Culinary Lavender

Culinary Lavender Recipes

These are a few of our favourite ways to enjoy culinary lavender.

Lavender Lemonade

Ingredients

4 cups  filtered water

1 cup sugar (or honey)

2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds (or 4 tablespoons fresh lavender)

½ to 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Combine water, sugar and lavender in a pot and heat until the syrup boils. Remove from stove and let it cool and continue to draw out the lavender flavour for at least 30min.

Pour the syrup mixture into a pitcher. Use a sieve or cheesecloth to strain out the lavender buds.

Add the lemon juice. Stir and refrigerate.

Serve with ice and garnish with a sprig of lavender (or a slice of lemon!)

Enjoy chilled.

                                                                                                                                                     

Island Goat Cheese and Lavender  Infused Honey

Ingredients

1 cup (8oz)  softened plain goat cheese ( Salt Spring Island plain chevre works well for this)

1/3 cup of Lavender & Black lavender infused honey  

Optional: lavender buds and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Mix until smooth the goat cheese and lavender  honey.

Add a touch of culinary lavender buds and a pinch of pepper.

Spread generously on baguette or crackers .

Perfect on your summer charcuterie board.

 

Lavender Salted Watermelon

Nothing says summer like a sweet juicy  watermelon

Where I grew up, the flavour of summer fruit was often enhanced with a touch of salt.

Ingredients

1 Watermelon- Sliced ( don’t remove the rind)

Black Salt And Lavender

Directions

Sprinkle a little Black salt and lavender on each slice and let it sit for  10-15 minutes before serving. The salt  will bring out the sweetness and add a mysterious twist to the fruit.

 

Lavender Sugar

So, you were gifted a jar of dried culinary lavender buds and don’t know what to do with it?

Simply make lavender sugar that you can keep in a mason jar and use in your future baking or when flavouring drinks.

Ingredients

2 cups Cane Sugar

1 Tbsp Culinary Lavender Buds

Directions

Place the lavender buds and sugar together in a small bowl. With clean hands rub the lavender and sugar together to release the essential oils of the lavender. If using a food processor- pulse a few times until the lavender is fine and fragrant.

Pour the sugar mix  into an airtight mason jar and store for a  few weeks before using for a more intense flavour.

 If you are pressed for  time and need lavender sugar for a recipe- in a coffee blender, add a teaspoon of lavender buds with 3 teaspoons of cane sugar. Blitz until fine. Add to whatever recipe you are making or use as a dusting sugar.

It can keep for years in a cool dry place.

Note

Use to sweeten you favourite hot drink (hot chocolate)

Rim cocktail glasses for a sweet floral touch

 

Lavender Simple Syrup

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 -3 teaspoons of Lavender & Black dried culinary buds

Squeeze of lemon juice or garnish with slice of lemon

Directions

Combine water, sugar and lavender in saucepan and cook over medium heat.

Stir until sugar dissolves, reduce the heat and simmer for another 1-2 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the syrup steep for at least another 30 minutes or longer for more intense flavour.

Pour the syrup into a clean jar, using a strainer to remove the lavender buds.

Let it cool. Store in a fridge in an airtight, clean container and use up within 10 days.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice , as it will enhance the flavour of the lavender.

 

Note

If using fresh lavender from your garden you need at least 3 tablespoons of fresh lavender flowers. Your syrup may also have a short shelf life. Lemon juice will lower the PH and make it last a bit longer, but without preservatives this is best enjoyed within a few days.

  

Lavender Scones

I tend to enjoy a plain scone and add lavender honey and butter to it.

 However, this Old Fashioned Lavender Scones  which I have modified \slightly  (food.com)  is simple, tasty, quick to make.

Ingredients:

• 225 g plain flour 
• 1 tablespoon  baking powder
• ¹⁄₂teaspoon salt
• 60 g butter
• 1 tablespoon natural cane sugar
• 150 ml  milk
• 1 teaspoon of Lavender and Black dried culinary lavender buds
• 1 egg, beaten 

Directions

1.     Pre-heat the oven to 220C/450F, then lightly flour a baking tray.

2.     Sift the flour with the baking powder & salt. Rub the butter with the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.

3.     Make a deep well in the flour, pour in the liquid and mix to a soft doughy texture with your hands. Sprinkle on the lavender flowers and knead into the dough very lightly until it is just smooth. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board & cut out scone rounds.

4.     Brush the scones with the beaten egg, and sprinkle a few lavender flowers on top if you wish.

5.     Bake in oven for 7 - 10 minutes or until well risen and brown. Leave to cool. Serve with butter, lavender honey or lavender-infused cream if you want to boost the lavender flavour!

Enjoy with a cup of our lavender earl grey tea!

 

 

Grilled Salmon with Lavender

Ingredients

•  3 lbs  salmon fillets
• 4 tablespoons Lavender & Black lavender infused honey
• 6 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• ¹⁄₂teaspoon dried culinary lavender buds, crushed 
• ¹⁄₄cup  white wine ( or lavender citrus vinegar)
• Optional:
•  1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or 1 tablespoon  tamarind paste
•  1 teaspoon lemon juice or  

Directions

1. Place all ingredients except salmon, in saucepan over moderate heat, stirring with a wire whisk at all times until ingredients are reduced by one-third, to create a sauce
2.  When sauce has cooled slightly, brush on salmon filet.
3. Grill salmon, basting with sauce occasionally, setting some aside to top when served. Salmon is cooked when fish flakes. 
4. To bake salmon, preheat oven to 350. Cover salmon with sauce, setting some aside to pour on salmon before serving. 
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until salmon is flaky, basting occasionally. Enjoy with rice, potatoes or a bed of greens

Note

The time-challenged persons version- simple place salmon on a foil, add olive oil, salt and pepper and culinary lavender and lemon slices on salmon. Seal, and grill on bbq for 20 min. Deliciously fragrant.