Lavender and Lemon Dessert

June 15, 2006

If my grandmother ever tired of receiving a bottle of lavender water from me every Christmas, she never complained. She’d sprinkle it on her handkerchiefs during the year and by the following Christmas the presentation of new bottle seemed to happily coincide with the old one becoming empty. I thought lavender "scent” smelled positively gorgeous and would douse myself it in at every opportunity.

Lavender has been used as a herb for more than 2500 years. The Egyptians employed it for perfume and mummification. The Romans used lavender oil for bathing, cooking and scenting the air. The ancient Greeks used it to fight insomnia, aching backs – and insanity.

During the Great Plague in London, people were advised to fasten a bunch of lavender to each wrist to protect them.

Queen Victoria made Lavender popular across England and it could be found, in one form or another, in every one of her rooms, as it was used it to wash floors and furniture, freshen the air, and perfume the linens.

The name lavender derives from the Latin verb “lavare” – to wash. During the First World War, nurses bathed soldiers' wounds with lavender washes and the herb has been used extensively for its medicinal properties.

Lavender, and more particularly English lavender is used as a culinary herb. I recently visited  Lavendula, a lavender farm northwest of Melbourne, and bought some dried lavender flowers for cooking. They were organically grown, pesticide free and came with a word of advice from the woman at the till – “Don’t use too much or they will taste strong and bitter.”

Lavender seems to have an affinity for lemon and the two flavours blend well together so I’ve combined them in today’s recipe. This can be used as a dessert or as small cakes. I made it in small individual angel cake tins and it made six. Or you could used a 12-compartment friand pan and ice with a lemony icing.

Lavender and Lemon Dessert

120g softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon rind
2 level teaspoons lavender flowers
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour, sifted
1 cup buttermilk

Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Continue beating, adding the eggs one at a time, along with the lemon peel and lavender flowers.

Stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Now gently fold the flour into the egg mixture, a third at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Finish with the flour and do not overmix.

Half fill your lightly greased pans and bake at 180C till lightly browned. Test with a toothpick. The friand pan will take about 20 minutes, the angel cake tins a little longer.

Meanwhile place in a small saucepan:

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lavender flowers
1/2 cup water

Simmer until the liquid has reduced and is thick and syrupy. Strain.

Let the cakes sit in the pans for five minutes then unmould. Place on individual serving plates and drizzle with the syrup and serve with thick Greek yoghurt, whipped cream or crème fraiche.

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