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Lavender creme brulee, lavender ice cream, yummy

Scary, extremely scary, and yet I think I want this...if only just to reheat coffee. =)

I made lavender custard once. I don't remember exactly how I did it, but I may have simmered the lavender flowers in either water or the milk used to make the custard. It had a very subtle, sweet mellow flavor.

I made a lavender creme brulee a few years ago that was really good. (I know that creme brulee is somewhat out of fashion with the chi chi crowd but I still like it.) Anyway, I couldn't find the recipe, but it was a pretty standard one except that you warm some of the cream and steep a small amount of flowers in it for about 5 minutes. Let it cool before continuing. I also recall that the amount of flowers didn't seem like much, maybe a tablespoon or so, and that the cream didn't taste very lavender-y when I strained it. But the end result was subtly flavored. My very snooty neighbor (we had her over for dinner as a thank you for a favor) was quite impressed.

As a side note, I am really racking up the $$ because you guys keep posting all these fabulous things to order! Now I have to get some of that lavender/passion fruit jelly! Got to love the interwebs!

This lavender farm on Maui has a good website with info, recipes, and products available by mail, including numerous culinary items. The lavender lilik'oi (passion fruit) jelly is wonderful.
http://www.aliikulalavender.com/

Lavender Lemonade:

1 tray ice cubes
1/4 cup dried lavender
2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup white sugar
8 lemons
5 cups cold water, or as needed

DIRECTIONS
Place ice cubes into a 2 quart pitcher. Place the lavender into a bowl, and pour boiling water over it. Allow to steep for about 10 minutes, then strain out the lavender and discard. Mix the sugar into the hot lavender water, then pour into the pitcher with the ice.
Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the pitcher, getting as much juice as you can. Top off the pitcher with cold water, and stir. Taste, and adjust lemon juice or sugar if desired. Pour into tall glasses, pull up a lawn chair and a good book, and relax!

Go make any kind of fresh fruit pie (peach and lavender are great), and add a teaspoon or two crushed lavender to the fruit mixture. It really brings out the floral scent and flavor out of the fruits.

I just saw a lavender sorbet on Sidewalk Shoes...http://sidewalkshoes.blogspot.com/...

@bareneed - good question, i'm not sure if mine is ornamental or culinary... it's the second season in the garden, so there's no chem fertilizers or spray on the plant.

i'm interested in savory or salad applications as well.... thank you...

Her points seem very straight forward and valid. Anonymous criticism that is either malicious or personal (i.e.: not constructive) is cowardly whether it occurs in a owners blog, through comments, or in reviews such as Menupages, Yelp, etc.

I wonder what the participation of comments would be on Serious Eats if they could not be anonymous...

With the exception of 1 blog in my blog roll, the food blogs that I read do not do reviews of restaurants. They cook their own food, comment on it, share ideas, etc.

As far as the "anonymous" complaint, she should be more worried about the customer that anonymously leaves the restaurant unsatisfied, than one blogger. The negative comments I usually hear are after lunch at work (I ate at _______ and it was awful) or on Monday's (we went to so and so over the weekend and were Sooooo disappointed).

Yesssss...my preciousssss.....another way to keep the serfs at their desks! Bwah-ha-ha-ha!