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Culinary Discovery's For the Love of Lavender continued

by Gabriella True

Lavender Sugar

Makes: 2 cups

1/2 cup culinary lavender
2 cups sugar

Combine lavender and sugar in an airtight container. Shake everyday for a week. You can keep the lavender in the sugar indefinitely after that. Once ready to use, sift the sugar and discard the lavender buds. This is perfect on toast, cereal, and sugar cookies. You can also use it to flavor other cakes and cookies like shortbread and angel food cake. Or, you can use it in crème brulèe.

Have fun experimenting.

Lavender Lemonade

Makes: 8 cups

8 cups water
1 ¼ cups sugar
1/3 cup culinary lavender
1 ½ teaspoons. grated lemon zest
1 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice lime slices, for garnish

In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups water, sugar, lavender and lemon zest. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove pan from heat and let syrup stand for 15 minutes. Strain and discard lavender. In large pitcher, stir syrup, the lemon juice and the remaining 5 cups of water. Serve over ice, with lime slices for garnish.

Foccacia with Lavender Garlic

Makes: 8 Servings

Dough:

1(1/4 oz.) envelope active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 2/3 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
5 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup olive oil

Topping:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon culinary lavender
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon fleur de Sel
¼ teaspoon black pepper

In a small bowl, combine sugar or honey in about half of the tepid water (110-115 degrees Fahrenheit). Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and let the stand until foamy, 5 to 8 minutes.

Combine the flour and the yeast mixture by hand or with a mixer fitted with a dough hook. To do it by hand: On a large clean area or a very large bowl. Pour the flour and salt into a mound. Make a well in the center. Pour the oil into the yeast mixture. Pour the half of the mixture into the flour well. With your hand make circular movements to mix the flour in with the yeast. Once half the flour has been incorporated then pour in the remaining water. Continue until all the flour has been incorporated into the mixture.

Lightly flour work surface. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it is smooth. If the dough is really sticking to your hands then put a little flour on your hands. Form the dough into a round shape and place dough in a bowl. Score the top with a knife a few times. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a draft free room for an hour or until it rises to double in size. Knead the dough for 3 minutes and then let it rest for another hour to relax the dough. At this point you can refrigerate the dough overnight. But be sure to allow the dough to return to room temperature before putting it in the oven.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a large baking sheet. Lightly flour work surface and roll out dough into a large rectangle. Transfer dough to the baking sheet, cover with towel and let proof for 30-45 minutes or until it doubles in height. Meanwhile, make the lavender garlic topping. Mince the garlic. Finely chop the lavender. Mix garlic and lavender with olive oil.

Make dimples in the dough with your fingers by pushing into the dough several times. Brush the lavender garlic all over and into the dimples. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. You can drizzle more olive oil on top if you want. Transfer to wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Steaks with Lavender Thyme Butter

Makes: Two steaks

1/4 cup dry vermouth
4 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons chopped thyme, well packed
2 teaspoons culinary lavender
2 garlic cloves, sliced
Salt
Pepper
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Olive oil
2 1-inch New York steaks

Combine 2 tablespoons shallots, 1-tablespoon thyme, lavender, and garlic. Chop ingredients until they are very fine and paste has been formed. Press salt and pepper into both sides of the steaks. Then spread the paste on both sides of the steaks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let marinate for two to 24 hours.

Boil vermouth, 2 tablespoons shallot and 1 tablespoon thyme in small saucepan until liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Cool completely. Mix butter into shallot mixture. Season the butter with a pinch of salt and pepper. Form butter mixture into log; wrap in plastic and chill until firm. Can be made 3 days ahead. Cut butter into slices. Bring to room temperature before cooking the meat.

Brush large nonstick grill pan with oil; heat over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Cook to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Overlap butter slices atop steaks and serve.

Lavender Coconut Flan

Serves: 6

1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons culinary lavender
3 large eggs
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut

In a small heavy saucepan bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil syrup, without stirring, until golden caramel. Pour caramel into a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish or 6 ramekins, tilting dish to coat bottom and some of side with caramel.

In a small saucepan, bring milk and lavender to a boil. Remove from heat and cover. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain the milk and discard the lavender. (You may infuse the milk for longer but you may find it releases too much of the lavender and the milk will begin to taste medicinal.) In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Whisk in lavender milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Then mix in coconut. Pour the custard into the soufflé dish or ramekins. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan to reach two-thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Bake the custards for about 50 minutes, or until set. Let cool in the water bath. Using paper towels, blot any coconut oil that has risen to the surface.

Run a thin knife around the soufflé dish. Invert each soufflé dish onto a dessert serving plate or each ramekin onto individual dessert plates. Let the caramel drizzle onto the plate.

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Gabriella True has had a passion for cooking since the day her Mom let her pound down the freshly risen dough created from her Grandmother's bread recipe. In fifth grade she chose Julia Child as her hero to write about in English class. Growing up in the heart of New York City she was able to avidly explore the foods of the world. Since then she has catered small parties and spent hours writing and testing recipes to share with her loyal audience. She began writing about food, its culture and history through her association with Splendid Palate. You can contact the author directly via email at Gabriella@splendidpalate.com