Cooking with Lavender

Lavender is a herb that everyone seems to know. Many people are surprised to learn that it not only has a wonderful fragrance, but that it tastes absolutely fantastic. Lavender and strawberries, lavender lemonade, lavender and white wine, lavender ice cream. Smells like summer and tastes like summer too.

Lavender has a wonderful floral taste that is very effective in many types of food. It is very potent, however, and can easily become overpowering. Use it sparingly at first. You can always add more. In recipes that give a range of lavender amounts, start with less and then decide if you want more.

Lavender Sugar

Sprinkle Lavender Sugar on strawberries, peaches, nectarines and other fresh summer fruit for a delightfully different and delicious taste sensation. Out of season, use it on frozen fruit for a taste of summer.

Lavender Sugar is also used in cookies, cakes and other sweets. You will find it in the following recipes below: Lavender Bundt Cake , Lavender Heart Cookies, Chocolate Dipped Lavender Cookies, and Simple Lavender Cookies.

Tap into your creativity and try it in your in own recipes or modify your favorites with this exciting new addition.

Chocolate Dipped Lavender Cookies

In a large bowl, cream two sticks of butter with 1/4 cup granulated sugar until creamy, set aside.
Grind ¼ cup Lavender Sugar in mortar or food processor until most of the lavender is finely ground . Sift the sugar into the butter. Stir well. Add 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour. Stir to make a soft dough. Roll the dough on a floured breadboard to 1/4 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out rounds of dough.
Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
When the cookies are cool, they can be dipped halfway into melted
chocolate and left on wax paper to set completely.

Jean Porter’s Lavender Cookies

1 cup butter, softened 2 tablespoons lavender, chopped
¼ cup sugar (or mint, rose or other edible flower petals)
5 tablespoons powdered sugar 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
2 cups all-purpose flour for eggwash
1/4 cup sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter until pale yellow and fluffy. Gradually add sugars and beat well.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, lavender and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat
until thoroughly combined. Roll dough into 2 logs about 1 ½ “ in diameter and about 12” in length. Wrap logs in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap chilled dough and brush with eggwash mixture. Roll logs in sugar.
Slice dough into ¼ “ cookies and place 1” apart on baking sheets.
Bake until lightly golden around the edges about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely.
Makes about 3 dozen.

Lavender Curlicue Cookies

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 t vanilla
4 egg whites
3T lavender flowers, chopped
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a mixing bowl, blend sugar and flour. Whisk in egg whites, one at a time. Whisk butter into mixture. Add vanilla. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Lightly oil a cookie sheet. For simple cookies, pour 1 or 2 teaspoons of batter onto cookie sheet, allowing 1 inch between each cookie. For curlicues, pipe the batter, using a pastry bag, onto the cookie sheet, making 9 inch long strips 1/4 inch wide, allowing 1 inch between each strip. Bake in preheated oven 1 minute. Remove from oven and sprinkle flowers on each cookie, once the batter has spread out. Return to oven and bake for several minutes until very lightly browned. Remove one cookie at a time, wrapping it around a 1 inch diameter cylinder. Cookies cool quickly and become brittle.

Lavender Heart Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened ·
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tblsp fresh lavender blossoms or 2 tsp. dried

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in flour and lavender and push into a soft ball. Cover and chill for 20 minutes. Heat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface and cut into about 18 cookies, using a heart-shaped cutter. Place on heavy baking sheet and bake until golden (about 10 minutes), watching carefully to be sure cookies do not burn. Allow to stand on hot cookie sheet about 5 minutes. Transfer carefully with spatula to a wire rack. Cool. Sprinkle with Lavender Sugar.

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
¼ cup lavender sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon and level; 9 ounces)

Fifteen minutes before you begin the dough, remove the butter from the refrigerator. Place the lavender sugar in a clean spice mill and grind until fine. If you don't have a spice mill, grind the lavender in a blender or small food processor.

Mixing the dough: Transfer the lavender sugar to the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a paddle and add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar if you used a spice mill and the butter. Beat on low speed until the mixture is s smooth and there are no detectable lumps of butter when you roll a teaspoon of it between your fingers; do not beat it until it is fluffy. Add all the flour at once and continue to mix on low speed just until it forms a cohesive dough.

Rolling and cutting: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, press it firmly into a smooth rectangular block with no cracks, and dust it lightly with more flour. Using a rolling pin, roll it into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick, rotating the dough a quarter turn each time you roll to make sure it is not sticking to the work surface. You an also roll the dough out between sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using a straight edge and a pastry wheel or chef's knife, cut the dough into 3 x 1-1/2 inch bars, or cut out other shapes with cookie cutters. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving 1/2-inch space between them. Refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking to allow the dough to rest.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the cookies until they are colored lightly like sand, not browned, 22 to 25 minutes. Lift one with a small spatula to check the color of the underside; it should be just a shade darker on the top. Let the cookies cool completely on the pan (they are soft while they are hot). Stack the cooled cookies in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week.

Mixing variation: If you don't have a heavy-duty electric mixer, you can mix the dough in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, but you'll need to start with butter that is at room temperature. Mix the butter with the lavender sugar until completely smooth, and then stir in the flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour before rolling.Herb substitutions:In place of the lavender sugar, add 4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, thyme or lemon thyme plus ¼ cup sugar to the butter and sugar.

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Lavender Bundt Cake

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch bundt pan and dust with flour; set aside.

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually add 1 1/3 cups of the flour, beating until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Stir in the rose water, vanilla, lavender, and orange zest.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar, and beat until soft peaks form. Continuing to beat, add the Lavender Sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until the mixture is smooth and glossy, about 3 minutes.

Stir one-fourth of the egg whites into the butter mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Sift the remaining 1 1/3 cups flour over the batter, a little at a time, and gently fold in to incorporate. Don't overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake pulls away from the pan sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and golden brown, about 50 minutes.

Remove the cake to a rack and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn out onto the rack, invert, and let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and let stand 24 hours before slicing. Before serving, sift Confectioner's Sugar over the cake. Garnish with fresh or Crystalized lavender flowers.

Lavender Crystallized Flowers

Makes 2 dozen
One of the easiest transformations for lavender is the crystallizing of its flowers to be used as cake and pastry decorations or nibbled like candy. Because of the fragrant oils contained in lavender flowers, each separate candied calyx with its corolla becomes, in effect, a tiny lavender-flavored breath freshener. Leave the heads on the stems to make drying easier.

Lavender-Lemon Pound Cake

In this rich, buttery poundcake the vibrancy of lemon accents and tempers the musky floral qualities of lavender. The flavors harmonize beautifully and make for a cake that manages to at once plain and simple, as poundcakes are, but also more interesting.

Heat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan

Beat the eggs and one cup of the sugar in a bowl until mixture is thick and pale, about 5 minutes.

Sift together the flour and salt into a bowl. Using a whisk, fold in the lemon zest and 1/3 of the flour mixtures into the eggs until thoroughly combined. Fold in the rest of the flour in 2 batches. In a separate bowl, whisk one cup of the batter with the melted butter and the vanilla. Add this to the remaining batter and fold to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out to clean, 40 to 45 minutes. If the top of the cake seems to be getting overly browned before the center is set, cover with foil and continue baking.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ½ cup of sugar, the lemon juice, ¼ cup of water and the remaining 3 Tablespoons of lavender in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Transfer the cake to a wire rack. Using a cake tester or a skewer, poke the cake all over. Brush the loaf with half of the syrup and let cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack, remove the pan and brush the syrup over the bottom and sides of the cake. Turn the cake back over and brush with the remaining syrup. Let cool completely.

Lovely Lavender Cake

Preheat oven to 350F°. Grease and dust a ring pan or 9” cake tin with flour. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating until the mixture is glossy and thick. Fold in flour, lavender blossoms, vanilla, and milk. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour. Turn onto wire rack to cool. Mix confectioners sugar with water until smooth. Drizzle over cake. Garnish with fresh lavender flowers.

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Glenbrook's Lavender Tea

Blend together
2 ozs of fine black loose tea (like a Darjeeling)
1/2 oz of lavender buds
1/2 oz of chamomile flowers
1/2 oz of jasmine flowers
Store in a tin container ( makes a nice gift).

Use 1 teaspoon of tea per 6-8 oz of boiling water

Lavender Lemonade

Lavender lemonade is a delicious beverage, with a beautiful color - all the more wonderful for the unique use of lavender from your garden. Hidcote lavender will turn the lemonade a rosy-pink color; other types of lavender will make a paler beverage. Do NOT use pine-smelling lavenders such as “spike” lavender - they’re too resin-y for good flavor. Dried lavender may also be used.

To make 1 1/2 Quarts (6-8 servings)

1/4 cup fresh lavender blooms - stems removed before measuring Note: 1 tablespoon, dried lavender may be substituted for 1/4 cup of fresh additional lavender sprigs for garnish, if desired
1 cup, sugar
5 cups, good-tasting water - divided use
1 cup, fresh-squeezed lemon juice

In a saucepan, mix the sugar with 2 1/2 cups of the water. Bring to a boil, stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Add the lavender to the hot sugar syrup, remove from heat, and allow to steep for at least 20 minutes - and up to several hours, as desired. Strain; discard solids. Add the lemon juice and the remaining 2 1/2 cups of water. Stir - the color will change. Chill, or serve over ice. Garnish, if desired with sprigs of fresh lavender.

Lavender Lemonade #2

5 cups water
1½ cups sugar
12 stems of fresh lavender
2¼ cups lemon juice

Boil 2 ½ cups of water with the sugar. Add the lavender stems and remove from heat. Place on the lid and let cool. When cool, add 2 ½ cups of water and the lemon juice. Strain out the lavender. Serve the lavender lemonade with crushed ice and garnish with lavender blossoms. Serves 8.

Lavender Mint Tea

1 teaspoon fresh lavender flowers or 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves or 2 teaspoons dried mint
1 cup boiling water

In a teapot, combine the lavender flowers and mint. Pour boiling water over the mixture; steep 5 minutes.
Yield: 1 cup Variation: For more interesting blends, add rosemary, lemon balm or lemon verbena, and rose geranium

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Lavender Tuna

1T lavender flowers finely chopped
1t freshly ground black pepper
1T fennel florets finely chopped
4 tuna steaks
Mix herbs in a small bowl. Rub tuna with herb mixture coating all sides. Grill to desired doneness.

Quiche with Thyme and Lavender

Heat oven to 350°F. Line the pastry shell with parchment paper and put in 1/2 inch or so of dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes; remove weights and parchment, reduce heat to 325°F, and bake for about 8 minutes more, or until the bottom is dry. Sprinkle 1/4 cup grated cheese over the bottom of the crust and bake for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Remove and cool.

In a large skillet, heat the butter. Add the mushrooms and saute, stirring. Drain and cool. In a large bowl combine the eggs, evaporated milk, lavender, 1 cup grated cheese, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in the mushrooms and pour into the crust. Bake at 350F for about 35 minutes, or until the top is just set. Serve warm or cold. 8 servings.

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Honey Lavender Ice Cream

Makes about 1 quart
The lavender can be omitted from the recipe or replaced with a vanilla bean.

2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup dried lavender
1/3 cup honey
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

In a medium saucepan, combine milk, lavender, and honey. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain mixture, reserving milk and discarding lavender.

Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, return milk to a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

Add half the milk to egg-yolk mixture, and whisk until blended. Stir mixture into remaining milk, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat, and immediately stir in cream. Strain mixture into a medium mixing bowl set in an ice-water bath, and let stand until chilled, stirring from time to time. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Store in an airtight plastic container up to 2 weeks.

Lavender Jelly

Boil 3 cups of distilled water.
Infuse with 4 tablespoons of lavender buds.

Let this infusion steep for 20 minutes then strain.

Combine:
2 cups of lavender infusion
1/4cup of fresh lemon juice
4 cups of sugar
Bring this to a full boil, stirring non-stop.
Add 1 packet of liquid pectin (3 ozs)
Boil for one minute and remove from heat.

Fill sterile jars and seal.

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