sifted
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
Filling: Combine all ingredients (except
nuts). Boil together for 5 minutes. When cool, add
nuts. Should be of spreading consistency. If
necessary, add a few drops of water.
Dough: Mix the ingredients in given order.
Roll out on a well floured surface into a large
circle. Spread with filling. Roll up as for a jelly
roll, sealing well. Refrigerate overnight. Slice thin
and bake at 325o for about 12 minutes. (Edible
Flowers: a Recipe Collection)
Rose Geranium Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 orange peel, grated
12 sugar cubes
3 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp chopped rose geranium leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup milk
Preheat oven to 375F. Sift the flour,
baking powder and salt into a bowl. Mix together
egg, milk and butter, stir into flour mixture just until
moistened. Chop geranium leaves very fine, mix
with grated orange peel and a squirt of orange
juice. Spoon muffin batter into greased muffin tins,
filling 2/3 full, no more. Roll each sugar cube in the
herb and orange peel mixture to coat. Press a
coated sugar cube into center of each muffin as if
planting a seed. Brush top of muffins with melted
butter. Bake about 20 minutes or until lightly
browned. (The Culinary Gardener)
Scented-leaved Geranium Ice Cream
1¼ cups light cream
6 sweet-scented geranium leaves, bruised
1 tablespoon sweet-scented geranium petals
4 egg yolks
½ cup caster sugar
1¼ cup heavy cream
sweet-scented geranium leaves and petals, to
decorate
Pour the light cream into a heavy pan, add
the bruised geranium leaves and a few petals and
slowly bring to the boil. Remove from the heat,
cover the pan and leave in a warm place to infuse
for about 30 minutes. Whisk together the egg
yolks and sugar, then whisk in the infused cream.
Pour the mixture into the pan and cook over low
heat, stirring continuously, until the custard is thick
enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove the leaves and petals and leave the
custard to cool. Beat the heavy cream until fairly
stiff. Add the cooled custard and mix gently. Pour
the mixture into an ice tray and freeze until the
edges are just firm. Stir well with a fork, turning
the edges into the middle and freeze until the ice
cream is all one consistency, but not completely
hard. Turn it out into a bowl and whisk well.
Return it to the ice try and freeze until quite firm.
Remove the ice cream from the freezer about 1
hour before serving. Serve attractive scoops in
pretty glass dishes and scatter over tiny scented
geranium petals. Tuck a fresh leaf into each dish
and serve with shortcake biscuits. (Cooking with
Flowers)
Fresh Peaches Gratin with Rose Geranium
and Cardamom
2 cups whole milk or light cream
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rose geranium
½ tsp freshly ground cardamom seed
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese or cream cheese,
softened
4-6 ripe peaches
diluted lemon juice
1/3 cup sliced almonds, tasted
½ cup plant cookie or cake crumbs
Place milk and next 3 ingredients in a
blender in order listed. Increasing speed while
running, mix 1 to 2 seconds or until thoroughly
blended. Do not overmix. Pour into a small
stainless steel or glass saucepan. Cook over
medium heat, stirring constantly with a straightbottomed
spatula, until sauce thickens and is
smooth. While sauce is still hot, add cheese. Mix
with a wire whip until smooth. Refrigerate until
needed. Warm sauce to room temperature before
proceeding. Prepare peaches within 1 hour of
baking. Peel peaches, if desired, and cut into 12
to 16 slices each. Dip in diluted lemon juice to
prevent discoloration. Drain any juice from slices.
Place in a greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
Sprinkle with almonds. Spoon sauce evenly over
top. Sprinkle with crumbs. Bake at 400F for 15-
20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.
Serve hot or warm. (Today’s Herbal Kitchen)
Carolee’s Scented Geranium Chiffon Pie
Crust
10 Pecan Sandie cookies
3 Tbsp margarine, melted
Gently crush cookies with a rolling pin.
Place crumbs in a small bowl. Add melted
margarine and press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate.
Set aside.
Geranium Water
6 scented geranium leaves
½ cup water
Place the 6 leaves and the ½ cup water in
a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave
for 30 seconds. Let steep, covered, until cool.
Remove and discard leaves. Set bowl of geranium
water aside.
Sugar
Scented geranium leaves
Granulated sugar
Pick, wash and thoroughly dry geranium
leaves. No moisture must be on leaves. Place a
thin layer of sugar in the bottom of a container with
a lid that seals tightly, slightly bruise the leaves and
lay on the sugar. Sift sugar over leaves to cover
them, add another layer of bruised leaves, and so
on until your container is full. After a week to 10
days, remove the leaves and discard. Cover the
scented sugar tightly and store away from heat and
light
Filling
1/3 cup scented geranium sugar (same scent as in
the water)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
4 egg yolks
½ cup cooled geranium water
4 egg whites
1/3 cup scented geranium sugar
whipped cream (optional)
In a saucepan, blend 1/3 cup scented
geranium sugar and the unflavored gelatin. Set
aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg
yolks and ½ cup of the cooled geranium water.
Stir egg mixture into sugar mixture. Place
saucepan on medium heat. Cook and stir until
mixture thickens and coats a spoon. Beat 4 egg
whites until foamy. On high speed, beat and
gradually add 1/3 cup rose geranium sugar until
stiff peaks form. Gently fold pudding mixture into
egg whites and fold until blended. Pour into crust
and chill. Top with dollops of whipped cream, if
desired, and sprinkle scented geranium sugar
around outside edge of pie. Garnish with fresh
leaves and blooms, if desired. (The Best of
Thymes)
Scented Geranium Cake
about 24 scented geranium blossoms (a few small
leaves can be used also
6 extra-large eggs
4 extra-large egg yolks
2 cups sugar
2 ½ cups unbleached white flour
½ teaspoon salt
16 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
zest from 1 lemon, or other appropriate flavoring
rose geranium-or vanilla-flavored sugar
Preheat the oven to 375oF and generously
butter and lightly flour a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking
pan. Arrange the geranium flowers and leaves in
the bottom of the baking pan. Combine the eggs,
yolks, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer
and beat until pale yellow and very thick. Sift the
flour with the salt three times. Slowly fold the flour
into the egg mixture, a third at a time. Carefully
fold the melted butter into the batter in thirds. Fold
in the lemon zest. Carefully pour the batter into the
pan over the flowers and leaves. Bake the cake in
the center of the oven until the top is a pale golden
brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about
35 to 40 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool the
cake completely before removing from the pan.
Sprinkle the inverted cake lightly with rose
geranium or vanilla sugar. Serve plain or with
whipped cream if desired, garnish with a fresh
geranium flower or leaf. (Flowers in the Kitchen)
Above from: herbnet.com