Culinary Lavender
Cooking with lavender seems new and mysterious when one first entertains the idea, but it isn’t much different than adding mint or rosemary to other culinary blends. Lavender adds that little floral surprise that makes your pallet sit up and pay attention. All lavenders are edible, though the nuances of flavor vary widely. Choose from the English Lavenders (Lavandula angustifolia), which are sweet-tasting by nature or the French Lavender ‘Provence’, which doesn’t contain the powerful camphor that other French Lavenders do. Using lavender from one’s own garden is particularly satisfying, or culinary lavender may be purchased from our online Farm Boutique. We dedicate our whole crop of English Lavender ‘Sachet’ to culinary use and recommend the following recipes, which are some of our favorites:
Wake up or warm up with this lavender espresso treat.
3 ¼ cups low-fat milk
1 Tbsp culinary lavender or 3 Tbsp fresh lavender flowers
2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp instant espresso or instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sweetener (to taste)
Fresh whipped cream and cocoa powder for garnish (optional)
In saucepan stir together milk and lavender. Cook over medium heat just until milk begins to bubble. Remove pan from heat, stir, cover and steep lavender in milk for 10 minutes. Strain lavender from milk and discard; return milk to saucepan. Add chocolate chips, espresso and
vanilla and stir. Cook mixture over low heat until chocolate is completely melted. Sweeten to taste and pour into 4 mugs. Top with whipped cream and dust lightly with cocoa powder. Serve immediately. From The Lavender Gourmet by Jennifer Vasich.
Try this new twist in pesto on your pasta or pizza.
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup fresh basil
1 tsp dried culinary lavender or 1 Tbsp fresh lavender flowers
2 tsp fresh parsley
¼ cup pine nuts
½ red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbsp olive oil
Bring about 2 cups of water to boil in small saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add sun-dried tomatoes; let them plump up for about 10 minutes. Drain tomatoes and dry them on paper towel. Combine all the ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a blender or food processor and pulse until well blended. Gradually add olive oil while machine is running and mix well. From The Lavender Gourmet by Jennifer Vasich.
This sweet buttery blend is delightful on breakfast breads and muffins, or try on cooked carrots and parsnips.
2 sticks butter, softened
¼ cup honey
1 tsp dried culinary lavender or 2 tsp fresh lavender flowers
In a bowl, whip together the ingredients until light and fluffy. Form butter mixture into a log on parchment paper or spoon mixture to a small dish and refrigerate for 2 hours before using. Store covered up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Makes 1 cup. From The Lavender Gourmet by Jennifer Vasich.
