Lemon Verbena

Slightly bruised or wrinkled stone fruit is ideal for making the infused syrup; peaches and nectarines work too.

Making your own flavored vinegar and oil might seem like a crazy thing only chefs in the Hot 10 would do, but once you make them (which is easy), your salads will enjoy instant upgrades.

Meet your new favorite herb with these bright and fresh lemon verbena recipes.

You can add dried herbs directly to anything, but infusing them into salts and sugars further extends their shelf life. Use the infusions throughout the year for cooking, grilling, and baking. The possibilities are endless.

No ice cream maker? Use store-bought frozen yogurt, or serve this over lightly sweetened Greek yogurt.

Slightly bruised or wrinkled stone fruit is ideal for making the infused syrup; peaches and nectarines work too.

This is an insanely easy cake to make. It goes together in just minutes and tastes awesome: a touch ducky—more so if you use wild duck fat—sweet, but not overly so, with a little hit of rosemary to even things out. I originally made this as a sort of stunt, but it's so good I've put it into the regular rotation. If you like a sweeter cake, up the sugar to a full cup, and if you hate rosemary, skip it or sub in lemon verbena, sage, or winter savory. Serve the cake with fruit and maybe a little whipped cream. A sweet dessert white wine, like a vin santo or a Sauternes, is a perfect choice.

If you grow pole beans, you know that at first glance, you have only a few beans, and then suddenly there is an onslaught. That's when bean varieties like the green Blue Lake or the yellow wax beans can be stir-grilled with a bit of olive oil for a very simple yet satisfying dish to use the surplus of beans. When you're in the mood for a more robust sauce, try this lemony pesto tossed with the grilled beans right before serving. Editor's note: If you can't find lemon verbena leaves or even fresh lemon balm leaves, substitute basil pesto.

It’s easy to grow lemon verbena in a pot inside or in the garden. The leaves themselves are bitter and unpleasant to eat, but when infused into cream, the sweet lemony flavor is a perfect pairing with white chocolate.

There are fruit people, and there are chocolate people. Even chocolate people will lick their plates clean when presented with a refreshing, lemony panna cotta strewn with wine-steeped peaches. Panna cotta makes a nice spring and summertime dessert because it’s not so rich that you leave the table feeling stuffed, and the lemon verbena adds a welcome, herbaceous tang. This dish is perfect for company because the panna cotta must be made ahead, and the peaches “cook” while coming to room temperature.

Brush against a lemon verbena plant and its long, narrow leaves will release a transcendently clean, lemony scent. A little of the herb goes a long way, and it plays well with both ripe summer fruit and the light dryness of rosé. All the elements come together here in a suave gelée.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Fonda San Miguel: Thirty Years of Food and Art, by Tom Gilliland, Miguel Ravago, and Virginia B. Wood. . This traditional wine punch presents the opportunity to turn robust jug wine and fresh seasonal fruits into a festive party drink. The recipe includes a mix of firm fruits (such as seedless grapes, apple slices, pear slices) and soft fruits (like strawberries, peaches, and kiwi). The soft fruits are added to the glasses at serving time.

This drink was featured as a Cocktail of the Month.

A light syrup, laced with the refreshing lemony-floral taste of verbena, and a scoop of cassis sorbet amplify the tug-of-war between sweet and tart in a bowl of mixed summer fruits.

These soft jellies, layered with tart passion-fruit and sweet blackberry purées, are a wonderful summer dessert. Unbelievably cool and delicious, they're well worth the extra time it takes to make them. Active time: 1 1/2hr Start to finish: 17hr (includes chilling)

Lemon verbena is a perfumy herb with a strong lemon flavor and a lemon-lime aroma. Its shiny green leaves can be added to salads, chicken and fish dishes, and desserts, as well as tea. For this pound cake, if you can't find lemon verbena at your specialty produce market or nursery, use freshly grated lemon zest in its place.