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:
These delightfully herbal tea cakes are the perfect compliment to black, herbal or iced tea. Confectioner's sugar dusted on the cookies just out of the oven quickly absorbs moisture and creates a near-glaze covering.
1 c. butter
½ c. confectioner's sugar
2 c. flour
1 ½ tbsp. dried lavender flowers or 2 tbsp. fresh lavender flowers
1 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ c. additional confectioner's sugar
Cream butter with sugar. Add flour gradually, beating well after each addition. Add lavender, mint and vanilla; blend well. Shape into 1" balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325° for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully roll cookies in additional powdered sugar before they cool; place on cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Sticky, but firm, these lavender caramels cast caramel in a whole new light: comfort food, but festive and up-to-date!
1 cup butter
1 pound (2¼ cups) brown sugar
Dash of salt
1 cup light corn syrup
1 15-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Add sugar and salt, stirring thoroughly. Add corn syrup and mix well. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over medium heat to firm ball stage (245°), 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and dried lavender. Pour into buttered 9x9x2” pan. Let caramels cool and cut into squares.
Take lavender to the next level by creating this aromatic, savory rice dish from The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley. The Lavender Cookbook is available in our Farm Boutique.
1 c. finely shopped onion
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. uncooked basmati rice
2½ c. chicken broth
½ tsp. sea salt
1 c. coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 tbsp. grated lemon zest
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tsp. dried lavender flowers
Freshly ground black pepper
In a medium saucepan, combine the onion, oil, ginger and garlic. Stir over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the rice and then the broth and salt. Bring to a summer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the nuts and lemon zest. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Gently stir in the butter and lavender. Season with pepper.
