sage – The Herbal Bake Shoppe https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com Bringing herbalism & baking together Tue, 28 Aug 2018 18:37:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Episode 021: Kitchen Medicine: Herbal Butter and Fresh Tincture featuring Sage https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/episode-021-kitchen-medicine-herbal-butter-and-fresh-tincture-featuring-sage/ Tue, 28 Aug 2018 18:30:05 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?p=2703 Sending love from my kitchen!

Grateful to have a large bunch of fresh sage! I’m infusing some into butter to make cookies then turning the rest into a tincture. This is my first recording while baking – please let me know if you like it and want to hear more baking episodes!

Sage Infused Brown Butter
2 sticks unsalted butter, sliced into chunks
4-5 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, torn into small pieces
Heat butter in small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Cook until solids begin to brown about 6 minutes. Stir in sage and cook just until begins to crisp about 30 seconds. Whisk up brown solids and immediately pour into a glass bowl. Chill in refrigerator until just firm about 30 minutes.

Sage Butter and Lemon Shortbread recipe here
2 sticks sage infused butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Grated lemon zest from one lemon
Preheat oven to 300.
Combine chilled sage butter and powdered sugar in bowl of electric mixer. Beat on medium high speed until light and creamy about 2 minutes.
Add flour, salt and lemon zest, beat on low speed until just mixed through, scraping down sides.
Transfer dough to a sheet of parchment paper and form into a rectangle with hands. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and roll out to about 8 inches by 6 inches so rectangle is about a 1/2 inch thick.
Remove top sheet of parchment paper. Transfer dough and bottom parchment paper to a baking sheet. Pierce all over with a fork.
Bake for 55-60 minutes until golden brown, rotate baking sheet once in middle.
Remove from oven and while still warm cut into 1 inch cookies. Then cool completely.
Store at room temperature.

Fresh Sage Tincture
100 grams fresh sage
200 ml 190 proof alcohol such as Everclear
Combine in mason jar so sage is completely covered with alcohol. Infuse at least 4 weeks. Strain and bottle liquid tincture

Book Mentions:
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide
The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
The Herbalist in the Kitchen by Gary Allen

Please SHARE this episode with someone who may also be fascinated by herbal medicine. Help me to spread my passion for kitchen medicine and make everyone’s home a place of herbal wisdom. ?✨

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Original music composed by Dylan Rice — singer, songwriter, guitarist.

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[gravityform id=”3″ title=”true” description=”true”] [gravityform id=”1″ title=”true” description=”true”] ]]> Sage and Lemon Shortbread Cookies https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/sage-and-lemon-shortbread-cookies/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/sage-and-lemon-shortbread-cookies/#respond Tue, 07 Jul 2015 22:52:58 +0000 http://theherbalbakeshoppe.lettuce-design.com/?post_type=recipe&p=549
Sage and Lemon Shortbread CookiesSage and Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Sage and Lemon Shortbread CookiesSage and Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Sage and Lemon Shortbread Cookies IngredientsSage and Lemon Shortbread Cookies Ingredients
Dried SageDried Sage
SageSage

Right at the beginning of my herbal studies program, I received an assignment to choose an herb, single out one of its constituents and write a paper on them. I selected sage, first because I was clueless about the multitude of herbs from which to pick and second because I was going through a smudging stage. It is actually white sage not garden sage that is burned for clearing negativity, but as I said I had a lot to learn. Fast-forward four years and although I know more about herbs, I still am a novice at growing them. Sage again came to my rescue as a first success. So it is no surprise that one of my premier sweet experiments for the Herbal Bake Shoppe are these sage shortbread cookies.

Sage with its Latin name Salvia derived from salvere, to save, seems to be doing that for me. The word sage also signifies wisdom and calm judgment, like a scholar or sage advice. I need that. Energetically, sage is drying and helps drain dampness that shows up as excess secretions, like sweating or post-nasal drip. To achieve this benefit, it is better to drink it as a tea than eat it as a cookie. But shortbread is a classic afternoon tea accompaniment. On a rainy afternoon, these sweet and savory little treats combined with lemon, which can also be drying and a cup of sage tea may bring warming comfort. They freeze well and defrost quickly but are also quick to mix together anytime you need them.

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

Sage and Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Servings Prep Time
32cookies 15minutes
Cook Time
35-40minutes
Servings Prep Time
32cookies 15minutes
Cook Time
35-40minutes
Ingredients
  • 1cup organic unsalted buttersoftened to room temperature
  • ½cup organic granulated sugar
  • ¼tsp salt
  • 1TBS fresh sage*finely chopped
  • 2¼cups organic all-purpose flour
  • grated zest from 1 large, fragrant lemon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 °F. Have an 8x8 square cake pan ready.
  2. In large mixing bowl, combine softened butter, sugar and salt beating well until light and fluffy. Beating can be done either by hand with whisk or with electric mixer at medium speed. Blend in lemon zest and sage. Gradually add flour and mix until smooth.
  3. Once flour is totally added, use your hands to gently knead dough and form into a ball. Press dough into cake pan to fill all of pan and smooth out top.
  4. Bake for 35-38 minutes until just turns golden on edges and top.
  5. Cool about 15 minutes and while still warm, cut into 16 squares and then cut each square diagonally into a triangle. Cool completely on a wire rack and then remove from pan.
Recipe Notes

*A note on sage for this recipe: the more fragrant the sage, the more taste it will add to these cookies. I used sage that I grew in my garden that still had a strong aroma. After I picked the leaves, I dried and chopped them. You do not have to do this! You can buy fresh sage and let it dry for 24 hours by laying flat on a paper towel. The kitchen counter is fine. It is also totally ok to use dried sage, but decrease the amount to 2 teaspoons.

*Using organic ingredients makes your baked goods all the more nourishing. For this recipe, use organic sugar, butter, flour, and lemon zest if available.

]]> https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/sage-and-lemon-shortbread-cookies/feed/ 0 Sage Sweet Potato Bread https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/sage-sweet-potato-bread/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/sage-sweet-potato-bread/#respond Tue, 07 Jul 2015 22:48:03 +0000 http://theherbalbakeshoppe.lettuce-design.com/?post_type=recipe&p=541
Sage Sweet Potato Bread SlicedSage Sweet Potato Bread Sliced
Sage and Lemon Shortbread Cookies IngredientsSage and Lemon Shortbread Cookies Ingredients
Sage Sweet Potato Bread IngredientsSage Sweet Potato Bread Ingredients
Sage Sweet Potato Bread Dried Sage as IngredientSage Sweet Potato Bread Dried Sage as Ingredient
Sage LeavesSage Leaves
Dried SageDried Sage
Sage Sweet Potato Bread Full LoafSage Sweet Potato Bread Full Loaf
Sage Sweet Potato Bread Slice with ButterSage Sweet Potato Bread Slice with Butter

A classic autumn combination, evocative of holiday feasting. I must admit the sweet potato for me goes with Thanksgiving and I don’t much feel like eating them at any other time. Despite that, my inner nutritionist holds them in high regard as a vitamin and mineral packed starchy vegetable. The nutrients are much needed, magnesium, iron, fiber, folic acid, tons of vitamin A and beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and lots of others in smaller yet important amounts. The sweet in these potatoes falls into the category of low glycemic and as such will not cause a spike in blood glucose levels, which is a plus, especially in baking. The anthocyanin pigments responsible for the orange brightness contribute anti-inflammatory benefits that scientific studies reveal affect our brain and nerves in a positive way. It is a true food as therapy vegetable.

Still, these tubers are a bit too sweet for me to crave them for dinner. And my children will not eat sweet potatoes unless they are made into French fries. Not even the delectable brandy orange glazed chunks my mom has always made in November. This quick bread with the sweetness balanced by the bitter, drying, pungency of sage acts as the ultimate solution. Here again, the beauty of cake, my children will eat it.

Sage Sweet Potato Bread
with sage infused butter
Servings Prep Time
1loaf 2hours
Cook Time
45-50minutes
Servings Prep Time
1loaf 2hours
Cook Time
45-50minutes
Ingredients
For sage-infused butter
  • 2TBS unsalted butter
  • 1tsp dried sage, powdergrind in coffee grinder
For bread
  • 1⅔cup sweet potatoes, mashed2-3 medium potatoes
  • 2TBS dried sage
  • ¾cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ¼cup walnut oil
  • 1TBS orange zestrind from 1 organic orange
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 1cup whole wheat flour
  • 1tsp baking soda
  • ½tsp baking powder
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • ½cup walnutsbroken into small pieces
Instructions
For sage-infused butter
  1. Combine butter and sage in small saucepan. Heat over medium low heat until butter is melted and frothy.
  2. Cool for 15 minutes and then strain out sage. Place butter in small dish or mold and refrigerate until hardened a bit, enough to spread. You can also leave in some or all of the sage, it depends on how much you like the taste of it.
To bake and mash sweet potatoes
  1. Preheat oven to 425 °F. Wash and dry sweet potatoes, pierce several times with a fork.
  2. Place in baking pan and bake until fully cooked and soft when tested with a fork or knife, 45-60 minutes depending on size of potatoes.
  3. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. While still warm, cut in half lengthwise with sharp knife. Scoop out flesh with spoon into the bowl of a food processer fitted with metal blade. Add dried sage. Process until completely smooth, scraping sides, there should be no lumps of sweet potatoes remaining.
  4. Refrigerate until cooled completely. This can be done 1-2 days ahead and kept in refrigerator until ready to bake bread.
To bake bread
  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Generously grease with butter a 15x9 inch loaf pan.
  2. In large mixing bowl, stir together with wooden spoon mashed sweet potatoes and brown sugar. Add beaten eggs, walnut oil, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Stir together until well combined.
  3. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients all at once to sweet potato mixture and fold in gently just to moisten and combine. Fold in walnuts.
  4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
  5. Cool on wire rack. Place plate over loaf pan and invert bread, slice and serve plain, with plain butter or sage infused butter.
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