Lulu's LAVENDER CREME BRULEE

My friend Chef Emily made these at a recent party and they were delicious! Lavender creme brulee adds an unexpected surprise to your thanksgiving dessert.

Serves 8 3 cups heavy cream Zest of one lemon 4-6 sprigs of lavender 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup sugar 6 egg yolks 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 heaping teaspoon sugar 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange eight 5 oz. ramekins in a 13x9x2" metal baking pan with rims of at least 1". Combine cream, lemon zest and lavender in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Taste mixture and if the lavender flavor isn't pronounced enough, you can add more lavender or muddle the lavender in the saucepan with a wooden spoon to release more flavor. 2. In a separate bowl or standing mixer, whisk sugar and yolks until thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture and the salt. Let stand 10 minutes and check again for flavoring. Strain custard. If the lavender isn't pronounced enough, squeeze the solids in the strainer to reduce more lavender flavor. Divide among cups. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of cups. 3. Bake until just set in center, about 55 minutes. Remove from water bath; chill uncovered until firm, at least 3 hours, preferable overnight. 4. Before serving, sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of sugar on top of each custard and brown with a blowtorch or under a broiler until sugar melts and browns. It will quickly harden and form a sugar crust. Serve with a lavender sprig to garnish.

Lulu's Nantucket Apple Squares

Makes 12 squares8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 apples, cored and thinly sliced Preheat over to 400 degrees. Use the butter wrapper to grease an 8 inch square baking pan. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, cream cheese, and the 1/2 cup brown sugar. Add the flour and cinnamon and pulse to combine. Press the mixture into the pan and cover with the apples, allowing the slices to overlap slightly. Scatter the 1 tablespoon brown sugar over the top. Bake 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Let cool for at least 20 minutes and cut into squares.

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

8 tbsp. unsalted butter,plus more for greasing 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 1 cup sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts 1⁄4 cup flour 1⁄4 tsp. fine salt 1. Heat oven to 325°. Grease an 8" x 8" baking pan with butter. Line the pan with parchment paper; grease the paper. Set the pan aside. 2. Melt the butter and the chocolate together in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir to make a smooth batter. Add the walnuts, flour, and salt; stir until incorporated. Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–45 minutes. Let cool on a rack. Cut and serve. MAKES 9 BROWNIES

This Charming Candy

These lollipops are a great gift idea and come in unique flavors such as blueberry muffin, tangerine-clove, pistachio-marshmallow and much more.http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThisCharmingCandy

Lulu's Pudding Pops

Perfect summertime treat! They are so easy to make and you can store them in the freezer.1 5-ounce chocolate pudding mix 1 5-ounce package vanilla pudding mix Dixie cups or popsicle molds Wooden popsicle sticks Make the pudding according to instructions on the package. Lightly spray each dixie cup or mold with nonstick baking spray. Fill each cup halfway with either vanilla or chocolate pudding. Place the molds on a sheet pan and put them into the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the molds from the freezer and pour in the second layer of either chocolate or vanilla pudding. Place a popsicle stick in the middle of each one and freeze for another hour. When you are ready to serve the pudding pops, remove them from the freezer and let them sit for 5 minutes. Peel off dixie cups or remove them from the mold and serve. Makes 24 Note: If you want to make a swirl pop, put a layer of vanilla and a layer of chocolate in each mold and swirl the mixture with a toothpick.

Delicious Summertime Dessert

My dear friend Michael Hawley gave me this delicious recipe. He is a fellow "cooker and cocktailer". Watermelon & Chocolate Ingredients: 1 medium seedless watermelon 1 cup fresh lemon juice 3/4 cup brandy 3 or 4 tbsp sugar. 1/2 to 3/4 pound of good dark chocolate Several hours before serving... In a large bowl, add the sugar in the mixture of brandy and lemon juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cut up watermelon into large, bite-sized chunks (large because the watermelon will break down a bit). Place the melon chunks in the bowl with the lemon mixture and stir to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge. Stir a few times over the hours.

Melt chocolate in a heavy saucepan over low heat. I think a double boiler would work well, but I just put my heavy saucepan into a deep skillet of water. It makes the chocolate melt evenly without cooking or sticking.

Pour about 1/3 of the chocolate onto the backs of each of 3 cookie sheets or large glass lasagna dishes i.e. divide the chocolate over 3 metal or glass surfaces. Depending on how much chocolate you've melted, you may only need 2 sheets. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate evenly and thinly over the back of the sheets. (I use the back because when I used the cookie side, I scraped off some of the teflon). Place the sheets in a cool place (not the fridge) for about 20 minutes or until the chocolate has cooled and set. Press and slide/scrape a flat implement along the chocolate to scape it into curls (I use one of those flat cheese knives). The chocolate curls right up or makes ribbons -- again, it doesn't have to be exact or perfect. Place these curls lightly into a bowl and stick the bowl in the fridge until your ready to serve.

To serve: Spoon the melon and some juice into small bowls, and throw a few curls of chocolate onto each.

Lulu's VANILLA LAVENDER CUPCAKES

Photo Credit: Reed Davis

Cupcakes: 2⅔ cup cake flour 2¼ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract 4 large eggs, separated 1¼ teaspoons cream of tartar ¼ cup, plus 1½ cups granulated sugar 2 sticks unsalted butter

Heat oven to 350°. Line 1½"-by-1½"-cup mini muffin tins with paper liners. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, combine milk, vanilla and almond extract. In third bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and ¼ cup sugar until stiff. Using electric mixer fitted with bowl, cream butter and remaining 1½ cups sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time to mixing bowl, beating well between each addition. Gradually add flour and milk mixtures, starting and ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in egg white mixture until blended and batter is smooth but not overworked. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins, filling cups halfway. Bake 15 to 30 minutes until lightly browned and knife inserted into cupcakes comes out clean. Remove tins from oven and allow to cool.

Frosting: 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 4 cups powdered sugar ½ cup lavender honey 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1½ teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using heavy-duty mixer, cream butter and cream cheese together until light and fluffy. Gradually add all remaining ingredients and continue to mix until frosting is well-blended and has a smooth texture.

To Serve: lavender blossoms, optional

Spread frosting evenly over top of each cupcake. If desired, garnish with lavender blossoms. Serve immediately.