My first memories of lavender are associated with my English maternal grandmother—as her signature perfume, yes—but also as a tiny muslin bag full of this sweet-smelling plant which I used to sleep with, tucked into my pillow. I remember sitting on the garden wall as a child and making pretty little bags and weaving lavender stems with silk ribbons of pink and blue; she would hang these sachets and wands in her wardrobe and place them in her drawers which I imagine is why she often smelled of lavender, even in the winter. To me, lavender has connotations of love, home and happiness and it is not at all surprising that my husband and I now own a lavender farm and that I spend much of my time experimenting with and adding lavender to all kinds of products. My current favorite thing to experiment with is food!
The idea of eating lavender may seem like a new fad but lavender has always had its place in the kitchen and has earned something of a “gourmet” reputation—top chefs have used lavender buds and infusions in their recipes from time to time when wanting to impress. It is no secret that British royalty has had something of an obsession with floral infusions over the years; I’m sure many of us have heard the story of Queen Elizabeth I and her penchant for lavender conserve at her dining table. For me however, it is not that “fancy;” it is just another flavor enhancer in my kitchen arsenal of herbs and spices. If you have ever added “Herbes de Provence” to your dishes, then chances are high that you have already cooked with lavender as it is one of the key ingredients in that particular blend of herbs.
Lavender recipes have become quite popular of-late and a quick Google search finds them widespread on the internet. It is not difficult to find an array of dishes from canapes and appetizers to main courses and desserts.
So, how do you begin to use lavender to add flavor to your cooking?
The simple answer to this question is “Sparingly!” I have found that if I don’t get the balance quite right, I can turn an otherwise delicious dish into one fit only for the bin! Lavender is to be used with great caution, unless you happen to like your food tasting of soap. A little is amazing—a lot is not. You can start by adding half a teaspoon of dried and ground culinary lavender buds to a batch of shortbread cookies—this is a simple way to get a delightful result. A few dried culinary lavender buds ground-up and added to some plain goat cheese with a little salt is also a great way to begin. If you like cocktails, then how about a lavender martini? Just infuse your simple syrup first with a few lavender buds tied up in a muslin bag for half an hour and you will impress your guests no end!
I have used lavender in rubs for chicken, lamb and pork; I have made a lavender butter which is very good on scones with some homemade strawberry jam. I infuse lavender sprigs in white wine vinegar which makes for a wonderfully-different salad dressing; we have flavored our honey with dried buds which is absolutely fantastic; the best, for me though, and where lavender really excels, is in desserts! Lavender crème brûlée, lavender with peaches or apricots; lavender cupcakes with honey frosting, lavender ice cream, lavender lemon drizzle cake… is your mouth watering yet?!
Lavender pairs extremely well with lemon, peaches, honey, chocolate, blueberries, vanilla and thyme.
At the farm, we make all of our homemade jellies, jams, lemonade and cookies with lavender and the amount we use varies from recipe to recipe. The thing is to experiment—don’t be afraid to try something new! You will soon get an idea of the right amount for you.
One thing to remember—it’s no fun biting into a piece of cake and coming away with a mouthful of lavender buds. We like to use lavender as an infusion, so either grind it (say, with sugar for baking) or strain it out of a liquid (cream or syrup) before using. You’ll still get great lavender flavor but without the unpleasant chewy bits.
You can grow your own lavender for cooking—start with an organic plant from a reputable nursery or lavender farm where they don’t use sprays and nasty chemicals—we have a number of such lavender farms here in Southern Oregon (www.southernoregonlavendertrail.com). If you don’t want to grow your own, then you can find dried culinary lavender buds quite easily at your local farmers markets, or, at the lavender farms this summer in the Applegate Valley (Friday to Sunday throughout June and July). For cooking, look out for the following lavender varieties—Lavandula Angustifolia “Royal Velvet,” Lavandula Angustifolia “Buena Vista” and Lavandula X-Intermedia “Provence.”
If you would like more information about cooking with lavender, please contact Sue at The English Lavender Farm, 8040 Thompson Creek Road, Applegate, Oregon. 541-846-0375, www.englishlavenderfarm.com.