Lavender Cheesecake Update

We ate the lavender cheesecake last night, and all agreed it was delicious. However, no one could taste the lavender, which had been evident when I tested the pre-baked filling. In addition, the cheesecake was much denser than the one we had in Bodega Bay. I will try to "lighten it up" the next time I try it and I'll also use more lavender!

Lavender Cheesecake!

I’ve only made one cheesecake recipe in my entire life, possibly the best there is: Aunt Mary’s Cheesecake. That recipe, however, will remain a family secret. Earlier this month when we were in Bodega Bay, we had a wonderful crème fraiche cheesecake at the Terrapin Creek Café. Although we did not get the recipe from the owner, I found a couple of promising ones and decided to try a variation on one of them, using lavender as a flavoring ingredient. The recipe I liked best had the same crust recipe I use, which seemed like a good sign. It also was lighter on sugar than some of the others, also good, I thought.

I started on Friday by making some crème fraiche—1 cup of heavy cream heated to about 100 degrees, plus 1 teaspoon of buttermilk. I let it sit out all night, and it was pretty good, but next time I’ll do it two days ahead. The recipe suggested individual-size spring form pans, which had been used by the restaurant, but our local housewares store didn’t have them, so I used my 9-inch pan. Here’s the recipe I came up with:

Crust: 18 squares (1 package) of crushed graham crackers
¼ cup of sugar
¼ cup of melted butter

I crushed the graham crackers in my food processor and then added the sugar and butter; pressing them into a spring form pan was easier than using a pie plate, as I normally do.

I soaked three chopped lavender flowers in ¼ cup of warmed heavy cream for about 20 minutes and then strained it and added it to the following mixture:

Filling: 12 ounces of cream cheese (Philadelphia brand)
1 cup of crème fraiche
½ cup of sugar
2 eggs

I considered adding vanilla, which most cheesecake recipes call for, but I liked the faint lavender flavor and decided not to. More sugar might have been possible, too, but I decided to try it this time with only half a cup—if it’s good that way, I may experiment with lowering the amount in my regular cheesecake! I baked it at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes and let it sit in the turned-off oven another 5 or 10—the top was lightly browned. As with my other cheesecake, I will refrigerate it overnight and serve it tomorrow.

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.