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3. Divide the berries among 6 small bowls. Drizzle each serving with about 1½ tablespoons of the lavender yogurt and garnish with a lavender flower.

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COOK’S NOTE: Get creative with essential oils in the kitchen. While they’re usually found in massage oils at spas, essential oils make a great flavor enhancer in certain dishes. Good organic essential oils are on the pricey side, ranging from eleven dollars to over two hundred dollars for a quarter of an ounce, but for cooking, you only want a drop or two. Essential oils are not really oil; they are the concentrated plant liquid extracted through a steam heat process. Sweet-smelling essential oils have been used for their medicinal qualities for centuries and have recently shown up in natural cleaning as well as body care products. Even chefs are starting to use them creatively in their cuisine, making sauces with basil, oregano, and thyme oil. I love adding a few drops of rose oil to whipped cream, orange oil to frostings, and lemon oil to salad dressings. Use only organic, therapeutic-grade essential oils in cooking.

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pear and blueberry crisp with brown sugar sour cream

SERVES 6

In my family I am known as the crumble queen because I specialize in fruit crumbles and crisps. Easier than making pie, crumbles and crisps let the featured fruit shine. The crispy or crumbly topping adds a little crunch and holds the sweet cream poured on top. I make endless varieties, using whatever fruit is in season. And the great thing about crisps and crumbles is that it is okay to use frozen fruit. Just make sure you thaw the fruit before baking.

31/2

pounds Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

11/2

cups fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed if frozen)

2

tablespoons unsalted butter

2

tablespoons sugar

2

teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Combine the pears and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the blueberries and mix well. Set aside.

3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and add the pear and blueberry mixture, the sugar, and vanilla. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the pears just begin to soften. Transfer the mixture to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.

4. To prepare the topping, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Using your hands, begin adding the butter and work it into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

5. Spread the topping evenly over the pears and blueberries. Bake the crisp for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is brown and the juices are bubbling.

6. To make the sour cream, mix together the sour cream and brown sugar until the brown sugar dissolves.

7. Serve the crisp warm, with a spoonful of the Brown Sugar Sour Cream on top.

crisp topping

1

cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2

cup quick-cooking oats

1

cup packed light brown sugar

1/2

cup slivered almonds

1

teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2

teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4

teaspoon salt

1/2

cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

brown sugar sour cream

3/4

cup sour cream

1

tablespoon light brown sugar

mini–strawberry rhubarb crumbles

SERVES 6

These mini-crumbles are the gourmand’s dessert. Perfect in size and bursting with flavor, they bring sweet strawberries and zesty rhubarb to life. This crumble is particularly delicious in early summer, when both strawberries and rhubarb are at their peak, but feel free to use frozen fruit (thawed), if fresh options are not available. I love eating these crumbles warm, with a dollop of cold whipped cream, but enjoy it topped with ice cream if you like. Or eat it plain; it will be just as good.

2

tablespoons unsalted butter

4

cups thinly sliced strawberries

1

large rib rhubarb, thinly sliced

2

tablespoons sugar

1

tablespoon fresh lemon juice

crumble topping

1/2

cup unbleached all-purpose flour