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Lavender,
with its affinity for both sweet and savory flavors, stars
in a wide variety of dishes. A member of the mint family,
as are many of our most popular herbs including basil and
sage, lavender flowers and leaves can be used fresh as well
as dried. Lavender blends well with fennel, rosemary and thyme
as well as all citrus flavors, stone fruits (plums, peaches
and apricots), salmon, lamb and chicken.
The
potency of lavender flowers increases with drying. In cooking,
use about 1/3 the quantity of dried flowers to fresh. The
key to cooking with lavender is to experiment; start out with
a small amount, and add more as you go. Adding too much lavender
to your recipe can be like eating perfume or may make your
dish bitter. Remember, a little goes a long way.
Lavender
flowers add a beautiful color to salads and a mysterious scent
to custards and flans. Flowers look beautiful and taste good,
too, in a glass of champagne, with chocolate cake, or as a
garnish for sorbets or ice creams. Lavender lends itself to
savory dishes also, from hearty stews to wine-reduced sauces,
and can be substituted for rosemary in many recipes. NOTE:
Do not eat flowers from florists, nurseries or garden
centers. In many cases these flowers have been treated with
pesticides not labeled for food crops.
Harvesting
Fresh Lavender - Harvest flowers as you would fruit, selecting
those that look most perfectly ready, with the fullest color,
and passing over any that seem wilted or less ripe. The fresher
the flower, the more flavorful its taste, so pick your flowers
as close as possible to food preparation time. Stem flowers
may be put in a glass of water in a cool place until you are
ready to use them. All blooms should be thoroughly rinsed.
Immerse them in water to remove any insects or soil. Then
lay the flowers gently on paper or cloth towels and dab dry,
or gently spin dry in a salad spinner. If necessary, layer
blooms carefully between moist paper towels in the refrigerator
until mealtime.
| (Adapted
from Linda Stradley, whatscookingamerica.net) |
Lavender
Lemonade or Limeade
6 C. water
2 C. sugar
1/4 C. dried lavender or 3/4 C. fresh lavender flowers
1 tsp. grated lemon or lime zest
1 C. fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice
Lemon or lime slices and fresh lavender sprigs (optional)
In
a saucepan, combine 2 cups water, sugar, lavender and zest.
Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer,
stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove pan from heat and let
syrup stand overnight. Strain and discard lavender. In large
pitcher, stir together syrup, juice and 4 cups water.
Serve
over ice, with lime or lemon slices and a sprig of fresh lavender
if desired.
Lavender
Kir
Per serving:
4 oz. dry white wine, well chilled
1/2 tsp. lavender syrup
1 sprig fresh lavender
Gently
mix wine and lavender syrup together in wineglass. Across
the top, drape the lavender spring, flower side down, allowing
the stem to extend beyond the glass like a lavender swizzle
stick.
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Lavender
Syrup
(The Glass Pantry, Georgeanne Brennan)
1
C. water
1 C. sugar
2 Tbsp. dried lavender or 1/2 cup fresh lavender flowers
Combine
water and sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Bring
to boil, stirring gently. Lower heat, add lavender and
simmer, continuing to stir, until sugar dissolves fully
and thin syrup forms. Remove from heat, cover and allow
to stand overnight in a cool place. The next day, strain
syrup to remove the blossoms and decant into a dry,
sterilized bottle. Seal with a cork, and refrigerate.
Syrup will keep for several months.
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Herbed
Goat Cheese Tart
(adapted from Gourmet Magazine)
1
8- or 9-inch pie crust (homemade, refrigerated or frozen)
8 oz. mild goat cheese
1 C. cottage cheese
3 large egg yolks
1/4 C. flour
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp. dried Herbes de Provence
2 Tbsp. whole fresh herb leaves and flowers (e.g., thyme,
marjoram, lavender, rosemary)
Bake
pie shell at 350 degrees until almost cooked, but still pale.
In
food processor, mix cheeses, egg yolks, flour and butter until
smooth. Blend in Herbes de Provence and spoon into pie shell.
Bake 20 minutes or until filling is just set. Sprinkle tart
with herbs and continue baking until filling is puffed and
golden, about 20 minutes more. Serve warm.
(Reheat leftovers in microwave just until warm. You can make
ahead and freeze. Re-bake frozen pie at 350 until warmed through,
covering crust with foil if it gets too brown.)
Lavender
Foccacia
3-1/4 C. unbleached all purpose flour
1 C. warm water (105°F. to 115°F.)
1 package dry yeast
1/4 C. plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh lavender leaves and flowers
3 tsp. sea salt or coarse kosher salt
Add
yeast to warm water and let sit for about 5 minutes until
bubbly. Add to a large bowl or mixer with a dough hook. Add
flour slowly, 1/2 cup, reserving the last 1/4 cup. Turn out
onto a floured board (or use mixer) and knead for 5 minutes
or until smooth and elastic.
Place
dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
Put the bowl in a warm place and let rise for 45 minutes or
until doubled in size. Punch down the dough and put into an
oiled baking sheet or pizza pan with edges, spreading it out
with your fingers to about 1/2" thick. Make indentations
with your fingers and sprinkle dough with the lavender and
salt. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 15-20 minutes
at 425 degrees until lightly browned. Cool on a rack. Serve
warm or at room temperature.
Ojai
Orange Salad with Lavender Vinaigrette
To serve 6:
Salad
1 head Bibb or butter lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
1 head hearts of romaine, torn into bite sized pieces
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, white part only
3 naval oranges, peeled and sliced
3 Tbsp. chopped hazelnuts
Vinaigrette
1 C. good quality olive oil
1/2 C. lavender vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. minced chives
1 tsp. minced lavender leaves
1 tsp. fresh lavender blossoms
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Mix
all ingredients together in shaker jar or bowl and blend.
Combine
lettuces and scallions in serving bowl. Dress with lavender
vinaigrette. Layer orange slices atop lettuce. Sprinkle with
hazelnuts. Drizzle with dressing.
Blue-on-Blue
Potatoes
(adapted from The New York Times)
2 lb. blue potatoes, thickly sliced
3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. culinary grade dried lavender
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Sauté
lavender in butter until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add potatoes
and turn to coat thoroughly. Turn into buttered casserole
dish (preferably lavender-colored!) and top with salt, pepper.
Bake at 350 until potatoes are tender and browned, about 35
minutes.
Chicken
Glazed with Lavender and Honey
4 half chicken breasts, boneless with skin on
1/4 C. butter
1/4 C. honey
1 Tbsp. good mustard
1/2 Tbsp. dried lavender flowers
Fresh lavender flowers for garnish
Preheat
oven to 375°C.
Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Add honey, dried
lavender and mustard, stirring until mixture is smooth. Set
aside to infuse for 15 minutes.
Arrange chicken breasts, skin side up, in shallow baking dish.
Pour honey mixture evenly over chicken. Bake for 35-45 minutes,
basting every 10 minutes, or until crisped and golden brown.
Summer
Squash Sautéed with Lavender and Thyme
2 lbs. mixed summer squash (e.g., zucchini, crookneck and
patty pan)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried lavender
2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper
Clean
and thinly slice squash. Heat olive oil in sauté pan.
Add garlic, and cook until softened. Add squash, herbs, salt
and pepper. Sauté, turning frequently, until squash
is tender, about 7 minutes.
California
Lavender Cheesecake
Crust:
24 vanilla wafers, whirled in food processor or blender to
make crumbs
Butter
Cake:
1-1/2 Tbsp. dried culinary lavender, separated
12 oz. cream cheese
6 oz. mild goat cheese
3/4 C. sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 large eggs, separated
Topping:
1/2 C. Lavender Jelly, melted over very low heat
Have
all crust and cake ingredients at room temperature. Preheat
oven to 350°.
Mix
¼ cup boiling water with 1 Tbsp. dried lavender. Let
steep until cool. Strain out lavender to yield 3 Tbsp. infusion.
Generously
butter bottom and sides of an 8" springform pan. Coat
with vanilla wafer crumbs, letting excess crumbs form an even
layer on bottom on pan.
Blend
cream cheese and goat cheese with hand-held mixer on low speed
until smooth. Beat in sugar, cornstarch and 2 egg yolks. (Save
additional 2 yolks for another use.) Mix in lavender infusion
and remaining ½ Tbsp. dried lavender. In a separate
bowl, whip 4 egg whites to form stiff peaks. Thoroughly fold
egg whites into cheese mixture.
Pour
cheese mixture into prepared pan. Bake in middle of oven for
35-40 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and center
is just set.
Remove
from oven and cool on rack for 5 minutes. Gently loosen edges
of cake from pan with a knife to allow cake to fall. (Cake
may crack while settling.) Cool for another 30 minutes before
glazing top of cake with warm melted Lavender Jelly. Refrigerate
just until glaze sets (about 15 minutes). Remove sides of
pan and serve while still warm. Refrigerate any leftovers.
 Triple
Lavender Strawberry Shortcake
For
strawberries:
2 pints fresh strawberries
Lavender or plain sugar as needed
Three or four fresh lavender sprigs or 1 Tbsp. dried lavender*
Several
hours before serving, clean and slice berries into large bowl.
Sweeten to taste with sugar and add lavender sprigs. Lightly
crush berries with masher. Let sit at room temperature until
serving time to release juices. Remove lavender sprigs before
continuing. (*If using dried lavender, secure it in a tea
strainer or cheesecloth pouch. Add to strawberries after mashing.
Taste mixture occasionally, and remove lavender if flavor
becomes strong enough.)
For
shortcake:
1 package California Lavender Scone Mix
1/2 C. water
Prepare scone mix according to directions, using entire contents
on package.
Or
try this traditional shortcake version:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons regular or lavender sugar
1 tablespoon dried lavender
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter
6 oz. milk, half & half, or cream
Preheat
oven to 450.
In
a food processor, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar
and lavender. Cut butter into 8 chunks and add to the processor.
Pulse to cut in the butter until mixture has the consistency
of coarse crumbs. Do not overprocess. Add the liquid and process
just until dough comes together. Turn out onto lightly floured
surface and gently knead two or three times.
Pat
dough out into circle about 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Brush top
with milk and sprinkle additional sugar on top. Transfer to
baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven, let cool on rack, then slice horizontally
in half.
Lavender
Crème Chantilly:
1 C. heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. lavender sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Combine
all ingredients in large bowl. Whip with standing or hand
mixer or whisk until soft peaks form.
To
assemble:
Put bottom on shortcake on serving plate. Top with 3/4 of
strawberries. Drizzle some strawberry juice over cut side
of shortcake top, then place it atop strawberries. For presentation,
garnish with Lavender Chantilly and fresh lavender sprigs.
To
serve:
Slice and serve with spoonful of reserved strawberries, large
dollop of Lavender Crème Chantilly and fresh lavender
sprig.
Lavender
Ice Cream
(from Epicurious.com)
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons fresh or dried lavender blossoms
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 C. whipping cream
1 cups whole milk
5 large egg yolks
1 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
Pinch of salt
Simmer
1/4 cup water and lavender in small saucepan until reduced
by half, 1 minute. Add sugar; stir to dissolve. Simmer 2 minutes
to thicken syrup slightly. Stir in honey. Set aside.
Bring
cream and milk to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Whisk yolks
to blend in large bowl. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture
into yolks. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir constantly
over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path
on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 10 minutes
(do not boil). Whisk lavender mixture into custard. Cool mixture,
stirring occasionally, then chill overnight. Strain and discard
lavender.
Process ice cream custard in ice cream maker according to
manufacturer's instructions. Freeze in covered containers.
(Can be made 1 week ahead.)
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