Content
- Edible lavender - a fine herb from the Provencal cuisine
- Use real lavender
- Lavender in hearty meat dishes
- Lavender in sweet desserts
- Make lavender sugar yourself
- Tips & Tricks
Edible lavender - a fine herb from the Provencal cuisine
Especially in typical Provençal stew, the flowers and the fresh as well as the dried young leaves are often used as a spice. Contrary to popular opinion in this country lavender is not toxic - after all, the herb can also be used as a remedy, in perfumes or in the home.
Use real lavender
For use in the kitchen is especially the true lavender, which is easily recognizable by its narrow leaves. It has a rosemary-like, sweet taste, but should be used sparingly due to its intense aroma. The broad-leaved Speiklavendel, on the other hand, is less suitable for eating, giving it a rather soap-like note. In contrast, other varieties - such as the Schopflavendel - contain significantly more essential oils and are therefore too strong.
Lavender in hearty meat dishes
Traditionally, lavender belongs in the famous herbal mixture "herbs of Provence", but can also be fresh as bouquet garni. H. as part of a herbal bouquet - stews and stews are added. Famous is the typical French Ratatouille, a braised vegetable dish with eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes, which is seasoned with the herbal mixture.
Lavender is especially good with lamb or game as well as with fish dishes. Even dishes with sheep or goat cheese - grilled, for example - benefit from the fine, sweet aroma of the spice lavender.
Lavender in sweet desserts
Furthermore, edible lavender fits wonderfully into many sweet dishes. You can, for example, perfume the sweets with lavender sugar or lavender honey. In desserts, especially the (dried) flowers are given, while the young leaves are mainly used in savory foods. But be careful: Do not take very young leaves, as older ones quickly take on a soapy taste.
Make lavender sugar yourself
For a lavender sugar you need:
Layer by layer, add lavender flowers and sugar alternately to the can. Seal these and allow to mix for a few weeks. The sugar will take on the lavender aroma, so you can finally sift the flowers out again. The lavender sugar thus produced can be u. a. for making creme brulee, lavender ice or lavender cream. For the lavender ice cream, boil 250 milliliters of milk with just as much cream and 200 grams of lavender sugar and mix until the sugar has dissolved. In another bowl stir eight egg yolks and lift them under the cooled milk. The mixture freezes in the ice cream machine to a creamy ice cream.
Tips & Tricks
Lavender blends well with other Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, sage and oregano. But orange flavor (such as orange peel) or lemon fits very well.
IJA