"L" is for Lavender

Current’s food editor Jimi Hilton continues his alphabetic peregrination and exploration of underappreciated ingredients.

OK readers, you may well be asking what we’re thinking here…but heck, we could (and maybe should) be writing about LIVER – another much underappreciated ingredient that we’ll remember to take up when we go around the alphabet a second time.

But we guarantee that you’ll find lavender leaves, and lavender flowers, to be some of the most surprising and delightful herbs you’ll ever use – as long as you use them judiciously. The main thing to remember about lavender is that a little goes a long way.

Lavender is in the mint family – as is rosemary – and when used as an ingredient it adds the same kind of fresh, sharp and snappy herbal flavor as all the mint-family members do, but with a special kick: the delightful flavor and aroma of lavender flowers. In the garden, lavender keeps its grayish leaves all year long, so if you have a plant or two, or more, as we do, you will always have at least one fresh herb on hand…and in mid-summer, you’ll have at least two crops of fresh lavender flowers (as long as you completely harvest the first crop), which are even more potent when dried.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to use lavender:

Herbes de Provence Rubs, for meat, poultry and fish: Traditionally, “Herbes de Provence” is simply a blend of whatever fresh herbs a French chef was able to gather straight from the hillsides of Provence: thyme, rosemary, mint, marjoram and/or oregano, for example, with a bit of lavender thrown in as an added kicker. Most commercial blends tend to include other traditional Mediterranean herbs such as bay leaf, tarragon, and often fennel.

For lamb which is my favorite way to capitalize on the lavender ‘kicker’ – go heavy on the mint, rosemary and parsley – and black pepper, coarse sea salt and lots of garlic, of course – and use 1 teaspoon of chopped lavender leaves for every 3 tablespoons of the other herbs you use.

For pork my inclination is to go heavier on the fennel in your rub – and maybe add some sage too (another member of the mint family) – since these herbs have a natural affinity for pork – with no more than a teaspoon of fresh lavender leaves to add that mysterious “something”.

For poultry my usual inclination is to be a lot more subtle – and maybe to insert your herbs under the skin, instead of rubbing all over – going heavy on fresh thyme, and/or tarragon (my favorite with roasted or grilled chicken), with lavender being no more than one-third of the total herbs used.

For fish, try adding 1/2 tsp chopped lavender leaves to 2 tbs. each of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt – as a coating for seared Ahi tuna, or other super-fresh fish.

For stews, sauces and other Mediterranean style dishes I say, go for broke, by adding some bay leaf, fennel and oregano to your Herbes de Provence mix; again using no more than a teaspoon or so of finely chopped lavender leaves for that je ne sais quoi ‘something special’. Awesome with fish soups, baked fish or any Mediterranean style (think coastal-French, Greek, Italian or North African) meat or fish dish.

As a kicker in salads As we said, if you have even one lavender plant in your garden, you’ll always have at least one fresh herb on hand to ‘liven up’ your food. Sprinkle a few finely chopped leaves before tossing your salad, and if your plant is in flower, use a few flowers – lightly crushed between your fingers to release the essential oils and aromas, as a very flavorful, pretty (and edible) garnish.

As an intriguing add-in to breads, cookies and other baked goods Among my favorite ways to use lavender here; mix with rosemary leaves and scatter on foccacia before baking, add a teaspoon of finely chopped leaves and/or lavender flowers to shortbread cookie dough before baking (amazing!); crumble a teaspoon or so of lavender flowers (fresh or dried) into your crème brulée before baking.

Here are a few added “recipes” for using lavender…
all of them incredibly simple:

Crostini, Mediterranean-style:

Add ½ - 1 tsp fresh, finely chopped lavender leaves to olive tapenade (make it yourself by chopping a mixture of green and black olives with some fresh parsley, garlic, and olive oil to blend, or use a pre-made mix from a jar)…br> Or… use home-made or store-bought caponata or ratatouille.

Spread on freshly toasted rounds of French/Italian style bread, or on packaged crostini.

Lavender Sorbet:

Put 1 cup sugar, 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon lavender flowers and 2 ½ tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in a saucepan, bring it to a boil and let stand until it’s cool.

Strain the mixture into a glass bowl – or ice-cube tray and freeze, stirring the mixture once or twice, to break up any ice crystals, before you plan to serve it. Garnish with a fresh lavender flower, if you have any.

Lavender Cookies:

For a fancy tea party, bridal shower, or to make with your daughters, or little grand-daughters…or to go with your lavender sorbet.

Add 1 tsp of finely chopped lavender leaves and/or flowers to sugar cookie dough before baking

Ice the cookies with lavender icing. (Put 2 tablespoons of crushed lavender flowers in a plastic bag with 1 cup powdered sugar and let stand overnight. Next day, sift out the flowers, blend sugar with 3-4 tbs. milk (and maybe a tiny bit of red and blue food coloring for a ‘lavender-blue’ icing. To be really fancy, garnish each cookie with a fresh lavender flower sprig).


An important footnote: If you are using dried lavender flowers in any recipe, be sure they are “culinary grade” – and not designed primarily for sachets.