Makes 8-12 scones

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

2 cups pastry flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted, and additional for topping

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1 egg + 1 Tablespoon milk for egg wash

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the conconut stirring and taking care not to burn.  When the coconut is golden and toasted, set aside to cool completely.

3.  In a measuring cup, mix together the cream and vanilla.  Set aside.

4.  Whisk together the egg and milk.  Set aside.

5.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Work in the chilled butter quickly with your      fingertips, rubbing the butter into the flour until the butter bits are no larger than small peas.  Toss the coconut and chips into the mixture and combine. Bring the dough together by folding gently.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead together 8 to 10 times.  When the dough has just come together, pat it into a 1 inch thick circle. Cut into 8-12 wedges and place on the prepared baking sheet.  Brush the tops of each scone with egg wash and sprinkle with toasted coconut.  Bake in the center of the oven for 10-13 minutes or until tops and bottoms are just golden and scones are baked through.  

Our Kitchen Garden herbs have had a wonderful season and we have enjoyed many uses for each of them. For the centuries old Sorrel, we have two varieties, French Sorrel and Red Veined Sorrel. Each has amazed us with beauty and bounty. Sorrel is in the same family with Spinach, Beets, Swiss Chard and Rhubarb; of these, our garden has Swiss Chard, Rhubarb and Sorrel and all have delighted us and have been featured on the tables at Good Medicine Lodge throughout the season. We have used the leaves in soups, sauces, quiches, frittatas, salads and for garnishing. We have dried and frozen leaves for winter.

Sorrel Soup

 4        handfuls        sorrel leaves
 1        pound           potatoes
 1        medium          onion
 1/3     cup               butter
 4 1/4  cups              chicken or vegetable stock
                              salt and pepper
 4        Tb                double cream

Peel and dice the onion and the potatoes. Rough chop the sorrel.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions, stir to coat and stir often while cooking to soften. Add the potatoes and half the sorrel leaves. Cover the pot and cook 4 minutes, allowing the leaves to wilt. Add the stock, stir and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce heat to simmer and cook until potatoes are done. Remove the pot from heat and season mixture with salt and pepper.

Blend the remaining sorrel leaves then add the soup mixture and blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pot. Pour in the double cream and add additional stock if needed. Reserve some cream for garnishing. Warm the soup through before serving but do not boil; otherwise, the soup will lose its color. Garnish with reserved cream and chiffonade sorrel leaves or parsley.

Yield:  8 cups

A few days left of summer on the calendar and we have wrapped up all the pickling projects. Many herbs have been dried and we are preparing to make our herbal syrups in the next few days. The tomitillas and horseradish need a little more time in the ground - here's hoping we don't have an early frost. We've harvested seeds for next spring's garden; but, we can't get ahead of ourselves as we still have a fabulous Fall ahead and some folks are already praying for snow and making reservations for Winter holidays!

The kitchen garden could not have been more in it's prime for the Whitefish Garden Tour on July 23, 2011. We served Rosemary Cookies and iced teas using several herbs from the garden. The tour organizer reports $800 in proceeds for the benefit of Whitefish Community Gardens. It was a picture perfect Whitefish day and nine gardens were open with very diverse features.

Good Medicine Lodge gardens will be among several local sites featured on the July 23,2011 Whitefish Garden Tour  http://www.whitefishgardentour.com/ which benefits the Whitefish Community gardens. http://www.whitefishcommunitygarden.net  

Gardens at Good Medicine Lodge feature a large Kitchen Garden, Perennial Gardens and a Rain Garden. We will be serving Rosemary Cookies and Iced Tea made from the bounty of the Kitchen Garden.

Morel mushrooms are one of several edible wild mushrooms. They are plentiful in our forest's burn areas. Morels look like little sponges and they are tasty little morsels. Our favorite breakfast recipes include sauteed morels over toast with scrambled eggs on the side and this one for Morel and Egg Pie.

Morel and Egg Pie

Amount        Measure         Ingredient -- Preparation Method

--------         ------------      --------------------------------

1/2           pound             bacon

1/4           pound             sliced morel mushrooms

2               tablespoons   shallots -- finely chopped

1                                      red, yellow or orange pepper -- cored, seeded and diced

4               ounces            goat or feta cheese -- crumbled

1/3           cup                  Parmesan cheese -- grated

1               teaspoon       fresh thyme -- chopped

6               large               eggs

1 1/2        cups                heavy cream

                                        kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

·   Cook the bacon until crisp, drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of bacon grease. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

·    Lightly saute the mushrooms and shallots in the reserved bacon grease.

·    Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10 inch pie plate with no-stick cooking spray.

·    Transfer the mushrooms and shallots  to the prepared pie plate. Crumble the bacon on top and add the pepper,cheeses and thyme.

·    Whisk the eggs lightly, stir in the cream. Season to taste. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and cheese. This recipe may be  prepared to this point and refrigerated  overnight.

·    Bake until set and nicely browned, about one hour. Remove from the oven and allow to set 10 minutes before slicing.

Our kitchen garden is flourishing, the farmers markets and CSA shares have returned to Whitefish and there are aromas and flavors aplenty in our kitchen. We like using the freshest ingredients available and locally grown doesn't get better than our back yard or a Whitefish organic farm. Here is a favorite recipe for a savory scone that delights the senses from the moment the herbs are snipped until the last crumb is enjoyed. 

Herb-Olive Oil Scones 

Amount    Measure      Ingredient

  2           cups            flour -all-purpose

  1           tablespoon   baking powder

1/4          cup              Parmesan cheese -grated

1/2          teaspoon      salt

1/4          teaspoon      black pepper -freshly ground

1/2          cup              buttermilk or plain yogurt

1/3          cup              olive oil

  1           large            egg

  2           teaspoons    lemon juice

1/2          teaspoon      garlic -minced fresh

  2           tablespoons  chives -snipped

  1           tablespoon    fresh basil leaves -chopped

  1           teaspoon      marjoram, thyme, or oregano leaves -chopped fresh

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put flour, baking powder, Parmesan, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Stir to mix.

In another bowl, whisk buttermilk, oil, egg, lemon juice, garlic, chives and herbs until well blended. Scrape herb mixture into flour mixture and combine well to form a soft ball. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10-15 times. Place on baking sheet and pat into 8 inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 8-12 wedges but do not separate.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool 5 minutes.  Wrap loosely in a dish towel and continue cooling 15-20 minutes.

Betsy has been making this recipe since 1973 when it was submitted for the Frankfort Younger Women's Club Capitol Kitchens Cookbook project which she was involved in.  The recipe has been a favorite and often requested one of family and friends at Kentucky Derby Parties, church potlucks in Kentucky and Virginia, neighborhood hotdish gatherings in Minnesota and, for eight years, now at Good Medicine Lodge.  We serve it often as evening appetizer with a variety of raw vegetables and fruits.

Curry Dip

1 1/3 cups mayonnaise

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons honey

1 pinch salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon curry powder

7 drops Tabasco sauce

    Combine all ingredients.  Refrigerate several hours.

The most recent addition to our breakfast offerings has been a real catch.  This entree consists of a poached egg sitting atop a smoked trout cake which is stacked on a savory corn pancake. We will be offering it weekly throughout the season. It is served with a generous dollop of dill and shallot sauce.  We call this Good Medicine Lodge creation, "Good Montana Morning."

We continue our commitment to serving fresh foods at Good Medicine Lodge, using seasonal and sustainable ingredients which are locally grown. Our herb garden flourishes and satisfies our needs throughout the year. For fifteen years, GML has been committed to supporting green practices in every aspect...from gardening to food preparation; from cleaning products to energy efficiency and from natural fibers to low VOC paints. This year we reduced to one vehicle and expanded our recycling efforts. We are making plans to add a rain barrel to benefit the garden.

We have taken some time this spring to try several new recipes. Thanks to Danielle Palm we have a Cream Cheese and Pumpkin Muffin which will be a regular in the fall. Our "Going to the Sun Eggs" have a new vegetarian cousin which features a layer of polenta to replace the Black Forest Ham. Here is our newest cookie recipe... quick and easy and sooo.. good!

Lemon Sugar Cookies (makes 12)

3 Tablespons softened butter

2/3 Cup sugar

1 egg

1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 Teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar until light and smooth. Beat in egg until fully incorporated; then stir in lemon juice (plus optional 2 tsp. lemon peel). Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.Mix thoroughly and shape into balls about the size of walnuts. Roll in additional sugar, place on ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly into 2 inch circles. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.