Cooking with Lavender

[Grey]

Check this out! I don't know where our thread is that had the lavender cooking mention, but here's a link to some recipies and a story that ran in St. Louis paper.

https://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/stories.nsf/garden/story/149BAFF77A0AFFCF86256FEA0058C744?OpenDocument

[Grey]

here's some recipies:

LAVENDER SUGAR COOKIES

Yield: About 2 dozen.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons dried lavender

1 teaspoon orange extract or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract plus 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. Beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, lavender and extract. Stir together flour and baking powder; beat into butter mixture until well blended.

Drop dough by the tablespoon onto parchment, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

PER COOKIE: 146 calories; 8g fat (49 percent calories from fat); 5g saturated fat; 40mg cholesterol; 2g protein; 16.5g carbohydrate; 8g sugar; 0.5g fiber; 41mg sodium; 26mg calcium; 19mg potassium.

Recipe from baker Mandy Harrell of Uprise Bakery, 816 East Broadway, Columbia, Mo.

LAVENDER VINAIGRETTE

Yield: About 1 cup.

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried lavender, finely ground in a spice grinder

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and lavender.

PER TABLESPOON: 89 calories; 9.5g fat (96 percent calories from fat); 1.5g saturated fat; no cholesterol; no protein; 1g carbohydrate; 1g sugar; no fiber; 73mg sodium; 2mg calcium; 4mg potassium.

Adapted from "The Lavender Cookbook"


LAVENDER HERBES DE PROVENCE

Yield: About 6 tablespoons.

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried marjoram

1 tablespoon dried summer savory

1 tablespoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons orange zest (colored portion of peel)

1 bay leaf, crushed

1 teaspoon dried lavender

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Combine all ingredients in a spice grinder; process briefly until mixed. Store in a glass jar.

This recipe from lavender grower Cynthia Sutphin of the Cape Cod Lavender Farm is from Rebecca Kolls' TV gardening series, "Rebecca's Garden."


LAVENDER HONEY ICE CREAM

Yield: 1 quart.

2 teaspoons vanilla

6 large egg yolks

3/4 cup lavender honey (see note)

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

Beat vanilla, egg yolks and honey with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and lemon-colored, about 1 minute. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the milk over moderate heat just until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Gradually pour 2/3 cup of the hot milk into the egg-yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Stir the milk-egg mixture into the hot milk remaining in the saucepan. Turn the heat to low. Keeping the custard below the simmering point, stir constantly with a wooden spoon in a figure-eight motion until the custard reaches the thickness of heavy cream or measures 165 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes. For a visual test, run your finger down the back of the spoon; if the mark holds, the custard is sufficiently cooked. Do not let it boil.

Remove from heat; immediately stir in the cream. To achieve a perfectly smooth texture, strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve. Let cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. (To speed cooling, transfer the custard to a large chilled bowl. Place the bowl inside a slightly larger bowl filled with ice cubes and water. Stir occasionally. To test the temperature, dip your fingers into the custard. It should feel cold to the touch. This process should take about 30 minutes.)

Transfer the cooled custard to an ice-cream maker; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

PER ( 1/2-CUP) SERVING: 309 calories; 17g fat (50 percent calories from fat); 9.5g saturated fat; 226mg cholesterol; 8g protein; 31g carbohydrate; 29g sugar; no fiber; 96mg sodium; 110mg calcium; 181mg potassium.

Adapted from "Patricia Wells at Home in Provence"

Note: To make lavender honey, stir together 3/4 cup clover honey or another light honey and 3 tablespoons dried lavender in the top of a double boiler or in a slow cooker set on low. Cover and heat for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then strain out the lavender. Let cool completely before adding to the recipe.


LAVENDER LEMONADE

Yield: About 6 cups.

5 cups water, divided

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons dried lavender

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 4 to 6 lemons) or to taste

1 dash salt, optional

Bring 2 1/2 cups water and 1 cup sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cook until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; add lavender. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain syrup into a pitcher; discard lavender.

When the syrup has cooled, add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of water and lemon juice. Taste; if desired, add salt, more lemon juice or more water. Chill; serve over ice.

PER CUP: 148 calories; no fat; no cholesterol; no protein; 37g carbohydrate; 34g sugar; no fiber; 7mg sodium; 7mg calcium; 51mg potassium.

Recipe by Cheryl Rafert and Rachel Leonard adapted from the "Webster Groves Herb Society Cookbook, Volume III."

[Grey]

I'm on a roll: here are some from another forum I belong to:

Lavender Jelly (can substitute any herb fresh)
********
3 and 1/2 cups or water
1 cup fresh lavender flowers (can use 1/2 cup dried)
juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1 punch of liquid pecin (certo is the brand I use)
4 cups sugar
****
In a med. saucepan over high heat bring water just to a boil and then remove from the heat. Add the flowers and stir them in. Let steep for 20 min at least. Then strain out the flowers letting the liquid go into a large kettle or pot (not aluminum) and discard the flowers. Stir in the lemon juice and pectin and stir until pectin is dissolved.
Over high heat bring mixture to a boil. Add the sugar. When jelly returns to a hard rolling boil that cannot be stirred dwon let it boil (stirring) for 4 minutes.
Pour jelly into hot sterilized jars. I use little 4 oz jars for herbal jellies, but you can use 1/2 pints too. Pour it to within 1/4" of the rim and then wipe well and seal with a boiled lid and ring.
makes 5 cups..or about 10 of the little jars.



Shakespeare's Tea.

1 cup dried Lavender blooms
2 cups roughly cut dried Peppermint
1 cup dried Summer Savory
1 cup dried Sweet Marjoram
1 cup dried whole Calendula blooms

Use 1 tsp per cup and 1 tsp for the pot. Steep 3 minutes. (You have to adjust the ingredients to your taste, not too much Calendula)

The reference for this tea is The Winter's Tale, Act IV, Scene IV The Shepherd's cottage, Lines 120-125.

[SumDumBeech]

wow that lavender ice cream sounds really yummy !! it's too bad I dunt have an ice cream maker, ha !

but I think I will try the lavender lemonade, w/o the salt tho heheh

thanks for the recipes !

[opabinia51]

Good on you Grey! This is a great new thread. Look forward to trying some of these recipes.