Lavender

I was very excited when I got home from work today. I was welcomed home of course by Basil puppy, but also to the most amazing aroma of Lavender. In the beginning of the week I purchased a big bag of lavender buds online and my package clearly arrived today! Lavender has one of the most amazing smells; it is used in aromatherapy and for other medicinal purposes such as relief for upset stomach and is known to be a natural stress reliever and relaxant. Believe it or not the taste of lavender flowers is also quite amazing, they have a sweet and floral flavor with hints of lemon or citrus and maybe even mint.

The lavender that I purchased is culinary lavender, which means that it is safe to cook with and eat. You do not want to eat lavender from a florist or from your own garden; these can be treated with chemicals that are not meant to be consumed. Edible or Culinary Lavender is available on the Internet or at the supermarket (I got mine on www.amazon.com).

 

Lavender can be used in many different ways. Its delicious in cookies or desserts such as custards or ice creams (Blueberry Lavender Sorbet), but it can also be used in savory dishes such as in a rub on steak or pork, it is actually a component of the popular spice mix “herbs de provence”. Today I got a little bit creative and made my own lavender infused honey. Lavender honey is something that you can actually purchase at a farm or at a specialty store. This specific honey is infused naturally with the lavender flavor due to the fact that the bees harvest the nectar from lavender plants and flowers. Lavender honey is expensive and luscious but my Lavender Infused Honey is pretty amazing to boot!

Lavender Infused Honey
1-cup honey
4 tbsp dried lavender
Tiny pinch of salt

Heat honey in a double boiler until it is warm, add lavender and allow to steap over low heat for about 30 minutes. remove from heat and allow to sit for up to 30 minutes longer (if you do longer the lavender can start becoming bitter). Using cheesecloth or a strainer with small wholes, strain out the lavender and put honey into jars.