Cooking with Lavender
By Judi Brady, of Rusty Acres Herb Farm - 'The Lavender Place'. Offering a variety of plants, gifts, foods, and spice blends, Rusty Acres is home to the Annual Lavender Festival held the last weekend of June, and Heirloom Tomato Tasting Festival every September. Located near Fallbrook & Temecula, visit them at 4233 Rosa Rancho Lane, Rainbow, CA, 92028-8380. Tel: (760) 731-7349, www.rustyacres.com.

Cooking with Lavender and other herbs can help you get some flavor in your meals and also cut down on the amount of salt you consume.  Lavender lends a lovely note to savory as well as sweet dishes. Lavender has a natural affinity for red meat, game and game birds; for rich flavorful fish and crustaceans; and for red and black fruits such as blackberries, currants and plums. However, take care that the fragrance dose not overwhelm the recipe.
We just finished our first cookbook “Lavender Cuisine” in April and it seems to be selling quite nicely.  It is not only a cook book, but a reference book for Lavender.  Most people don’t know that Lavender is an herb and has been used in cooking for centuries. Lavender was one of the ingredients of the “Four Thieves” vinegar, famous in the middle ages.  Queen Elizabeth 1 of England commanded that the royal table never be without conserve of lavender which she used to sprinkle on roasted meat and fruit dishes. Queen Henrietta Maria was an avid gardener and had borders of white lavender at the Manor at Wimbledon and in 1655 a book revealed the Queen’s many lavender recipes. So why not try something different in your next batch of Chocolate Chip cookies or Brownies. It is the type of herb you will either love or hate and nothing in between.
Lavender has a very complex taste and perfume that has elements of sweetness, herbal tones and spice. In general, fresh and dried lavender can be used interchangeably. When using lavender for cooking you use the flower heads and a variety that really smells nice to you.  The favorite variety seems to be Provence hybrid lavender which grows to be fairly large with huge flower heads that come off the stems easily when dried. The spice blend “Herbes de Provence” is another all purpose spice blend which contains Rosemary, Thyme, Marjoram, Savory, Basil, Sage, Fennel and Lavender Blossoms.  This is my favorite blend to use on just about anything from roasted potatoes to omelets.  You can make this blend and have it fresh or buy it, but be ware that not all the Herbes de Provence has Lavender in it. Dried Lavender has herbal character similar to thyme and marjoram. When infusing lavender taste the infusion regularly and strain out the lavender flowers once the flavor has become strong enough.  Over steeping or boiling lavender will bring out a bitter, vegetal quality that should be avoided. Fresh Lavender is stronger that dried so it requires less time to infuse. Lavender can be used to enhance the flavor of fruit as in jelly and jams or fruit desserts.
Tips for Cooking with Lavender:
* Do not let meats marinate with lavender for longer than 48 hours. The interaction of the lavender with the fat will yield a soapy, disagreeable flavor.
* English & sweet lavender can be used in flavoring desserts such as ice cream, sorbets, and baked dishes.
* French lavender is too strong for most breads and desserts but can be used for grilling red meats or hearty herb breads.
* Spanish lavender should not be used in sweet dishes and use only the foliage in cooked or grilled dishes.
* Spike lavender should not be used in desserts or breads but the foliage can be used in grilling of meats.