The lavender is just beginning to bloom in my yard. It always reminds me of my mom, who passed away almost two years ago. Today is her birthday. Last year, just before her birthday, I came across a recipe for a lemon cake with lemon curd and lavender whipped cream. The recipe encompassed so many of her favorite things that I decided to make it in her memory.Lavender was my mom’s very favorite scent, although I don’t think she ever tried cooking with it. Americans don’t seem to be that into eating flowers. I’m interested in how much flowers appear in dishes around the world, though. In Mexico they make a drink from Hibiscus blossoms. On a visit to France we drank rose flavored lemonade – a delicious combination. Nasturtiums were used as a salad vegetable by the Incas and later were a popular salad ingredient throughout Europe. There’s a Moroccan custard made with orange blossoms. I’ve never had it, but if orange blossoms taste as good as they smell I’m sure I’d be crazy for it. One floral taste I wasn’t crazy about was a violet candy that’s popular in England – that one was a little too perfumy.
The lavender cream is exotic-tasting and fragrant but not too overwhelming. It tasted wonderful with the lemon cake, and I’ve heard it’s delicious with berries, too. If you’d like to try it, here’s the recipe:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
3 T honey
3 or 4 lavender buds (or more to equal 1T)
In a medium saucepan, bring ingredients just to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes. Strain and chill thoroughly, then whip into soft peaks.
17 comments:
I am so alergic to lavender. I like the name though for a girl
Sorry for your loss. But, you've obviously got some good memories.
My favorite scent is lilac but lavender is right behind. I use nasturtiums but haven't tried the lavender in cooking - maybe I will now.
Oooooooohhh...I have lavendar growing in my garden too!!! :)
It sounds delicious and is a wonderful way to remember your mom.
big (((((hugs)))) for you today. What a neat way to remember your mom. I've been hearing more and more about recipes w/ lavender in it. I should try it some time.
more (((hugs)))
I adore lavender and while I've eaten it, I've never cooked with it. There are a lot of edible flowers, but you're right--not in American cuisine!
Ooh... that sounds terrific. I'm planning on planting some lavender in my garden this year - now I know one of the things I'll be doing with it!
My MIL's best friend uses lavender in her cooking. The recipe sounds delicious! I hope you have a good day remembering your mom today, Adrienne.
Happy B-day to your mom and thank you for celebrating it with the rest of us with the virtual cake!
BTW I love what Kelly says "have a good day remembering her today".
E
Well, if my lavender grows, I'll definitely try this!
I planted two different batches. But I'm up north- they can't go in the ground for a few more months.
We have edible flowers in the produce section of a few grocery stores around here- I have to admit, I've never used them at home.
I love the idea of making a cake with so many of your mom's favorite things as ingredients. I've never cooked with flowers before. Unless, you count dandelion greens. (grin)
No wonder you thought about the bees in the lavender labyrinth! I bet that would be distracting! But it'd smell good!
Yummy! Thanks for sharing. Lavender is most certainly a favorite of mine.
What a sweet post! My daughter and I just planted lavender last year in the front of the house. It was the first thing we put in. But ours will bloom in August here. She wants to make sachets for her friends from the dried lavender and give them out for Christmas.
{{{hugs}}}...
This recipe sounds interesting...I had not heard of using lavender in recipes before...I love the scent...so I will have to try this and see if I love the taste...grin...
I remember in the movie, "A Good Year," I remember that lavender was used to get rid of scorpions. I love lavender soap from Provence.
I am crazy about lavender myself, but a few years back, my daughter ordered lavender soup in a French restaurant and it was like drinking perfume. We all tried a little of it and had the same opinion.
I've had orange blossom flavored custard, though, and it's wonderful. And nasturtiums are one of the cheapest, prettiest things I know: you can put the flowers AND leaves in salads and sandwiches, and they even taste great.
My mother was a chrysanthemum person. I can't walk past a chrysanthemum without thinking of her.
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