Cooking with Lavender: Tips for Subtle, Distinctive Flavor

Lavender buds elevate dishes—salad dressings, honey, spice rubs for salmon and lamb, breads, cookies, even chocolate desserts. The secret: use discreetly, like perfume. Aim for an elusive floral note that makes food taste distinctively different, not overwhelming. Too much tastes like cheap cologne.

Start with the minimum; taste before adding more. Sharon Shipley, author of The Lavender Cookbook (Running Press, 2004) and owner of Mon Chéri Cooking School (Sunnyvale, CA; 408-736-0892), prefers 'Provence' for pure, intense flavor. She grinds dried buds in a spice mill to release essential oils.

Critical: Use only pesticide-free culinary lavender. Find in specialty food stores, spice shops, some supermarkets (The Spice Hunter sells French culinary lavender; www.spicehunter.com for retailers).