Rosemary & Lavender

One of the great things about living in California is the abundance of rosemary and lavender—neither of which did well in my Connecticut garden. I would manage to keep a couple of rosemary plants alive through the holidays, but invariably they would die with the first major cold spell. And I had no luck with lavender at all. One huge lavender bush and three small rosemary bushes (yes, bushes) were here when I got here, so I didn’t have to plant more, though I brought along a smaller lavender, which is now doing well.

So the obvious thing to do is to think of things to do with these wonderful herbs. Rosemary had always been part of my repertoire, especially with all manner of lamb and chicken recipes. It’s also great with hearty vegetables, such as eggplant, and wonderful with potatoes. But lavender? Well, the New York Times ran a lavender pasta recipe last summer, and that was terrific. This summer I have experimented a bit more: lavender ice cream, lavender added to strawberry shortcake, lavender in salads, you get the idea. Both the flowers and the leaves can be used, and I’m thinking about a lavender cheesecake next. I’ll also try it with squash and tomatoes, before they’re all gone.

For Lavender Ice Cream:

2 cups half and half (or use a mixture of milk and cream)
¼ cup honey
¼ cup sugar (or use all sugar, which makes the lavender taste more pronounced.)
1-2 Tb finely chopped lavender blossoms
4 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt

Heat the milk with the lavender blossoms (but do not boil) and let steep off the heat for 15-30 minutes. Stain the milk, return to the pan, and add honey and sugar. Cook over low heat until sugar and honey have dissolved—taste, and add up to ¼ more sugar, if desired. Beat the eggs with the salt, and gradually add about ½ cup of the warm milk; then add the egg-milk mixture to the remaining milk. Cook the custard until it coats a spoon lightly, stain into a bowl and refrigerate (preferably overnight). Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker—I use the attachment to my Kitchen Aid mixer—and then return to the freezer until firm.