Please stay out Mr Sunshine... Reading the Telegraph Magazine this morning, I stumbled upon these Recipes for Ice-Cream, Shortbread and more using Lavender. Apparently it's a very good flower to use as it not only goes well with sweet foods but also savoury ones too- with Beef for example. I'm going to give it a go...
Lavender Shortbread
Ingredients150g lightly salted butter, softened
75g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
15 drops 'hot’ lavender essence
150g plain flour
75g ground rice
the finely grated zest of 1 lemon
a pinch of dried or fresh lavender flowers, plus extra for decorating
Heat the oven to 150C/gas mark 2 and line a 27x18cm baking tray with baking paper, taking it up the sides.
Cream the butter, sugar and lavender essence in a large bowl using an electric whisk, then add the flour, ground rice, lemon zest and lavender flowers and whisk until the mixture is crumbly.
Press this into the lined tin, without totally compressing it to leave it quite crumble, and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until pale gold.
Remove and dust with caster sugar. Leave to cool and then cut into fingers.
You can also scatter over a few more lavender flowers if you wish.
Lavender Ice Cream
Ingredients
300ml whole milk
4 medium organic egg yolks
100g caster sugar
300ml double cream
15 drops 'cold’ lavender essence
Bring the milk to the boil in a small pan.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a medium-size bowl until pale, then whisk in the hot milk and return the mixture to the pan. Gently heat, stirring until you have a thin custard that coats the back of a spoon, taking care that it doesn’t boil.
Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface with clingfilm and chill.
Once it is cold, stir the cream and the lavender essence into the custard and freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream maker.
Scoop into a container, seal and freeze.
If freezing for longer than a few hours, it may require 15 minutes at room temperature to soften before serving.
300ml whole milk
4 medium organic egg yolks
100g caster sugar
300ml double cream
15 drops 'cold’ lavender essence
Bring the milk to the boil in a small pan.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a medium-size bowl until pale, then whisk in the hot milk and return the mixture to the pan. Gently heat, stirring until you have a thin custard that coats the back of a spoon, taking care that it doesn’t boil.
Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface with clingfilm and chill.
Once it is cold, stir the cream and the lavender essence into the custard and freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream maker.
Scoop into a container, seal and freeze.
If freezing for longer than a few hours, it may require 15 minutes at room temperature to soften before serving.
Castle Farm in Kent
Lavender Festival July 2-3, 9-10
www.hopshop.co.uk
