5 Ways to Use Lavender in Your Cooking
These recipes incorporate the herb and add a subtle floral flavor to your dishes.
Native to the Mediterranean, lavender comes from the Lamiaceae family, along with oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme—common herbs used in everyday cooking. Whether you're using it as a garnish or a main ingredient, lavender lends a subtle floral flavor to sweet or savory meals. Leaves and flowers are edible, and more and more home cooks are using them creatively in their favorite recipes. We gathered a range of recipes that use lavender unexpectedly—just remember that a little goes a long way. (No one wants to eat soap for dinner!)
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Cooking and Baking with Lavender
Beet Salad With Honey-Lavender Dressing
Take vinaigrette to new heights by adding fresh lavender. It makes a delectable dressing for this colorful salad of beets, Swiss chard, pecans, and goat cheese.
Spring Cupcakes With Sugared Flowers
This is one of our all-time prettiest (and tastiest!) desserts. Moist chocolate cupcakes are topped with lavender-spiked icing and sugared pansies and violas.
Lavender-Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce
Take homemade caramel from good to great by amping it up with dried lavender and fleur de sel (fancy salt!). It's delicious over ice cream or cake and makes a lovely hostess gift.
Mini Strawberry-Rhubarb Galettes
Take the classic combination of strawberries and rhubarb to the next level by flavoring them with homemade lavender sugar. Divide among puff pastry squares for the perfect individual desserts.
Mini Blueberry-Lavender Cornmeal Cream Tarts
Buttery cornmeal crusts, rich lavender-vanilla whipped cream, and juicy summer blueberries—is your mouth watering, too? These elegant tarts are a surefire showstopper.
Read the original article on Martha Stewart.