When thinking of Lavender a small crochet bag filled with dried leaves might come to mind, or a homemade oil diffuser may be another one. Some people even use it to try and soothe assorted health conditions but today I'm going to share some ideas on how you can incorporate it into some simple dishes as an edible treat. It may not be very common but lavender has been used in English and European cooking for centuries.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
There are many varieties of lavender and they all vary in fragrance and flavour. Look for vibrant purple English lavender, or Lavandula Angustifolia, sometimes referred to as cooking lavender. This variety has a lot lower oil and camphor percentage, resulting in a more pleasant sweeter flavour. Avoid anything dull and grey.
HOW TO STORE IT
If only storing for a few days then it will remain fresh by placing it upright in a glass of water. For longer periods it’s best to be dried as it’ll retain more flavour and last much longer.
To dry the lavender you can tie a bunch together at the stems and hang in a dry area for several weeks otherwise it can be done on a tray in the oven. If choosing the oven method it needs to be watched carefully. You just want to dry it out, you don’t want it losing colour and turning brown as this will reduce the flavour intensity and turn it bitter. Once dried, store it in an airtight container.
HOW TO USE IT
Lavender has a mint-like flavour with a slight citrus undertone and an amazing floral background. It can be used fresh or dried but care must be taken when using it because it can easily over-power the whole dish. Dried tends to be quite a bit stronger than fresh too, so if substituting fresh for dried then only use half the amount.
Savoury - It goes well with meat such as lamb, chicken, pork, turkey, and even game meats as a marinade, sauce, or a dry seasoning. A simple blend is dried lavender, salt, finely chopped lemon rind, and oil which works particularly well with chicken.
Sweet - It works well in custard-based desserts where it gets a chance to infuse into the
mixture. It can be ground-up and incorporated into biscuit and cakes recipes and matches well with chocolate.
Beverages – Blends well with lemon based drinks and even with champagne. It can be incorporated into beverages as a lavender sugar syrup (instructions below) or by burying some buds in some sugar and letting it infuse for a week or two.
According to MedicalNewsToday.com, some studies suggest that consuming lavender as a tea can help digestive issues such as vomiting, nausea, intestinal gas, upset stomach, and abdominal swelling.
RECIPES
Lavender Sugar Syrup
Place equal parts of castor sugar and water into a saucepan with several lavender buds. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to cool down. Transfer to a bottle and store in the fridge.
Lavender Shortbread Biscuits
Ingredients
5 buds of fresh Lavender
250gm softened butter
1 cup castor sugar
2 cups plain flour
Method
1. Break up the flowers and beat into butter until smooth.
2. Mix in icing sugar and beat well.
3. Add the flour and mix in well.
4. Gently knead the dough together into a ball (but don't overwork it) and place into the fridge for about 30 minutes to rest. Preheat oven to 160°C
5. Either roll out the dough and cut out shapes, or roll into small balls and press down with a fork. Sprinkle some dried lavender leaves over the top.
6. Place on a tray and bake in a 160°C oven for 10–12 minutes until colour has turned to a very slight golden colour.
7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Lavender Brulee (Pictured at top)
This recipe is a good example of a custard-based dessert and a good way to infuse the flavour without the need to have the actual flower visible in the recipe.
Ingredients
500ml milk
8 buds fresh lavender
6 egg yolks
50g sugar
Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 130°C
2. Bring milk and lavender buds to the boil then remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes to infuse.
3. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until it thickens and lightens in colour.
4. Remove buds from milk and stir into the egg mixture with a spoon, do not whisk. Some of the leaves can be added back into the mixture for effect.
5. Pour into moulds and place these into a dish with about 2cm of water on the bottom.
6. Place carefully into a pre-heated oven at 130 degrees for approximately 1 hour.
To tell if they’re ready, they should hold like a jelly when tapped on the side and there should be no liquid. They’ll continue to cook slightly when removed due to the residual heat. If left in too long they will dry out and crack. Once ready, remove from water and let sit for 30 minutes to set completely.
To Serve
If serving straight away they can sit on the bench and be served warm, otherwise they can be chilled. They are nice either way.
You can caramalise the top by lightly sprinkling with castor sugar and melt with a small blow torch on a low setting until it turns golden. This can also be done by heating up an old dessert spoon over a gas flame until really hot then run smoothly over the sugar.
Otherwise you could melt some sugar in a saucepan until golden and pour onto a tray lined with baking paper. Once set you can just break it up into rustic shards and stick into the top. Garnish with lavender leaves if desired.
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