Our Culinary Lavender Buds

At first, the concept of using culinary lavender in your cooking may seem strange and daunting. If you never have cooked or made a recipe with edible flowers before, you may think the concept bizarre, or simply have no clue where and how to use it. Fear not. Adding lavender to your cooking is both healthy and simple.

Lavender  gives off a calming energy that has been used to relieve stress for thousands of years. This makes it the perfect ingredient for any food or drink you want to help relax you. But that isn’t the limit of where it can be used. It’s great taste makes a fantastic addition to any dish, and we encourage you to experiment.

The addition of lavender will help any culinary creation succeed.

We here at Beachwood have done some experimenting of our own using our Beachwood Culinary Lavender Buds and have come up with a few recipes that you are sure to love.

These recipes are sure to satisfy your stomach, as well as your soul.

 

BEACHWOOD BRUNCH

Lavender Yogurt

  • 1 cup organic vanilla yogurt
  • ½ tsp crushed Beachwood Culinary Lavender buds

Crush lavender between fingers or with mortar and pestle; add to yogurt dish and mix thoroughly. Pour yogurt over fresh berries.

Lavender Omelet

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/8 cup cheese
  • 1 tsp Beachwood Culinary Lavender buds

Whisk eggs, milk and salt together in bowl. Melt butter in skillet; pour in egg mixture and let sit until the outside edges start to cook. Add lavender and cheese to skillet and fold eggs over. Flip omelet and let sit for another few minutes, then serve hot and enjoy!

MAIN DISHES

Grilled Salmon with Lavender

  • 2 lbs salmon
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp crushed Beachwood Culinary Lavender buds
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Place all ingredients in saucepan except salmon; heat over moderate heat, stirring at all times until reduced to 1/3. When slightly cooled, brush mixture onto salmon, saving a small amount to top with when served. Grill the salmon, basting occasionally; salmon is cooked when fish flakes.

If you’d prefer to bake, preheat oven to 350º. Cover with sauce and bake 10 minutes or until salmon is flaky.

Brenda’s Favorite Lavender Stuffing

  • 1 egg
  • 1 stick of butter
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1/8 cup sage
  • 1/8 cup thyme
  • 1/8 cup Beachwood Culinary Lavender buds
  • 1/8 cup rosemary
  • 4 cups bread crumbs
  • 12 sliced mushrooms
  • ½ an onion, diced
  • ¼ cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350º. Sauté mushrooms, onions and herbs in melted butter. Add to bowl containing mixture of egg, milk, bread crumbs and white wine – mix thoroughly. Put into Pyrex baking dish and bake in oven for 30 min; if stuffing a bird, bake for recommended amount of time based on size.

French Lavender Chicken 

[For turkeys, double the proportions of this recipe]

  • 1 chicken, duck, or turkey
  • 1 tbsp course-ground salt
  • ½ tsp course-ground pepper
  • 3 sprigs of rosemary, with stems removed
  • 1 tbsp Beachwood Culinary Lavender buds

Preheat oven to 350º. Combine spices in a small bowl and rub mixture onto the chicken skin. Cook for recommended amount of time based on size of bird. 

DESSERTS

Lynne’s Lavender Peach Cobbler

  • 4 cups of fresh peaches
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • 1 stick of butter
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tsp Beachwood Culinary Lavender buds

Preheat oven to 375º. Melt butter in a Pyrex dish. Combine flour, sugar and milk in a bowl and mix well. Combine peaches and lavender in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once butter is melted, pour batter into the Pyrex dish and add peach mixture on top. DO NOT STIR. Bake for 30 minutes.

Susan’s Lavender Lemon Bars

[Crust]

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup sifted powdered sugar
  • ½ cup butter melted

[Custard]

  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 cup sugar
  • Grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/8 cup Beachwood Culinary Lavender buds
  • Powdered sugar
Crust

Preheat oven to 350º. Combine 1 cup flour and ¼ cup powdered sugar; add butter and mix well. Spoon into 9 inch square baking pan and press into pan evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Custard

Oven is already pre-heated to 350º. Combine flour and baking powder and set aside. Combine eggs, sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice and crushed lavender buds; beat well. Stir remaining dry ingredients into egg mixture and pour over baked crust. Bake for 25 min or until lightly browned and set. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar. Let cool and cut into small pieces. Enjoy!

Lavender Vanilla Galcée

[Makes about 6 cups]

  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 whole vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped
  • 1 ½ tsps pure vanilla extract
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1/8 cup Beachwood Culinary Lavender buds
  1. In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, whisk together the milk, cream, half of the sugar, salt and the scraped vanilla bean. Bring the mixture just to a boil.
  2. While the milk/cream mixture is heating, combine the yolks and remaining sugar in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer on low speed or whisk, beat until mixture is pale and thick.
  3. Once the milk/cream mixture has come to a slight boil, whisk about 1/3 of the hot mixture into the yolk/sugar mixture. Add another 1/3 of the mixture, and then return the combined mixture to the saucepan.  Add Lavender.  
  4. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it thickens slightly and coast the back of the spoon. This mixture must NOT boil or the yolks will overcook – the process should only take a few minutes.
  5. Bring mixture to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
  6. If using an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 20 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

COCKTAILS

 

The Inspirited Spritzer

  • Ice
  • 1 part lemonade
  • 1 part soda water
  • ¼ tsp Beachwood Lavender buds

Crush lavender between fingers or with mortar and pestle; put in glass before pouring in mixture. Add ice.

For a refreshing cocktail, add one shot of gin.

Beachwood Bellini

  • Fresh-squeezed lemonade
  • Crushed Beachwood Culinary Lavender buds
  • Prosecco

Pre-prep: Pour fresh-squeezed lemonade into ice-cube trays and sprinkle with crushed lavender buds; let freeze.

Place a few of your lavender-lemonade cubes into a glass and add prosecco. Voila!