After-Work Gourmet by Lisa Messinger

If you remember your past Valentine's Days by the bouquets of flowers you've received or given, this one is sure to blossom at the top of the list. When you can combine not only favorite flowers — but flour and sugar, too — you are on to a deliciously memorable delicacy that bakes the holiday's traditions of both buds and sweets into a special double-duty gift for your taste buds.

Victorian Lavender Cookies with Rose Water Icing is an old-fashioned dazzler from www.TheSpiceHouse.com, a purveyor of ingredients including dried buds and floral waters. The longtime family recipe is a great way to wrap up the most desired Valentine's rituals in one tasty treat. Best of all, though exotic, like most cookie recipes, it takes just minutes to prepare.

Just as simple, because it relies on refrigerated bread dough and canned poppy seed filling, is a crusty glazed poppy seed loaf from Pillsbury. Better yet, the icing on this bitable bouquet of poppies (the seeds are cultivated from a Mediterranean variety of colorful poppy flowers) has been infused with the steeped flavor from rose geranium leaves.

Other ideas to help your Valentine's Day bloom:

— Michelle Wojtowicz, co-owner of the Big Sur Bakery in that famed California city and author of "The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook" (William Morrow, $40), grows her own rose geranium leaves on the restaurant's property. Once the leaves have been discarded, she loves the steeped flavor paired with strawberries. Wojtowicz suggests boiling pesticide-free leaves with the cream when making homemade strawberry ice cream. And strain and discard the leaves prior to cooking the mixture further before finishing in an ice cream maker.

— Like rose water, orange blossom water (a perfume-like distillation of bitter orange blossoms used in baking and cocktails) makes a perfect addition to Valentine's Day flower-inspired fare. The famed Ramos Gin Fizz, a New Orleans libation created in the 1800s by bar owner Henry Ramos, adds the twist of orange blossom water and cream or milk to a regular gin fizz for an aromatic and tasty touch.

— Dried, crushed, store-bought pesticide-free edible lavender is not only a wonderful addition to baked desserts, but also to the batters of treats you might enjoy for a Valentine's brunch, such as pancakes, waffles and French toast.

VICTORIAN LAVENDER COOKIES WITH ROSE WATER ICING

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon store-bought dried pesticide-free lavender, crushed

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar

5 1/2 teaspoons water

6 1/2 teaspoons store-bought pesticide-free rose water

Yields about 4 dozen cookies.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cream together the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs, lavender, flour, baking powder and salt.

Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes.

While the cookies bake, prepare the icing by mixing the powdered sugar with water and rose water. Drizzle over the cookies after they have cooled.

— www.TheSpiceHouse.com

POPPY SEED SWIRL LOAF WITH ROSE GERANIUM FROSTING

Loaf:

1/2 cup poppy seed filling (from 12 1/2-oz. can)

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1 (11-oz.) can refrigerated crusty French loaf bread dough

1/3 cup golden raisins

Frosting:

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons rose geranium leaf water (see Note) or store-bought pesticide-free rose water or plain water

Yields 12 servings.

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease cookie sheet.

To prepare loaf: In small bowl, combine poppy seed filling and lemon peel; mix well.

Unroll dough onto floured surface, forming 13-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Drop poppy seed mixture by small teaspoonfuls over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges; gently spread being careful not to stretch dough. Sprinkle with raisins. Starting with one long side, loosely roll up dough; pinch edges to seal. Place, seam-side down, on greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 28 to 35 minutes, or until loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when carefully tapped with fork. Cool 30 minutes.

To prepare frosting: In small bowl, combine powdered sugar and enough rose water for desired spreading consistency; blend until smooth. Spread frosting over top of cooled loaf. Let stand 5 minutes or until set. Cut into crosswise slices.

Note: To prepare rose geranium water, combine a few store-bought pesticide-free rose geranium leaves with water in a small nonreactive saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil; let steep for 40 minutes. Carefully strain liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; discard leaves.

— Adapted from Pillsbury

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "Cooks' Books" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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