Monday, January 9, 2012

How can you use lavender in cooking?

Thank you

How can you use lavender in cooking?
Yes, just remember if you add too much it will turn your dish bitter and will be like eating perfume. Just remember that a little goes a long way.

Grilled Pork Chops with Lavender Flowers



4 pork loin or rib chops, about 3/4-inch thick

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried culinary lavender

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil



In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, lavender, thyme, rosemary, and olive oil; rub mixture onto the pork chops. Cover the chops with plastic wrap and let sit 1 to 2 hours at room temperature.



Preheat barbecue grill. Place pork chops onto hot grill. Cover barbecue with lid, open any vents, and grill 4 to 5 minutes; turn and grill an additional 3 to 4 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155°F on a meat thermometer. Remove from barbecue and serve.



Makes 4 servings.



Honey-Lavender Biscotti



2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons orange zest

1 tablespoon dried lavender blossoms



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Lightly grease three baking sheets (lining the baking sheet with parchment paper prevents sticking and makes cleanup much easier).



In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together; set aside.



In a large bowl, whisk sugar and eggs to a light lemon color; stir in honey, vanilla extract, orange zest, and lavender blossoms. Sprinkle dry ingredients over the egg mixture; fold in until the dough is just combines.



To shape the dough into a log, lightly sprinkle flour on the work surface, on top of the dough, and on your hands. Use just enough flour to form the logs and to prevent sticking; you don't want the logs to be covered with flour. Divide dough into six equal pieces. With your hands, pat and shape each piece into a loaf approximately 3 inches wide, 7 inches long, and 3/4-inch high. Place two rolls onto each prepared baking sheet with 3 to 4 inches of space between them.



Bake 25 minutes or until dough pops back up when lightly pressed with a finger. (After dough has baked 10 minutes, reverse cookie sheets from front to back and move from the top rack to the bottom one. Repeat this again after another 10 minutes). You can't judge the cooking by the color. The biscotti shouldn't change color during the second baking, so poke them to tell if they're done. They should feel dry and offer some resistance. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes on a wire rack.



Reduce oven to 275 degrees F. Using a long serrated knife, cut logs diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices. Turn the slices over, onto their sides; return slices, on baking sheets, to oven. Bake another 15 minutes. NOTE: Do not crowd the biscotti slices on the baking sheet for their second baking as they need the hot air to circulate to enable them to crisp up evenly. Remember biscotti will continue to crisp up, as they cool, so do not be tempted to over bake. Remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks. Store biscotti in an airtight container. They will keep well for a few weeks.



Yields about 54 biscotti.
Reply:Lavender Pound Cake Recipe





Ingredients

1/2 cup lavander

4 eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon peel

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon melted butter

3-4 teaspoon lemon juice

Serves / Yields

1 cake



Preparation Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees 2.Set out eggs, butter and sour cream at room temperature for 1/2 hour. Do not mix together. 3. Grease Bundt Cake Pan 4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 5.In large bowl mix lavender , granulated sugar,and butter on high, 4 minutes. 6. Blend in one egg at a time on medium for 30 seconds. 7. Add flour mixture and sourcream to butter mixture. Beat on low until combined. 8. Stir in lemon peel. 9. Pour batter into prepared pan. 10. Bake about 30 minutes until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. 11. Cool cake. 12. In small bowl mix powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Add enough lemon juice to make drizzle consistency. 13. Remove cake from pan and drizzle glaze over cooled cake. 14. Serve with whip cream
Reply:Here's a great link to a few different recipes...

http://www.napa-lavender.com/content/rec...



And here's the recipe that I've tried and loved...I did mine with cornish hens...



2 teaspoons dried untreated lavender flowers

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced

1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

4 young chickens; (about 1 pound each) or 4 small Cornish hens (about 1 1/4 pounds each)

1 small lemon, halved

1/4 cup Sauternes or sweet dessert wine



Garnish: lavender and thyme leaves





With a mortar and pestle coarsely crush lavender and in a small bowl stir together with butter, thyme, zest, and salt and pepper to taste until combined well. Spoon mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a 4-inch-long log. Chill compound butter, wrapped well in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 days.



Preheat oven to 475° F.

Rinse birds inside and out and pat dry. Starting at neck end of each bird, slide fingers between meat and skin to loosen skin (be careful not to tear skin). Cut butter into sixteen 1/4-inch-thick slices and gently push 4 slices under skin of each bird, putting 1 slice over each breast half and thigh. Tie legs of each bird together with kitchen string and secure wings to sides with wooden picks or bamboo skewers.



Arrange birds in a flameproof roasting pan large enough to hold them without crowding. Gently rub birds with lemon halves, squeezing juice over them, and season with salt and pepper. Roast birds in middle of oven 30 minutes (for poussins) to 45 minutes (for Cornish hens), or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of a thigh (be careful not to touch bone) registers 170° F.



Transfer birds to a platter and loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Add Sauternes to roasting pan and deglaze over moderate heat, scraping up brown bits. Transfer jus to a small saucepan. Skim fat from jus and simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup.



Garnish birds with herbs and serve with jus.
Reply:for a dish at my cafe, i have a honey/ginger soup with lavender petals with herb crusted fish... mainly the lavender is there for color and aeromatic.
Reply:a friend gave me a bottle of brown sugar with lavender in it. It is so lovely sprinkled on french toast or sprinkled in green tea as well.



It would be nice on plain sugar cookies with plain vanilla icing sprinkle on the lavender sugar.


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