Cooking with Lavender

I thought I’d post some lavender recipes. These came from the official Oregon Lavender Destinations brochure. At the Old Dutch Mill Herb Farm we learned that some lavender doesn’t work well in cooking due to the amount of camphor in the plant. Be sure to purchase culinary lavender or check with your nursery person.

Glazed Lavender Tea Cake
My girlfriend prepared this recipe for our lavender weekend and it was wonderful.
1 C. granulated sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
2 T. finely chopped culinary lavender
5 T. butter
1 large egg
1 ½ C. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 C. plain fat-free yogurt

Glaze: 1/3 c. sifted powdered sugar plus 1 tsp. water plus ¼ tsp. vanilla extract (since I love rose and lavender together I wonder how rose water would work in place of the water and vanilla).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare cake, beat granulated sugar, butter and ½ tsp. vanilla at medium speed of mixer until well-blended. Add egg and egg white, 1 at a time; beat well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in lavender.

Pour the batter into an 8 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

To prepare glaze: Combine powdered sugar and remaining ingredients. Spread over hot cake. Cool in pan 20 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pan and cool completely.

Lavender Walnut Scones from Blue Heron Herbary

My girlfriend also prepared this recipe, minus the walnuts she knows I’m allergic to. You could substitute almonds (which don’t bother me) or leave them plain. With a little clotted cream or lemon curd these are yummy.

2 C. flour
1 T. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1/3 C. sugar
2 T. fresh culinary lavender or 2 tsp. dried culinary lavender
2 T. margarine
1 C. nonfat buttermilk or soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Vegetable cooking sray
3 T. chopped walnuts

2 T. sugar (my girlfriend used lavender sugar, the recipe for which is below)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; cut in margarine with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add buttermilk or soy milk and vanilla, stirring with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened.
Drop by 2 heaping tablespoons, 2 inches apart onto baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with nuts and remaining sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden. Yield: 1 dozen.

Lavender Granulated Sugar from Christine Mulder, Barn Owl Nursery

For every cup of lavender sugar you wish to make use 1 tablespoon dried, organic English lavender flowers. Place sugar in a food processor or blender with lavender, mix for a few seconds until well blended. Measure out what you need for the recipe, and place the rest in an airtight container to use later.