I didn't realize until just now how difficult it is to find recipes for cooking with culinary lavender. If you are in Niagara and looking to try some, you can get dried lavender flowerbuds suitable for cooking from Niagara Herb Farm (see them at the NOTL Farm Market on Saturday mornings, and pick up local honey and organic produce from the other farmers while you are there).
http://www.lavenderfarms.net/hoodriverlavender/HoodRiverLavenderRecipes.htm
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Lavender.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LAVENDER-RECIPE
Nigella Lawson's Lavender Trust Cupcakes
Lavender has been used as a flavour in Provencal cuisine for many years, and has recently begun to come back into fashion as an ingredient in the UK in both savoury and sweet dishes. The recipe uses lavender sugar, which can be made by cutting up a few lavender sprigs and kept in a jar of caster sugar for a few days.
Ingredients (makes 12):
for the cupcakes:
• 125g self-raising flour
• 125g very soft unsalted butter
• 125g lavender sugar, sieved
• 2 eggs
• pinch salt
• few tablespoons milk
for the icing:
• 250g Instant Royal Icing powder
• violet food colouring paste
• handful real lavender stalks
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6 and line a 12-bun cupcake or muffin tin with paper cases.
Take butter, eggs and milk out of the fridge in time to make sure they’re at room temperature.
Put all the ingredients for the cupcakes, except for the milk, into the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a double-bladed knife, and blitz till totally combined.
Process again, adding enough milk to make a batter with a smooth, flowing texture, then remove the blade and spoon and scrape the batter equally into the waiting cupcake cases.
Remember the cakes rise as they bake: there is enough mixture to fill each case adequately even if you panic when you first look at it.
Bake for about 20 minutes, by which time the sponge should be cooked through and springy to the touch.
Remove from the oven, leave for 5 minutes or so, then arrange the cupcakes in their paper cases on a wire rack to cool.
Once they’re cool, you can get on with the icing. You want the icing to sit thickly on the cupcakes not run off them, and you can aid this by cutting off any risen humps with a sharp knife first, so that each cake is flat-topped.
Be careful if you’re icing over any cut surface: you want no crumbs dislodged and left behind to besmirch the smoothness of the topping.
Make the icing according to packet instructions, dyeing the mixture a faint lilac with a spot or two of food colouring: I like to use the solid pastes for which you may have to go to a specialist cake decoration shop, I’m afraid; the colour you’ll want here is generally labelled ‘grape violet’.
Go carefully, though: we want pastel serenity here, not Seventies record-sleeve murk.
Top each pretty-pale cupcake with a little sprig of lavender before the icing’s set dry.
(From
Lavender Trust)
Jamie Oliver's Lavender Creme Brulee
• 2 vanilla pods
• 300ml double cream
• 200ml whole milk
• 8 large free-range or organic egg yolks
• 75g sugar
• a bunch of lavender, flowers picked
• 4 tablespoons caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas 1. Score the vanilla pods lengthways and scrape out the vanilla seeds with a knife or a teaspoon. Place the seeds into a saucepan, add the pods, cream and milk and slowly bring to the boil. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, get yourself a large bowl that will fit over your pan and beat together the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Remove the vanilla pods from the pan and, little by little, add the milk and cream to the egg mixture in the bowl, whisking continuously. Add 2.5cm of hot water to your dirty pan, bring to a simmer and put the bowl on top of the pan. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes over the simmering water, stirring often, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in a small handful of lavender flowers, but the trick is to be delicate – you only need a hint of its distinctive, strong flavour.
Remove any bubbles or froth from the mixture before dividing it between your ramekins. Stand these in a high-sided roasting tray, and fill the tray with water halfway up the ramekins. Place carefully in the preheated oven and cook for around 30 to 45 minutes or until the mixture has set but is still slightly wobbly in the centre. Allow to cool at room temperature then place in the fridge until ready.
To serve, sprinkle each crème brûlée with a tablespoon of caster sugar and some more of the lavender flowers and caramelize under a very hot grill or using the chef’s torch.
serves 4
(From
Jamie Oliver.com)
Anna Olson's Lavender Riesling Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Sponge:
• 2/3 cup pastry flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 2 egg, separated
• 4 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
• 2/3 cup white wine
• 3 tbsp fresh lavender, chopped
• 2 1/2 tsp gelatin powder
• 6 egg yolk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups mascarpone cheese
Directions:
Sponge
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
3. Sift together flour and cornstarch and set aside.
4. Whip the 2 separated egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff peaks are formed; reserve. Warm 4 eggs in their shells in hot water for 2 minutes. Whip the 4 eggs with the 2 separated yolks plus additional yolk on high speed with sugar and vanilla until thick and pale. Fold in flour, and then fold in whites in two additions.
5. Spread batter evenly onto baking pan and bake for 15-18 minutes.
6. Allow to cool.
7. Line sides of an 8-inch pan with parchment. Cut a disc of sponge cake to line the bottom.
Filling
1. Heat white wine with lavender to infuse the flavour.
2. Strain out lavender (or leave in for colour).
3. Soften gelatin in 2 Tbsp cold water and set aside.
4. Over a pot of simmering water, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and wine until doubled in volume and whisk leaves a ribbon when you lift it.
5. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin.
6. Whisk in mascarpone cheese and pour into springform pan.
7. Let set for 4 hours before unmolding.
To Assemble
1. Remove springform pan and parchment. Sides can be coated with graham crumbs or left plain and tied with a ribbon for a special occasion. Garnish top with fresh lavender flowers or berries.
(From
Food Network Canada)
