Lavender in cuisine

Nutritional value
The use of lavender as an herb is a relatively recent phenomenon and so its nutritional value has not yet been assessed.

Buying
Look for whole spikelets with half-open flowers.  Lavender is usually sold in plant form along with other herbs. Check with the producer to be sure you’re getting a culinary variety and not the “officinale” variety.

Storing
Place the stems in a glass of water and refrigerate.

Preparing
Too often we forget that lavender is edible. However, when it comes to cooking, lavender needs to be used with great care. A single flower may be enough to flavor an entire dish. It is best to add it in small amounts, tasting as you go, since too much will impart a bitter taste more suited to soap-making than cooking!

Cooking
Use lavender flowers in a milk infusion, sugar syrup, liqueur or vinegar.

When the flowers are dry, throw them onto the barbecue coals to flavor grilled foods.

You can…
- Make them into jelly with apple juice     
- Add 1 tsp. powdered lavender flowers to a cheesecake. When you make the crust, replace one-third of the flour with ground almonds. 

Enjoying
In Grasse, the French perfume capital, branches of lavender, rosemary and wild thyme are placed in a cloth and rubbed to a powder which is sprinkled on lamb shoulder before it is roasted or cooked on a spit.

Lavender ice cream
Add 1 tsp. lavender flowers to 250 ml cream, 250 ml milk, 200 g sugar and 8 egg yolks.

Crystallized lavender for cake decorations
Beat an egg white with 125 ml sugar; brush onto the flowers and dry on a rack for 24 hours.

Lavender sugar
Pour 1 kg sugar and 1 tbsp. lavender flowers into a jar. Close and shake to mix well. Try it on fruit salads or ice cream, or to flavor cakes, cookies, candies and summer drinks.