Transform a plain cake into a masterpiece with edible flowers and herbs. ALAN AND LINDA DETRICK
Transform a plain cake into a masterpiece with edible flowers and herbs. ALAN AND LINDA DETRICK
Cooking with Lavender
Lavender shares family bonds with mint, rosemary, and thyme, with a lovely scent and a unique flavor. And like those other herbs, some of the lavender species have distinctive tastes that can be incorporated into cooking. In the Provence region of France, lavender may be selected for a bouquet garni of herbes de Provence, a bundle of herb sprigs tied with a string for easy removal from the pot. The fines herbes traditionally include parsley, chives, tarragon, thyme, and chervil, to which are added one or more stems of basil, fennel, sage, or lavender. The flavor of the herbs is designed to enhance the main ingredients and shouldn’t dominate the dish.
The aroma of the flower is a good indication of whether you will like the flavor. Some lavenders veer toward the camphorous, but the angustifolias are sweet in both aroma and taste. My favorite for cooking is ‘Hidcote’, a variety that is commonly grown in gardens in the United States and England.
As with any edible flower or herb, the lavender you plan to eat must be clean and pesticide free. That means knowing the source—either harvesting from your own or a friend’s organic garden or buying from a reliable commercial grower of edible herbs. Farms that grow lavender for perfume or decoration don’t adhere to the same standards of purity that you want for food. Though lavender is not a plant that attracts insect pests, and thus probably doesn’t need spraying, always know what you are using in your cooking.
A little goes a long way when using lavender in cooking. If ½ teaspoon of dried lavender imparts a subtle and delicious flavor, 3 teaspoons in the same dish may be overwhelming. You can use either fresh or dried lavender in your recipes, but as with other herbs and spices, dried lavender buds have more than double the power of the fresh herb, as the flowers shrink when drying and the oil is concentrated. To release the oils of any herb in cooking, gently bruise between your fingers before dropping it into the pot.
Lavender is used to flavor sugar, jellies, cakes, and puddings. The flowers are also used in salads and savory dishes like beef stews and pot roasts. A little dried orange rind imparts a wonderful flavor combined with the lavender in these dishes. I’ve also seen mustards flavored with lavender, honey, and mint. You can use the young leaves as well as the flowers in cooking, and if you are making herbal vinegars, the leaves add some visual appeal to the spikes in the bottle.
A flavorful trick for barbecuing is to throw a few dried branches of lavender on the coals during the last few minutes of grilling chicken or fish, the way you might with rosemary or thyme. The oils impart a delicious flavor that your guests might not recognize immediately, but they are bound to ask you about it.
For wonderful little gifts, save small, capped spice bottles, remove the old labels, and fill with your own dried lavender buds. Affix a new label and attach a copy of your favorite lavender recipe with a little gold string.
Here’s a quick, flavorful main dish for company or for the family. The aroma while cooking and the taste thereafter will bring a smile to your face. The fat count is low and the eating is healthy. Orange zest is the colored skin removed from the bitter white part just below. Use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to cut strips of this outer layer of the orange. For this recipe, it needn’t be even and pretty.
INGREDIENTS
3 whole chicken breasts, skinned and split, or 6 thighs with legs attached, skinned
1 tablespoon butter
½ pound baby white onions, peeled
½ cup dry white wine
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon dried lavender buds
3 strips orange zest
salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter and sauté chicken in a nonstick pan. Brown on both sides. Add baby onions and brown quickly. Add the rest of the ingredients and cover pan. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove garlic cloves and strips of orange. Serve over boiled rice or couscous. Garnish with whole orange sections and sprigs of fresh lavender. Serves 6.
Chef and lavender specialist Kathy Gehrt sent me this recipe from her book, Cooking with Lavender: Fresh, Fragrant, and Flavorful, available at www.discoverlavender.com.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch-wide strips lengthwise
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch-wide strips lengthwise
1 medium onion, slivered
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried lavender buds, crushed
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper,
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 lb fresh halibut fillet
2 lemons cut into wedges and served as garnish
Sweet and mild halibut stars in this dish, accented by colorful red and yellow peppers infused with Mediterranean seasoning.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers and onion; cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add vinegar and lavender and cook 15 minutes longer, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons parsley. Spoon the vegetables over the bottom of a 9 x 9 inch baking dish. Brush the fish with the remaining oil. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, then lay the fish in the baking dish over the vegetables. Bake for 20 minutes. Garnish fish with remaining parsley and lemon halves. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Fresh halibut is outstanding, but use the same sauce ingredients to bake with any of your favorite fish for a Provencal treat. KATHY GEHRT
A tasty but low fat contribution to a cookout or picnic is always appreciated. Rather than using low fat mayonnaise, I substitute yogurt, which imparts both moisture and tang to the dish.
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds flavorful small potatoes, like Red Bliss or Yukon gold
1 cup low fat plain yogurt
2 cups chopped young lovage or celery with leaves
½ cup chopped chives or green scallions
1 tablespoon fresh lavender flowers or ½ tablespoon dried buds
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
½ cup borage flowers, calendula, chive, dill, or other edible flowers, and purple basil leaves for garnish
Boil unpeeled potatoes till soft but not mushy. Drain and let cool. Slice with skin or cut in half, depending on size. Mix the herbs and seasonings with the yogurt, and gently stir into the potatoes. Garnish with the edible flowers. Refrigerate till serving time. Serves 6.
Lavender adds a surprising flavor to a light potato salad.
Pour the vinegar into the bottle using the funnel. Fill almost to the top. Cut the herb stems so that they will fit upright in the bottle. Drop in the washed blueberries and the stems of washed herbs. Cap and let steep two weeks before using, shaking occasionally. Label as desired. The purple basil will infuse the vinegar with a rosy glow. Refrigerate.
INGREDIENTS
hot, sterile bottle with screw lid or stopper, to hold approximately 8 ounces
white vinegar
funnel
2 stems purple basil
2 stems lavender
1 stem rosemary
6 fat blueberries
This easy recipe is low fat, sweet, and refreshing. Substitute pears for apples in fall and winter, and try plums or peaches in the summer for a pleasing variation. You can also mix in whatever other fruits you have. A last-minute addition of fresh pink grapefruit or navel orange sections to the apples imparts a contrasting cool tartness to the cooked fruit.
INGREDIENTS
6 medium to large tart apples, like Granny Smith or Winesap
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup honey
1½cups dry red wine
¼ cup cassis (optional)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 black peppercorns
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon dried lavender buds
1 cup raisins, golden or dark
Halve, peel, and core apples. Place face-down in a 10- to 12-inch skillet. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over apples. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer. Check with a fork after 15 minutes to see if apples are tender; if not, cook 5 to 10 minutes longer. If left too long, you will have delicious applesauce to pour over ice cream. Remove apples and raisins from skillet with a slotted spoon to a serving dish. Boil the remaining liquid for a few minutes to reduce and thicken. Pour over apples and let cool. Garnish with fresh lavender or other edible flowers, if available. Serve alone or with ice cream, whipped cream, or frozen yogurt. Serves 6.
Not in the mood to bake? Purchase different size layers, stack them up and surround them with fresh and dried herbs. You’ll impress even yourself. ALAN AND LINDA DETRICK
Forget the icing bag, piping tips, gum paste leaves, and food dyes. The simplest and most gorgeous way to decorate a dessert is with flowers and herbs from the garden. Lavender plays a big role here, whether fresh cut or dried.
The flowers should be organically grown, so no trace of pesticides touches your lips. They only need to be rinsed, and drained on a towel before using. Or plan ahead by cutting flowers and herbs, rinsing, and placing stems in a glass of water in the refrigerator a few hours in advance of decorating.
In addition to lavender, you might find a few late pansies still blooming on a summer’s day, as well as bachelor’s buttons, bee balm, day lily buds, roses, pinks, and nasturtium; from the herb garden, anise hyssop, borage, calendula, fennel, sage, scented geranium, and all sorts of mints.
If you have no fresh lavender blooming at this time, use some of the lavender stems you’ve hung to dry a little earlier in the season. Give the stems a very quick rinse to get off the dust and gently shake dry. They’ll be fine until your party is over and the cake has been demolished.
Late in September or early in October, the edibles from the garden may be somewhat different. Perhaps a few stems of lavender have rebloomed. I can add lemon scented geranium ‘Prince Rupert’ at the base of the cake, with rose hips and aronia for berries. I can also add the last roses of summer, fall pansies, and sage for additional color and textural contrast. Rave reviews guaranteed!
Crystallized Lavender for Decoration
Lavender and other edible flowers can be crystallized to decorate a special tart or cake. Once they were considered to be edible, but with today’s cautions about eating raw egg, it’s best to use them for decoration only. Or use dried pasteurized egg whites according to package directions. Small roses and lavender are favorites, along with lavender leaves. You can prepare these colorful flowers, herbs, and leaves at least a week ahead to adorn a wedding cake or other party dessert. Kids who don’t mind messy fingers will love to help you. If you are pressed for time, forget the crystallizing and just use your blooms fresh from the garden.
Crystallized lavender, roses, and calendula decorate a creamy lemon tart for a very special occasion.
INGREDIENTS
superfine sugar
1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
sheet of waxed paper
new small paintbrush
teaspoon
assortment of fresh flowers and leaves
Rinse off the flowers and herbs to remove soil and insects, shake, and let dry on a paper towel for 30 minutes. Use a fork to beat the egg white with the water. Paint one of the flowers with the egg white mixture, covering front, back, and between the petals. Pour some sugar onto a plate. Roll the flower around in the sugar. Use the teaspoon to pour sugar into hard-to-reach places. Gently shake off excess sugar. Put the flower on a sheet of waxed paper and leave overnight for the sugar to dry. If you used too heavy a hand with the egg white, sprinkle more sugar on with a spoon to absorb it. When the sugar seems dry, store flowers in a single layer in a lidded container until ready to use. You may use coarse sugar for a more glittery look; sprinkle it on more sparingly than you would the superfine sugar.
A favorite for teatime or dessert, lemon loaf lavandula travels well, slices neatly, and tastes sensational.
I took this loaf as my contribution to a covered dish supper of a gardening group in New York City and asked for comments. Some tasters couldn’t identify the herb but claimed it was delicious. Others thought at first it needed a smidgen more lavender, as the taste buds adapted to the flavor by the end of the slice. Someone else thought the flavor got more intense as she kept eating. I think cooks should please themselves, and for me, a hint of something wonderful is best. This moist, delicious tea or dessert loaf has a subtle lavender flavor. For a more intense flavor, add no more than another ½ teaspoon dried buds to the creamed mixture.
INGREDIENTS
Cake
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon dried lavender buds (off the stem; no leaves)
2½ cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Glaze
½ cup sugar
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon lavender
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9- by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Cream the butter and sugar until soft. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth. Add the rind and lavender. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing lightly with a spoon. Add the dry ingredients and the milk into the creamed mixture, alternating in two or three pours. Beat until just mixed. Don’t over-beat. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and smooth top with a knife. Bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Toward the end of the baking period, combine glaze ingredients in a small pan, bruising the lavender between your fingers before adding it. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and when the sugar is dissolved, remove from stove. When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and prick the top of the loaf all over with a toothpick. Pour the glaze slowly over the top of the loaf until all of it is absorbed. When the loaf cools a little, remove from pan. It’s best to let it sit for 10 to 12 hours before slicing.
These miniature shell-shaped cakes are typically French; rich and delicious, they’re perfect for a tea party or afternoon treat. In literature they are associated with Marcel Proust. His taste memory of the delicacies as described in Remembrance of Things Past evoked rapturous scenes from his childhood. Conflicting stories of the origin of the name Madeleine cite a nineteenth century pastry cook, Madeleine Paulmier, or an eighteenth century cook by the same name. These are tiny cakes with a history, yet are easy and quick to make for modern cooks. The only requirement is a Madeleine pan, available from most cookware sources. If buying a new one I urge you to look for the nonstick variety so the little dears will just pop out when you invert the pan. Lavender adds a delectable flavor here, as it does to most any simple cake or cookie recipe. Dunk the dainty Madeleine in a cup of tea to release the perfect combination of flavors.
Buttered and floured Madeleine pans produce delicate tea cakes with a literary history.
INGREDIENTS
2 large eggs
a pinch of salt
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large lemon
1 cup all purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon dried or two tablespoons fresh lavender buds
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
Don’t use a mixer for this recipe; beating by hand results in a lighter, more tender Madeleine. Butter and flour the Madeleine mold. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt the butter, add the lavender, and set aside to cool. Finely grate the lemon, yellow part only. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and salt until frothy. Add the sugar gradually, whisking as you go. Add the lemon rind. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the flour. Mix in the melted butter with lavender. Fill shells 2/3 full with batter. Bake on middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes until firm and brown around the edges. Turn out immediately on a cooling rack, then sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar. Makes 24 cakes. When reusing the mold for the second dozen, butter and flour again.
It’s like money in the bank. Homemade goodies in the freezer to whip out for a spur-of-the-moment treat to transform a store-bought dessert. When fruit is in season, rinse and pick over fruit. Put in saucepan with the other ingredients. Cover. Bring to a boil and simmer slowly until berries have popped or plums have softened, about 15 minutes. Pour cooled mixture into clean freezer containers. Cover, label, and freeze until needed.
INGREDIENTS
3 pints blueberries or two pounds plums, halved and pitted
3 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar
½ tablespoon dried or 1 tablespoon fresh lavender buds,
½ cup water, juice, or brandy
To save yourself a major stovetop mess, watch carefully that the pot doesn’t spill over as it comes to a boil.
When needed, defrost and pour warm or cold over ice cream, sorbet, cheesecake, pound cake, corn bread, bread pudding, angel food, or fresh melon.
