Recipes to make you fall in love with lavender
“You cut it right when a few flowers are starting to open,” said Wendy Jochems, holding a bunch of lavender and wearing a matching lavender-colored outfit. She’d driven from Hope Hill Lavender Farm in Pottsville to each Kimberton Whole Foods’ location, dropping off products and talking about the purple plant - perfect in everything from granola to pesto.
“Most people don’t really consider cooking with it,” she admitted. “When I offer samples - ‘Would you like to try a lavender cookie?’ - I usually get a scrunched-up nose.”
This weekend, the Philadelphia Flower Show kicks off its tribute to “Flower Power.” So, be adventurous and experience the power of flowers starting with lavender, a member of the mint family.
“It’s unique. It’s different, and it tastes really good,” said Jochems, who grows more than 5,000 plants. “I always explain that we use the French lavender for the essential oils and soaps, and we use the English lavender for cooking. So, I’m not making you eat soap.”
Visit the farm in summer to see lavender bloom or read more about it in the new “Kimberton Whole Foods Cookbook: A Family History with Recipes.” A store favorite: lavender scones.
“It was a surprising culinary ingredient for me to discover,” said author and Kimberton co-owner Patricia Brett. “It’s very subtle. It’s almost a minty-lemony taste. It’s very distinctive.”
“I love it,” agreed chef Blake Swihart, a culinary instructor from Chester Springs. “I think the floweriness of lavender just causes your taste buds to salivate more. It’s a flavor enhancer.”
And it’s in demand. Marjorie Lamb of Spring Thyme Herb Farm in Kennett Township sells to chefs creating lavender cakes, cocktails, shrimp skewers, lamb dishes and more.
“I have one local chef who was doing lavender sorbet, which I thought sounded wonderful,” she said, adding that “I think it’s good to experiment with it a little bit before you go and put a lot in a recipe.”
Keep in mind “dried lavender buds have double the power of fresh herbs,” Jochems advised. “The oil actually gets concentrated in it.”
So, use a light hand.
“It’s fun to cook with,” she said. “When you try it, you’ll just love the pretty of it and the taste of it.”
Grow your own lavender
Inspired to grow lavender? Start with “lots of sunlight,” said Guina Marie Hammond, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s education and civic engagement manager.
“Lavender generally doesn’t like wet feet, so it needs a soil that’s well drained,” she explained. “If you’re growing in clay conditions, you want to add some sand to that soil.” And for culinary lavender, “make certain there are no chemicals used in growing that plant.”
“They don’t have any natural pests,” said Wendy Jochems of Hope Hill Lavender Farm. Plus, lavender’s drought-tolerant. While new plants need water once a week, “we’ve never had to water our established plants.”
Pruning keeps them “healthy and looking good,” she added. “Lavender will get really leggy if you don’t prune it and take care of it.”
Lavender Scones
Makes 12 scones Ingredients 6 prunes
1/2 cup raw sugar, plus 1 tablespoon reserved for tea mixture
2 Earl Grey tea bags or 1 heaping teaspoon of loose tea
1 tablespoon dried lavender, plus 1 teaspoon reserved for tea mixture
1 cup water
3 cups gluten-free flour (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour or Pamela’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Artisan Blend)
1 cup gluten-free oats (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Rolled Oats)
1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
1/2 to 3/4 cup half-and-half (or light cream) Instructions
Place prunes and 1 tablespoon sugar in a heat-safe bowl and set aside. Place tea bags or loose tea in a heat-safe cup. Add 1 teaspoon lavender. Fill with boiling water and let steep. Strain and add to the bowl of prunes and sugar. Let sit for at least 4 hours. Strain and allow prunes to cool down before handling.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover the bottom of a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a food processor and process for a few seconds or place in a bowl and mix to combine. Add butter and continue processing or mixing the scone mixture until it is crumbly. Take the mixture out of the food processor and place into a large bowl. Add lavender. Using a large mixing spoon, form a well in the center. In a separate small bowl, whisk together egg and half-andhalf. Pour the egg and cream mixture into the well and then toss lightly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just mixed. It is important not to overwork or compact the dough. If dough is too dry to hold together, add more cream, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Scoop out large spoonfuls of dough with an ice cream scoop for even sizing and place them on the parchment paper 1 inch apart. Flour your hands and pat the dough down gently until they are about 3/4-inch thick, again being careful not to compact the dough in the process. Cut each prune in half and place half of a prune on top of each scone. Press lightly to set. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until you see browning around the edges. Cool before serving at room temperature. FEATURED IN “KIMBERTON WHOLE FOODS COOKBOOK: A FAMILY HISTORY WITH RECIPES” (HICKORY GROVE PUBLISHING) BY PATRICIA BRETT AND COURTNEY DIENER STOKES/PHOTOGRAPHY BY SENECA SHAHARA BRAND. SOLD AT KIMBERTON WHOLE FOODS AND ONLINE AT WWW. HICKORY GROVE PUBLISHING. COM
Hope Hill Lavender Farm Granola
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup unsalted almonds, slivered or sliced
1 cup unsweetened coconut 2 teaspoons culinary lavender 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt 1 cup honey
2 teaspoons lavender extract (see below)
Optional: dried cranberries, blueberries
Mix together the oats, almonds, coconut, culinary lavender and sea salt. In a separate bowl, mix honey and lavender extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and spread on a greased or parchment paper-covered cooking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Stir and bake for another 10 minutes at 325 degrees. Decrease the temperature to 200 degrees and bake another 10 minutes. Cool completely before putting into containers. Can add dried cranberries, blueberries, whatever you like.
For the lavender extract: Add 1/2 cup culinary lavender to 1 pint of vodka. Let sit for 2 to 4 weeks, strain off the flowers and use. RECIPE COURTESY OF HOPE HILL LAVENDER FARM, ADAPTED FROM “MANY YEARS OF READING LAVENDER COOKBOOKS”
Lavender Pesto
Ingredients
1 tablespoon mashed roasted garlic
2 tablespoons lavender or orange blossom honey
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 to 4 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
1 cup fresh parsley
1 cup toasted pistachios or pine nuts
1 cup vegetable oil Kosher salt and ground red pepper, to taste
Instructions
In bowl of food processor equipped with a blade, process garlic, if desired, honey, orange zest and 1/2 cup oil until smooth. Add lavender, parsley and pistachios and pulse until finely chopped. With motor running, slowly add olive oil in a steady stream, until mixture is incorporated and smooth. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and pour mixture into clean, sterile glass jars, tamp down and cover with a thin layer of olive oil. Replace lid and refrigerate until ready to use. Store up to 3 weeks. Yield: 2 cups. Portion: 1/4 cup. RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF BLAKE SWIHART
Lavender Pesto with Grilled Melon and Raspberries
Ingredients
12 thick slices cantaloupe, peeled and seeded
3 tablespoons vegetable oil Lavender pesto 2 pints fresh raspberries Lavender flowers to garnish Fresh orange zest to garnish
Instructions
Preheat grill to medium heat. Place melon slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Brush each side of each slice of melon with oil. Grill melon 1 1/2 minutes or just to mark each side of each slice. Remove from grill and return to baking sheet in a single layer. To Serve: Place 2 slices in a fan on a dessert plate and dollop top with 2 to 3 tablespoons lavender pesto. Sprinkle top with lavender flowers and a fresh orange zest to garnish. Yield: 6 portions. Portion: 2 grilled slices melon, 3 tablespoons lavender pesto. RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF BLAKE SWIHART
Blake’s Lavender Black Walnut Shortbread
2 cups salted butter, softened 2 cups fine sugar, divided 2 cups chopped black walnuts, toasted, divided
1/4 cup dried lavender
4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light (about 3 minutes). Stir in 2 cups nuts and lavender and mix. In a medium bowl mix flour and baking powder; mix gently into butter-sugar mixture. Pat dough into an even layer in a baking sheet to about a 1/2-inch thickness. In small bowl, stir together remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup nuts and sprinkle evenly over top of dough. Press sugar-nut topping into dough. Chill 1 hour. Poke dough thoroughly with a fork before baking. Place pan into hot oven on middle rack and bake 8 minutes. Rotate pan and continue baking another 12 to 15 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before cutting into desired bars. If crispier shortbread is desired, continue to bake pan another 5 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from heat and let stand at least 5 minutes before cutting. Important: When cut, do not remove from pan until shortbreads come to room temperature. Makes 3 to 4 dozen small pieces. RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF BLAKE SWIHART