I absolutely love this recent post from Aida Mollenkamp for Grilled Lavender-Thyme Pork Chops and Plums. Pork chops are delicious to start with but adding this amazing glaze and using the lavender in a rub sounds simply amazing. I also learned a few things about lavender that I didn’t know before — I never knew that there were different grades of lavender and that not all were suitable for cooking — you can be sure I’ll be paying more attention the next time I buy some at my local farmer’s market. I also love the fact that she has a link to one of my all time favorite lavender desserts, a lavender honey ice cream. Yum!

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He grows lavender in the hills of eastern Santa Barbara county in an area known as the Cuyama Valley, hence the name of his farm: Cuyama Valley Lavender Company. He talked about how that location is in the perfect lavender-growing area with warm, arid days and cool nights, with the ideal elevation and soil content, and he also talked earnestly about the difficulties of being a small, independent farmer.

Then he waxed on about cooking with lavender. While I dream of visiting the rolling hills of lavender across the “Mediterranean from France to Croatia, I generally find lavender’s flavor overwhelming, especially in food. But he persisted: explaining that there are two types of lavender – one being culinary grade — and that sometimes people cook with the wrong, more assertive type. The culinary grade –often of the Royal Velvet variety — has a perfumed quality that’s balanced by a menthol flavor reminiscent of rosemary or mint. He swore I’d be sold if I tried a bit. So, I left the beach that day with armfuls of lavender and encouragement from Potato to get creative in the kitchen.

After making simple syrup for cocktails and lemonade, ice cream, and shortbread, it was clear that this lavender was quality stuff. Yet I wasn’t quite a lavender convert. I wanted to balance the floral lavender flavor by using it in something savory. So I thought of France, where lavender is used in herbes de Provence – an herb blend including basil, fennel seed, marjoram, rosemary, savory, and sage — and how that rub is divine on roasted meats and grilled vegetables. That started me thinking of something lavender for my favorite meat, pork,because both ingredients share slightly sweet and earthy flavors…”

Read the full post & get the recipes »