Have you ever tried to cook or bake with lavender?

I posted the question on my blog’s facebook page and got some amazing suggestions and links from my wonderful followers. Apparently lavender is a wonderfully versatile herb. Not only  does it make for a beautiful garnish but you can use it in drinks, (strawberry lavender lemonade is next on my list of things to try), desserts (think lavender flavored cookies, cakes, cheesecakes), flavor ice creams and sorbet and marinate chicken or meat.

The thing you have to remember about cooking with lavender is a little goes a long way. Lavender has a very strong taste and unless you want to turn your meal into a bottle of perfume don’t add too much of it. The rule here is to use 1/3 lavender dried flowers in the place of fresh and always start with a little amount and see how you like it then you can add more if you want

I decided to start my lavender experiments with today’s salad that I served with a wonderful herbed lavender chicken that I will be sharing soon.

Grilled peach feta salad with lavender dressing

3 cups romaine lettuce torn

1 red onion cut into rings

2-3 tablespoons of feta crumbled (I used my homemade feta that I made following John’s recipe)

2 peaches cut into segments

For the lavender dressing

Juice of half a lemon (4 tablespoons)

5 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon mustard

1 teaspoon fresh lavender flowers

1 clove garlic minced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

To make the dressing

In a bowl add the lemon juice, salt, mustard ,lavender, garlic and balsamic vinegar and whisk

Slowly drizzle the olive oil while you continue whisking until you have added the entire amount

I usually add the onion rings to the dressing while I prepare the salad, this takes the sharp edge off the onions

On the grill or in a pan on the stove top, lightly grill the peach segment

In your serving plate, arrange the torn lettuce, topped with the grilled peach segments

Take the onions out of the dressing and arrange on top of the lettuce

Crumble the feta cheese on top

Decorate with a few lavender twigs

Drizzle the dressing on the salad right before serving

Notes:

You can add toasted almonds for an element of crunch