The first days of spring announce themselves gently, the warm sun teasing the promise of hot summer evenings as it glances against still-crisp mornings. Their arrival strikes us in moments of pure pleasure, vibrant and eye widening in verdant splendor. This year, to celebrate winter’s transition into summer, we’re turning to the garden to bask in the flavors and promises of the new season.
Tomato Toast
Let’s get right to the garden goodness by gathering arugula, tomatoes, and basil for our new Tomato Toast. We start by whipping up a feta spread, packed with salt and pepper, lemon juice, and chopped basil. Spread across a batard loaf from Companion Bakery, the whipped feta gives us a bright bed to place oven blistered tomatoes, sprinkled with basil and maldon salt. Plated with a swipe of mustard, our Blistered Tomato Toast bursts with the flavors of spring.
Sun-dried Tomato and Mozzarella Scone
Also packing an intense burst of tomato, our Sun-dried Tomato and Mozzarella Scone brings a bright, yet savory, spring scrumptiousness to our bakery cases. We won’t blame you for blinking as your palate goes into overdrive processing the cascading flavors that wash over you while enjoying this scone!
Lavender Rose Latte & Iced Lavender Rose Matcha
While fresh tomatoes and basil celebrate the renewal of savory spring delights, floral herbs also beckon from the garden. We look first to our sister tea company, Firepot Tea, and their delicate collection of floral ingredients for inspiration. Lavender and Indian Rose Garden Tea, mingled in a simple syrup, form the basis of two spring delights. The Lavender Rose latte evokes the subtle sweetness of spring by simply adding espresso to the simple syrup. For an extra layer of greening goodness, try the Iced Lavender Rose Matcha, which uses Firepot’s Amai Matcha for an extra-fresh pop of bright flavor.
Lavender Blueberry Poppy Mini Loaf
Blueberries and lemon zest always form a classic summer combo, so we’re taking them up a notch in our new Lavender Blueberry Lemon Poppy Mini Loaf. Bursting with summer flavors, the addition of lavender adds a subtle botanical note that smooths the sugar-rush zing of our classic lemon poppyseed bread.
Iced Ube Latte
The diversity of a garden can be a beautiful delight. Full of familiar favorites, year after year, a good garden also holds space for experimentation and unfamiliar delicacies. Our Iced Ube Latte may not resonate immediately by name, but we’re sure that when you try this subtly sweet latte, you’ll enjoy the experience. Ube, derived from the Tagalog word for tuber, is a deeply purple root vegetable from the Philippines that is both sweeter and more mellow than a yam. Long cherished around the world for its ability to create gorgeous desserts that aren’t cloyingly sweet, we’re thrilled to serve you this vibrant drink and hope you love it, whether you’re tasting ube for the first or the thousandth time.
Strawberry Almond Muffin
A more familiar spring comfort from the garden, strawberries, takes center stage for our seasonal Strawberry Almond Muffin. Gluten-free flour gives this treat a light, almost angel-food like texture, enhanced even further by a sweet streusel and almond topping. A truly fitting start to any sunny morning. (Prepared without any gluten ingredients)
Salted Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Our Chocolate Chunk Cookie is an everyday favorite, so we sweetened it with garden goodness by adding raspberries. Always a classic comfort, these cookies now sing with mouth-watering spring goodness.
Millionaire Shortbread Bite
Nothing tastes like a million bucks more than the classic mix of peanut butter and chocolate. Our millionaire shortbread bites start with shortbread from Companion, layered with peanut butter and a hardened chocolate ganache.
Honey Buffalo Chicken Salad
As the summer’s radio soundtrack summons the sense of crashing waves against sand, delighted children frolicking in a pool, and the waft of a thousand backyard barbecues, we close our eyes and end with a perfect picnic lunch. Our Honey Buffalo Chicken Salad hits the spot with its bed of greens, cucumbers, buffalo chicken, feta cheese, croutons, and shredded basil. Tossed in a cucumber yogurt dressing and drizzled with honey, this salad is serious about summer.
We hope that spring break and summer vacations provide you wonderful escapes this year, but we know there’s nothing like finding an escape in your own backyard. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by a cafe to experience the subtle nuances of an Iced Ube latte and its flavors of southeast Asia, or close your eyes and imagine your lunch break is a sun-soaked barbecue while you tuck into a Honey Buffalo Chicken Salad. Wherever you go and whatever you’ve got planned, we’ll be right here to welcome you in and make you feel at home again.
