All is well in my world. I have righted a dreadful wrong. A wrong that I didn't even know existed. I had never cooked with lavender before. Oh sure, I cut it and bring it inside and admire it's prettiness and lovely fragrance. I've always been curious about it because everything that's made from it always seems so pretty and delicate, just like itself.
Since it's summer and since my baking skills border on disastrous, I went with a frozen concoction. And for once, I left the bosom of David Lebovitz, and ventured out into the pile of frozen dessert recipes that I've printed and clipped and stole and borrowed. And low and behold, I found a recipe for lavender sorbet.
This was wonderful. It was delicate and sweet and fancy. I felt like I should be sitting on a special porch. You know the kind you see in Better Homes and Gardens. The kind doesn't have mummified cat hairballs in it's corners. Did you know that if you leave a hairball outside long enough, it becomes this empty sort of shell of it's former self? Really all the gunky stuff evaporates away, and your left with this exoskeleton of a hairball. Sorry...I was talking about delicate and fancy and I got sidetracked.
Anyway, make this and sit on your fancy porch.
Lavender Sorbet
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon lavender flowers (food grade, or not sprayed with anything)
2 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons Vodka (I used Vanilla Vodka - my new favorite thing in the whole world)
In a saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar and the water together until the sugar dissolves. Add the lavender flowers and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes.
Place a fine strainer over a bowl and pour the syrup mixture through it, straining out the flowers. Add the lemon juice and the vodka and stir to combine. Chill thoroughly.
Process in your ice cream maker per it's instructions.
This will be my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Katie at Eat This.
Patricia Scarpin says
That is a lovely way to start, Pam! It sounds and looks fabulous and very delicate.
Susan says
Too refreshing, too delightful, and too bad I can't have some now. Lavender's a great herb to dine with.
Vanilla vodka, eh?
Barbara says
This looks heavenly and cool. I love sorbets anyway- and won't this be a treat for company?
Grace says
not only have i never cooked with lavender, i've also never even tasted it! what an elegant creation, pam, and one i hope to sample myself someday soon.
and say, what's david's bosom like? 🙂
Kim says
Your picture of this is so beautiful. I bet this was delicious. I just found a recipe for honey lavendar ice cream and will be trying it soon. Hmmmm....I don't have a porch, any ideas??
anna says
That sounds so refreshing! I adore edible flowers.
haleysuzanne says
Beautiful recipe. It's a wonderful idea.
And I totally understand about those hairballs. I also get cat hair tumbleweeds occasionally...
wyo says
"mummified cat hairballs"
I want to say this is a beautiful description, yet that sounds wrong somehow ... 🙂
Pam says
Joanne - I was nervous about it to, but the flavor is subtle. Probably similar to recipes that use rose water.
Ungourmet - let me know if you try it and like it!
Shabby - it's more like a hint of lavender.
Kristin - it is!
Jeff - try it again with the vodka. It's really good!
Antoinette - you can file that away with other hairball knowledge.
Pearl - I bet rosemary would be good!
girlichef - you let hairballs age too?
Natashya - let me know if you like it!
Marjie - I'm finally using some of vegetation!
Carolina - make the sorbet and promise him some if he builds the porch.
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says
I've never had much luck cooking or baking with lavender -- the flavor seems to overpower in everything I try. The sorbet looks light and lovely, though, so perhaps it's time to try again.
maybelle's mom says
Interesting about those hairballs... this sounds very fancy.
girlichef says
mmmmm...sounds so refreshing! I want to try this!! And I know what ya mean about the hairballs. :/
Carolina says
Oh yum, I will ask hubs to build me a special porch and then I will make this delicious looking and sounding sorbet. Or perhaps I will make the sorbet anyway. That's a better plan 😉
Marjie says
Cooking with flowers! Divine!
Joanne says
I'm always wary of cooking with herbs used in perfumes because all too often the resulting product just tastes to me like perfume. This is certainly an interesting idea though and one that I would be willing to try if (a)I had an ice cream maker and (b) I had a porch to eat it on. I'm thinking the porch is a requisite.
Pearl says
although i love sorbet, i can't stand lavender. maybe i could substitute with rosemary instead?
Antoinette says
I didn't know that about hairballs! See, I get sidetracked, too.
Jeff says
I did something similar last year but I did not add the vodka. I wondered why mine came out like a rock and now I understand.
Nicely done and a great summer treat!
Kristin says
I have never cooked with lavender either- this sounds delicious!!
shabby girl says
The exoskeleton hairball cracked me up! Surely there's something you can make out of those!
Does the sorbet taste like lavender smells?
the ungourmet says
This does sound fancy! I used to use Herbes de Provence sometimes in my cooking but I have never tried to use lavender in a sorbet. It look so delicious. I would love to try it!