sweet miscellany

With the current state of the world, it’s become increasingly harder for me to focus on work and other creative ventures. If I can be honest, I’ve been teetering on the brink of burnout. In order to support myself, I’ve been seeking simplicity and reaching for anything that seems grounding and soothing. This has translated as plenty of time spent in the garden, sometimes just observing and being present. Other times it might mean getting my hands in the earth and puttering around.

One morning a couple of weeks ago I figured it was time to start harvesting from my lemongrass plants. I carefully parted the stalks and found a few of the fattest to harvest. Intoxicated by the smell, I took a few moments to figure out the best way to enjoy this lovely herb. Remembering the large ginger rhizome hanging out in my fridge, I decided a simple pot of ginger lemongrass tea was in order.

I find this combination grounding and soothing, but it’s also great for digestive support. Though you can keep the brew simple, I like to throw in a cinnamon stick and sweeten it with local honey. Since it’s incredibly hot and humid at the moment where I live, I’ve been enjoying it iced but you can most certainly enjoy it hot as well. I just enjoyed a small glass with a splash of cashew milk and it was particularly delicious. Scroll down for the recipe and feel free to share your favorite grounding practices in the comments!

Grounding Ginger Lemongrass Tea

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Author: Courtney
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings 1x

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Description

A simple combination that is grounding, soothing, and great for digestive support. You can keep the brew simple or throw in a cinnamon stick and sweeten it with local honey. Enjoy it hot or iced, your choice!

Ingredients

Units Scale

4 lemongrass stalks
2-inch piece of fresh ginger root
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
3 cups of filtered water
honey to taste (optional)

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Instructions

Place your lemongrass stalks on a cutting board. Using the butt end of your knife, bruise them until they begin to release their fragrant citrusy smell. Cut the bruised lemongrass stalks into large pieces and add them to a pot.

Thinly slice your ginger and add it to the pot along with a cinnamon stick if you’re using it. Add the water then set the pot on your stove. Bring the tea to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer the tea for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, remove the tea from the heat and strain out the herbs. At this stage you can add honey to taste if you like. Serve the tea warm or iced depending on your preference.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Brown Sugar Peach Galette with Lemon Thyme (gluten free/dairy free recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

Pull up a chair and have a slice of this gluten-free (and dairy free!) peach galette with me! It’s flavored with sticky brown sugar and bright and sunny lemon thyme snipped from the garden. I love the contrast between the sweet and juicy peaches and the earthy citrus notes from the lemon thyme. The only thing that might have made this galette better? A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream half-melted over the warm galette creating tiny rivers of saucy goodness.

When I used to sell baked goods at the farmers market many, many moons ago, I was often situated next to a vendor that sold peaches from his family’s orchard. Up until that point I didn’t know much about peaches so each week I would ask about the varieties and the growing culture. I’d inquire about his favorite recipes and whether this or that variety was cling stone or free stone. Among my favorite names (that I can recall this many years later) were the Flameprince and Junegold varieties

This peach galette takes me back to those days when I would buy peaches by the case to turn into jams, preserves, hand pies, and fruit butter. Inevitably, by the time I got to the last few in the 25lb box, I would eat them over the sink, juices dripping down my hand. The recipe is gluten free but if that isn’t a concern for you, you can easily use regular all-purpose flour in place of the gluten free flour. All substitutions are included in the recipe below 🙂

For a simpler peach recipe, try these baked peaches with almond oat crumble.

Brown Sugar Peach Galette with Lemon Thyme

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Author: Courtney
Total Time: 55-60 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

This gluten free peach galette is flavored with sticky brown sugar and bright and sunny lemon thyme snipped from the garden. The contrast between the sweet and juicy peaches and the earthy lemon thyme makes for a delicious summer dessert!

Ingredients

Units Scale

120g 1:1 gluten free baking flour mix (like this one)
1 tbsp raw cane sugar
small pinch of sea salt
80g cold vegan stick butter, diced into roughly 1/2-inch cubes
1 beaten egg
2–4 tbsp ice water
2 packed tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp roughly chopped lemon thyme leaves (or regular thyme)
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch
4 small peaches, pit removed and cut into 1/4-inch slices

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Instructions

To make the crust, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the butter bits become smaller and the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add the beaten egg/egg replacer and 2 tbsp of ice water. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, incorporate the water into the flour and butter and mix until a rough dough starts to form. If it seems too dry and isn’t coming together, add a splash or two more of the ice water. It should easily hold together in a ball. Once you’ve formed the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc then wrap it and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Combine the brown sugar, lemon thyme, and lemon zest in a bowl. Using your fingers, rub this mixture so that you begin to bruise the thyme leaves and they infuse their scent into the sugar. Mix in the arrowroot then set this mixture aside.

After your dough has chilled at least 30 minutes, remove it from the fridge. Place a sheet of parchment down on your work surface roughly the size of the baking sheet you’ll be using and dust it lightly with flour. Unwrap the dough and place it on your dusted sheet of parchment. Roll the dough out into a rough circle until it’s about an 1/8-inch thick or approximately 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the parchment with the dough carefully to your baking sheet.

Add your sliced peaches to the brown sugar mixture and toss to coat. Spoon the peach mixture into the center of the dough leaving at least an inch border of dough surrounding it. Fold up the border of dough up onto the fruit a section at a time until there is none remaining. I find that around 5-7 folds usually does the trick. At this point, you’ll have warmed up the dough significantly so to chill it back down, place the tray with your galette in the freezer or fridge for 10-15 minutes.

When you’re ready to bake, you can sprinkle the exposed crust with sugar if you like or even brush on an egg wash. Bake the galette for 30-35 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the crust is golden. Allow the galette to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Makes 1 medium sized galette.

Notes

If you don’t need to make the galette gluten free, sub in an equal amount of all-purpose flour. The same goes for the vegan butter. To make the galette completely vegan, sub in 1 flax egg or 3-4 tbsp of an egg replacer like Just Egg.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes