As part of preparing my first wedding cake, we are testing unusual flavour combinations. Lavender is always a hard one to incorporate into food as too much of it simply reminds us of soap, and too little of it and it is lost. We've cooked with lavender in savoury food (Rachel Khoo's lavender honey chicken, lavender duck breast with thyme and honey) and we think the key is to always balance with honey. Surely then it must be easy to incorporate lavender into sweet dishes?
Our brainchild is then lavender jam as it has two uses. Firstly, as we will be using fondant icing on the cake, jam (or buttercream) would need to be used to glue the icing to the cake. Lavender jam would also add another level of lavender flavour (whether in a positive or negative manner is still to be determined) to the cake.
I love jam (possibly because of all that sugar) and always have homemade jam /compote in the fridge / pantry. This lavender berry jam leaves a slight after-tang and yet does not overpower. It is delicious spread on corn thins or home made bread, or eaten together with dairy free ricotta cheese. mmm.
Easy Lavender jam recipe:
1kg blueberries and raspberries
800gms golden caster sugar
1/2 tsp lavender flowers, slightly crushed
1/2 green apple peeled, cored and small diced
zest of half a lemon
3 tbsp lemon juice
Put berries and sugar into a heavy bottomed pan and bring to a boil stirring constantly. When boiling, add it remaining ingredients and keep at a rolling boil for 30 minutes (220 degrees if you have a thermometer), stirring occasionally. This is usually the jam set point i.e. if you put some jam on a cold plate, you should be able to draw a line through the jam, without the jam pooling together again. Let cool overnight and put into a jar(s). It will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge. The jam can be stored in a pantry for 6 months if canned and sealed, while hot, in a hot sterilised jar, with the rims wiped with damp paper towel before sealing.
Next jam should surely be lavender and lychee...?
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