Recipes from the Collection of Mark and Danielle Hughes
|
Cooking with LavenderLavender has a cookbook all its own The French call it or bleu ("blue gold") for its color and wealth of uses. Lavender, with its blue-purple buds and intoxicating fragrance, is a popular ingredient in soaps, lotions, teas, the classic herbes de Provence mixture, and of course, a multitude of sweet and savory dishes. Just ask Sharon Shipley, owner of Mon Chéri Cooking School and Caterers in Sunnyvale. Her new book, "The Lavender Cookbook" (Running Press, $16.95) includes appetizers, breads, desserts, drinks and entrees, all featuring the delicate herb (see recipe). Also included are tips for using dried lavender stems as skewers, and for using a spice grinder on the buds to release more of their essential oil. For cooking, be sure to use dried culinary "Provence'' lavender buds, Shipley says. That variety has a low camphor level, nice floral notes and a subtle lavender flavor. Other types can be too bitter or perfumey. Rancho Alegre Lavender in Pescadero is a great source for culinary lavender. Call (650) 879-1876 or go to www.ranchoalegre-lavender.com . A tin of about 1/3 cup of dried culinary lavender is $5. |