Simply Delicious Shortcakes

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6 very ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 pint blueberries
About 1 cup lemon balm syrup (see recipe below)

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In bowl, toss peaches with lemon juice. Add blueberries and pour lemon balm syrup overall. Let stand for at least one hour or up to three.

Herb Syrups

Herb syrups are wonderful flavor essences that can be added in place of the liquid in cakes, pie filling and sorbets. They are good on all kinds of fruits and used in beverages. Make these when you have fresh herbs in abundance, their flavor and aroma will bring a brightness to fruits and desserts. The inspiration for these syrups came from The Herb Farm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld (Scribner, 2000).

Makes about 2 cups

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
About 8 to 10 lemon balm sprigs or large handful of lemon balm leaves

To make herb syrup, combine water and sugar in small saucepan, place over moderate heat and bring to simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add herbs, bruising leaves against side of pan with spoon. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for at least 30 minutes or until room temperature.

Remove leaves and squeeze them into syrup to extract flavor. Pour syrup into clean bottle or jar and label. This syrup can be made ahead and kept in refrigerator for about 10 days.

If you want to keep the syrup for a long period of time, pour it into a jar or bottle leaving at least 1 inch of headspace, place on lid or cap, and label. Freeze for up to one year. Remove from freezer the night before using and allow to thaw, or place the bottle in a bowl of warm (not hot) water to thaw more quickly. Use what you need and refreeze if desired.

Buttermilk Cream Scones with Lemon Balm

The proper way to eat a scone is, first, split the scone in half. Next, spread each half with fruit or jam, and finally, place a generous dollop of cream on top of each. These yummy scones can be prepared for a special breakfast, brunch, tea party, or even served as dessert. Sweet herbs such as anise hyssop, lemon balm, lemon verbena, orange mint, or fruit-scented sage are best in these scones. I like these scones with strawberries or peaches. Celebrate lemon balm, herb of the year for 2007.

Makes about 1 dozen scones

2 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons freshly chopped lemon balm, optional
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest

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