Adrienne Crombie

Simple syrups are just that, really simple to make. And they are a fun way to spice up your diet with some exotic flavors. All you need to make a batch of simple syrup is sugar, water and whatever herb or spice you choose to use.

Lavender makes a wonderful simple syrup. I simmer culinary lavender bud in the syrup for about 10 minutes to extract as much flavor as possible.

Lavender simple syrup in seltzer water is one of my favorite beverages. It’s so refreshing and the flavor is lovely. You can also get creative mixing it in smoothies, juices, kombucha or cocktails.

In hot beverages, lavender syrup is the jam. Try a dash in coffee, hot chocolate, hot milk or tea.

Drizzle lavender simple syrup over yogurt, fruit, ice cream or pound cake to dress up the usual dessert fare and make it special. Try a dash stirred in to whipped heavy cream then dollop on strawberries or blueberries.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water

3 TBSPs culinary lavender buds

3 inches lemon peel

1 1/3 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

Bring water, lavender buds and lemon peel to a boil. Add the sugar, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Allow the simple syrup to cool to room temperature. Strain the syrup into a clean jar and store in the refrigerator.

I like to use a clean 10 ounce glass seltzer bottle fitted with a stainless steel vented pourer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’ve never tried roasted lavender buds, Fall is the time to enjoy their nutty, unique flavor in seasonal root vegetable dishes. It is a delicate flavor that is enhanced nicely by garlic and a bit of nutmeg in this recipe for Pumpkin Soup.

Pumpkin soup is best made with roasted pumpkin. You can use a couple of cans of pumpkin puree instead.

This recipe is vegan but you can use cream in place of coconut milk if you like.

To roast a pumpkin, cut a 3 pound sugar pumpkin (also called a pie pumpkin) in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Place the pumpkin halves face down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the skin is tender when pierced with a fork. Let the pumpkin cool before handling. The skin will separate easily from the flesh of the pumpkin.

Ingredients

• 1) 3lb sugar pumpkin, roasted and cooled or 2) 14oz cans of pumpkin puree
• 3 TBSPs of coconut or olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1 TBSP roasted culinary lavender buds
• 1 tsp salt
• dash of cayenne
• black pepper
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1) 8oz can unsweetened coconut milk

Instructions

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed soup pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent and soft.

Add the roasted pumpkin flesh and break it up a bit with a wooden spoon. Add the nutmeg, roasted lavender buds, salt, pepper and cayenne. Pour in the vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Take off the heat and add the can of unsweetened coconut milk.

Use an immersion blender to cream the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasoning. When you are ready to serve, return the soup to the stove and heat carefully. This recipe makes 4 to 6 bowls of soup.

If you are a purist, you may want to grind the roasted lavender buds in an herb grinder or you can use a mortar and pestle to grind it to a powder. I don’t mind seeing some flecks of roasted lavender for a more rustic look to my soup.

 

 

One of my favorite ways to enjoy culinary lavender is by roasting the buds. Roasting transforms the flavor of lavender buds from a delicate floral to a unique nuttiness that pairs splendidly with root vegetables in the Fall.

To roast culinary lavender buds, heat a cast iron pan on medium high heat. Drop a few tablespoons or up to a cup of buds on the hot pan. Stirring constantly, roast the buds for 1 minute or until they are evenly roasted. Take the pan off the heat.

When the buds are cool, pack them into a clean jar.

The buds may be sprinkled on roasted butternut squash or other Fall root vegetables or used to season cream of Pumpkin Soup.

I love yogurt but boy do I hate those plastic tubs they come in. I don’t like being party to accumulation of single-use plastic. There are brands of yogurt that are produced in glass jars but they are not widely available. If you share my love/hate for yogurt dilemma, you may be really excited to know how easy it is to make yogurt at home. Are you psyched for this?

 

You’ll need some equipment:

• A one quart mason jar and lid
• A kitchen thermometer
• A heating pad measuring 24inches long by 12 inches wide that does NOT automatically turn off. I ordered mine online.
• Milk. You may use whole milk or low fat milk if you have concerns about fat content.
• And yogurt! This could be your final purchase of yogurt in a plastic tub. Select a good brand of plain yogurt with no additives.

 

 

Ready?
Heat one quart of milk in a saucepan over medium/low heat to between 180 – 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a wisk to stir the milk once in a while to distribute the heat and to prevent the milk from scorching the pan. Hook the kitchen thermometer onto the lip of the saucepan so you can easily monitor the heat.

Wonder why milk has to be scalded to make yogurt? I did too, so I looked it up. It has to do with the way the proteins of the milk bond to form a nice, silky texture. If it is not heated first and then cooled down, the resulting yogurt will be thin and watery.

If you want to infuse your yogurt with lavender, add 1 tablespoon of culinary lavender buds as you are heating the milk.

The scalded milk will form a skin on the surface. That’s normal. Just skim it off with the whisk and dispose of in the compost.

 

Allow the milk to cool down again to no more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have added lavender buds, strain the buds out through a small sieve and pour the cooled milk into your quart mason jar.

It’s time to add the yogurt culture. Add a big spoonful of plain yogurt to the milk in the mason jar. Screw the lid and and shake well to integrate the live yogurt culture with the milk.

Next step is to wrap the quart jar in the heating pad. I place a tea towel underneath my jar to insulate it better. Wrap the jar, plug the heating pad in, set the heat on low and don’t touch it again for 12 hours. After 12 hours (it’s ok if it sits wrapped in the heating pad for a few more hours) the result is a quart of velvety smooth yogurt. I love that first spoonful of warm yogurt before I pop it into the refrigerator.

 

 

If you have infused the yogurt with lavender, get ready for the most sublime taste experience; creamy, rich yogurt that is subtly but unmistakably infused with lavender essence. It blends well with fruit or jam. I like it with a dollop of Blackberry Butter from a local farm market, Phillips Farm.

Surprisingly, lavender infused yogurt works equally well topping a savory soup.  It pairs with cream of carrot soup, also cream of beet or borscht, both of which have a natural sweetness to them.  The warmth and earthiness of a cream of wild mushroom soup is nicely accented with a dollop of the yogurt, as well.

I love to cook. I love the textures, the smells, and the process of combining select ingredients and transforming them into something delightful and yummy. I love the tried and true recipes I can always rely on and I like trying out new ones. I really like knowing what I’m putting into my body. It’s amazing when I’ve grown some or even most of the ingredients myself to bring it from a seed in the dirt to food in the mouth.

All that being said, I’m also busy. I’m an artist and I have a lavender farm, 4 goats, a flock of chickens and a good marriage and they all require some attention. I don’t want to spend all my time in the kitchen puttering around. So, I like recipes that are simple and satisfying. My approach to cooking with lavender is the similar. There are some pretty fancy recipes out there, but I like to keep it simple and let the lavender speak for itself.

Lavender is unique, sophisticated but surprisingly compatible with a lot of different foods. I will be sharing some clever ways to enjoy lavender that may become staples in your kitchen. I’m also looking forward to some exploration into new recipes this winter that I will share with you. Lavender is such a nice way to bring a sweet memory of summer into a cold winter day.

More to come!