Lavender has long been associated with luck and was once thought to be a powerful aphrodisiac. Today it is known for it's relaxing properties. It is a herb, but why not use lavender flowers in your wedding if only for their beautiful colour and relaxing scent? It can be used for anything, from the bridal or bridesmaids bouquets to favours. You could even use it in the desserts, a lavender infused custard is actually quite delicious. I've included a recipe for it below. Alternatively you could use sugared lavender heads as decoration (would suit an all white dessert perfectly).
(Image Credits: First: Southern Weddings; All others: Lisa Vorce by Elisabeth Messina.)
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Both the leaves and flowers of this plant can be used in moderation in your culinary creations. Place the lavender in a tea ball to make it easy to remove after it has been infused in the milk.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons lavender flowers
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
½ cup granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Place the lavender flowers and milk into a small sauce pan.
Place the pan on the stove and simmer over medium low heat for 30 minutes.
Strain out and discard the lavender.
In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and water then whisk into the pan of lavender infused milk.
Whisk in the sugar until it is thoroughly dissolved.
Turn the heat down to low and whisk the egg yolks in one at a time.
Slowly turn the heat up to medium while whisking continuously.
Cook for approximately 5 minutes until the custard begins to boil and has thickened.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
Pour the custard into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it cool in the refrigerator until well chilled.
Garnish with fresh lavender flowers before serving if desired.
(Recipe courtesy of Pies, Cookies and Squares.)
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