Lavender Week with the Novel Bakers

Wednesday, July 24, 2013 Add Comment Edit

There are hundreds of delicious, savory recipes using culinary lavender which tempted me this week ~
But because they are at their peak nowI gravitated towards recipes using berries . . .
such as this one, which I slightly adapted from one of theTrader Joe's cookbooks.

These are very easy to make; the method is to roll puff pastry out with a rolling pin (the work surface and the top of the raw pastry is sprinkled generously with Turbinado sugar prior to rolling.)

The pastry is cut into squares, (or whatever shape you like) andbaked off in a hot oven. After cooling on a rack the squares are sliced in half horizontally.
You can use a variety of fillings ~ pudding, whipped cream,lemon curd, mascarpone, etc. I used a creamy plain yogurt, blended with a little raspberry jam and lavender honey to sweeten the mix.

Arrange berries, or any fruit that you like on the filling, then top with the remaining puff pastry halfand enjoy!
So good!

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And, as I mentioned, MORE berries . . .

This recipe is inspired from one I found on the internetand served at a lavender farm in the UK.
It is called a fruit cup but I think we, on this side ofthe pond, would consider it a really refreshing drink with a lot offruit in it. :)

No matter the name it is really delicious,not too sweet and doesn't contain much of an alcohol kick. The strawberries from the gardenare slowing in production now, but I found justenough to make the recipe.
I believe other fruit would work equally well (I'm thinking anotherkind of berry, sliced peaches, nectarines, plums,or pitted cherries.)

I would describe it as a twist on Sangria ~ delightful!I serve it with a spoon to get every piece of fruit ~a straw would make it easier to sip the liquid, too.

(Please note: I'm not endorsing any particular brand of ginger ale -- I attempted to block the logo, but it looked like a train wreck.And I love my good neighbors to the north in Canada!)

These are the ingredients:
Fresh orange juice, lemon juice, ginger ale and a splash of dry vermouth.Lots of sliced strawberries. Muddled lavender.For garnish: lemon balm (or lemon verbena) and a stem or two of lavender. Serve well chilled!