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The Lavender Gourmet: Culinary Recipes for Entertaining and Every Day
Lavender as a culinary herb? Absolutely! Chives, dill, and basil may be more familiar, but lavender has one advantage over all the other herbs standing in the spice versatility. No baker would add chives to shortbread cookies...or dill to chocolate truffles...or basil to an orange chiffon cake. Yet lavender's delicate sweetness imparts a fresh, fragrant taste to those very same recipes -- and scores of others. And, when it comes to savory dishes, the multifaceted little purple flower infuses entrees, soups, breads, and appetizers with a mellow yet aromatic bouquet that complements the flavors that surround it. Now, you can experience the refreshing taste of lavender in beverages, salads, sandwiches, ice creams, chocolates, and so much more. The Lavender Gourmet contains more than 140 recipes that showcase this flavorful herb, and each one will have friends and family racing to the table to see what fabulous dish you've prepared next. The Lavender Gourmet also offers... ** A lay-flat binding -- no more fighting to keep the book open to the correct page ** Recipes in 12 different categories that have been tried and tested by cooks and bakers just like you ** Information on where to find culinary lavender buds ** Recipe variations for creating different versions of the same dish ** Tips, hints, and comments that help you get out of the kitchen faster ** Advice on growing, harvesting, and using lavender. A flavor that you'll cherish forever...sweet, aromatic, refreshing lavender.
344 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2009
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January 13, 2010
The Lavender Gourmet is a culinary cookbook masterpiece full of mouth-watering recipes that use one of nature’s most fragrant herbs, culinary lavender. The cookbook showcases recipes for both entertaining and every day occasions.
The Lavender Gourmet contains twelve different recipe chapters including basics & beverages, breakfast & brunch, lunch favorites, appetizers, vegetables, & sides; soups & stews, salsa, salads & dressings; dinner entrees; breads, muffins, & scones; cakes, pies, & tarts; cookies & sweets, smoothes, ice cream, & sorbet; and lavender & chocolate. There are over 140 recipes in twelve categories that you can choose from.
Each recipe is displayed on either one or two pages depending on the complexity of the recipe and whether or not there are photographs included. There are black and white photographs for many of the recipes as well as charming graphics and borders on each page throughout the cookbook.
Many recipes in The Lavender Gourmet offer a “Chef’s Comments” box for suggestions on how to use each recipe or for possible variations you might want to try. Each recipe is prefaced with a brief description of the dish you’ll be preparing. There are several recipe variations for creating different versions of the same recipe. “Fascinating Facts” boxes are included as well on several pages to share interesting information on lavender.
The cookbook also contains information on where to find the culinary lavender buds you’ll need to use in the recipes. There are tips, hints, and comments that will help you get out of the kitchen faster. The Lavender Gourmet also includes tips for growing, harvesting, and using lavender.
All of the recipes have a very decadent, gourmet feel to them, although none appear complicated to prepare. The instructions are very easy to follow, and preparation doesn’t require any special equipment that the average cook wouldn’t already have in their kitchen.
If I had to choose my two favorite recipes in The Lavender Gourmet, I’d choose the Lavender Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and the Lavender Sour Cream Twists, although it was really hard for me to choose only two! This cookbook will truly tempt your taste buds and inspire you to try new things.
The Lavender Gourmet contains twelve different recipe chapters including basics & beverages, breakfast & brunch, lunch favorites, appetizers, vegetables, & sides; soups & stews, salsa, salads & dressings; dinner entrees; breads, muffins, & scones; cakes, pies, & tarts; cookies & sweets, smoothes, ice cream, & sorbet; and lavender & chocolate. There are over 140 recipes in twelve categories that you can choose from.
Each recipe is displayed on either one or two pages depending on the complexity of the recipe and whether or not there are photographs included. There are black and white photographs for many of the recipes as well as charming graphics and borders on each page throughout the cookbook.
Many recipes in The Lavender Gourmet offer a “Chef’s Comments” box for suggestions on how to use each recipe or for possible variations you might want to try. Each recipe is prefaced with a brief description of the dish you’ll be preparing. There are several recipe variations for creating different versions of the same recipe. “Fascinating Facts” boxes are included as well on several pages to share interesting information on lavender.
The cookbook also contains information on where to find the culinary lavender buds you’ll need to use in the recipes. There are tips, hints, and comments that will help you get out of the kitchen faster. The Lavender Gourmet also includes tips for growing, harvesting, and using lavender.
All of the recipes have a very decadent, gourmet feel to them, although none appear complicated to prepare. The instructions are very easy to follow, and preparation doesn’t require any special equipment that the average cook wouldn’t already have in their kitchen.
If I had to choose my two favorite recipes in The Lavender Gourmet, I’d choose the Lavender Baked Potato Soup with Bacon and the Lavender Sour Cream Twists, although it was really hard for me to choose only two! This cookbook will truly tempt your taste buds and inspire you to try new things.
Displaying 1 of 1 review