Cooking with Lavender

Here in the great Northwest, we are fortunate to have an abundance of natural produce, world famous tree fruit, a variety of seafood and a climate that is perfect for growing fresh herbs including lavender.

Lavender is not only a soothing fragrance used in soaps, oils, potpourris and candles, it is a wonderful aromatic that can be used to flavor many different foods. Lavender can lend its distinct aroma to salads adding a surprising layer of flavor and to meats and poultry, it will add a subtle, seductive complexity.

Many pre-packaged lavender products are available from specialty stores such as lavender honey, lavender pepper, lavender vinegar, and lavender syrup to name a few.

We decided to try our hand at creating new flavors by adding lavender to broiled chicken, grilled pork medallions and to a fresh salad combined with fresh pears and feta.

With both the chicken and pork, we combined garlic or garlic salt with lavender pepper. The garlic complimented the lavender beautifully. We also found that lavender is a robust aromatic and therefore a little goes a long way. We prefer to use it sparingly, sprinkling it lightly on only one side of the chicken breast or pork medallion.

Broiled Chicken with Lavender Pepper

For our salad, we used a lavender vinegar for the dressing, mixing it with salt, pepper and a good olive oil. We whisked the dressing ingredients just before serving and tossed with fresh gourmet greens, pear slices and crumbled feta cheese. Since lavender is such a dominant flavor, we prefer to minimize other flavors; to keep it simple.

Lavender can also be grown at home very easily. It is a hearty plant that requires a minimum of care. The plants grow in a clump shape with tall stems that tower above the plant with tips that carry the lavender buds.

Next time you want to spice up a tired salad or other recipe, try adding a little lavender for a delicious and aromatic change.

– Glutenfreeda