Rose Geranium Pound Cake

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a large (12-cup) Bundt pan. Arrange whole rose geranium leaves in the bottom of prepared pan sticking them on with a dab of soft butter. Dust the pan with flour, shaking out excess. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda and reserve.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla, the grated zest, and minced rose geranium leaves.  Alternating and beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the batter.  Carefully pour batter into the pan so as not to disturb the leaves and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Cool before removing from pan and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Broiled Summer Fruit with Honey Butter

Directions:

Prepare a colorful assortment of summer fruit including quartered figs, sliced peaches, plums, and/or apricots, pitted and halved cherries, diced mango and/or red papaya, sliced red bananas, halved strawberries, and whole raspberries, blackberries, and/or blueberries. Preheat the broiler. Spread fruit out in a metal baking pan. Spoon bits of the butter all over the top, using about half the butter. (Refrigerate the remainder for use another time.) Broil the fruit on high for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and browned. Serve with ice cream or a wedge of the Rose Geranium Pound Cake. (Butter may be frozen for later use.)