Fresh Berries with Lavender Cream

by cookingwithauntjuju.com

This is a special dessert which I made “way back when” I first became interested in using flowers in cooking. I also was not concerned about calories as you can tell by the ingredients. This is a delicious custard cream topped with some fresh berries – simple but oh so good. This was the beginning of my love affair with lavender…

Okay – another cookbook I really like and where this recipe comes from is “Flowers in the Kitchen: A Bouquet of Tasty Recipes” by Susan Belsinger published in 1991. She was kind of a pioneer in using flowers in  recipes and for almost 25 years I still refer to this cookbook.

Fresh Berries with Lavender Cream

  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 2 tbsp. honey – I used orange blossom
  • 3 tbsp. sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 5 lavender spikes 2-1/2  to 3-inches long right before the buds are about to open, or 1/2 to 1 tbsp. dried flower buds (do not be tempted to add more)
  • 2 extra-large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped stiffly
  • 2 pints or more of fresh berries, your choice

Combine the cream, milk, honey, sugar, salt and lavender flower spikes. Be careful not to add more flowers as a little goes a long way. Cook over simmering water for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Beat the yolks in a small bowl and add about 1/2 cup of the lavender cream mixture into the yolks and whisk until combined. Return the cream and yolk mixture to the double boiler and mix. Cook over simmering water until the mixture thickens, for about 10 minutes or so. Remove from the heat, strain and discard the lavender spikes.

Cover the custard cream with a piece of waxed paper covering the bowl until it is room temperature; then chill. The cream will thicken more as it cools.

Fifteen minutes before you are planning to serve, remove the lavender cream from the refrigerator; fold in the whipped cream. Spoon the cream on each plate and arrange the berries on top. Serve immediately.

Recipe by cooking with Aunt Juju

In a recent post on lavender I mentioned I cut my Hidcote plants back after the first bloom and was hoping for a re-bloom in September.

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Well, it is just starting to happen; not as vigorous as in the spring, but you can see the new growth and the new flowers which I used in this recipe – a lot more will be coming. September has been unseasonably warm here in Michigan 🙂

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I took this picture of my lavender October 11, 2016.

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I am sharing this simple dessert using fresh lavender with Angie @ Fiesta Friday #138 and her two co-hosts Mollie @ frugalhausfrau and Johanne @ frenchgardenerdishes.

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51 thoughts on “Fresh Berries with Lavender Cream”

  3. I have a weakness for custard cream with berries, Judi and yours with a touch of lavender, takes it to a whole new level!
    Great tip about the lavender plant too. Getting them to bloom again is sure a bonus!

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  11. I had a lavender pudding a few months back and really loved it. I’m going to have to take your recipe and make it, I’ve got tons of lavender outside my house! Thanks for sharing, yum!

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  12. Elegant and simple! I cut my lavender back too in hopes of a second bloom, but no go this year. Hopefully we’ll have a warmer spring and summer next year so I can get two blooms.

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  14. How timely Judi! I just toured a lavender farm in PA this week. I learned that English varieties rebloom in the fall with pruning after the first flowering. Not so for hybrids. Yours must be Munstead or Hidcote. The dessert looks so creamy rich. Beautiful!

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    • Thanks Johanne – lucky you to have a lavender farm close by. If I am ever in the area it will be on my list of “must see”. I have been pruning my Hidcote for 12 years; hard in the spring and again in July/Aug. after the first bloom. I only have about 20 plants – how lovely to have an entire farm with just lavender! The dessert is delicious with just a hint of the lavender. I peeked at your post and plan to go back and read it 🙂

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    • Thanks Julie – using flowers in baking/cooking is just like any other ingredient, you just need a recipe. Flowers are pretty just as a garnish in a salad or to decorate a cake – no experience needed 🙂

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  18. I have never incorporated lavender in any of my desserts (or any cooking/baking good for that matter). I bet this tastes unique and delicious!

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  19. Oh how beautiful Judi, your dessert looks scrumptious, that custard has me salivating with the gorgeous berries and lavender. I miss my lavender plant when we moved here and downsized. But I should perhaps grow it in a pot, there’s nothing quite like the scents of lavender. Whenever I go past lavender bushes, I have a tendency to stop, press and sniff 🙂

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    • Thanks so much Loretta – yes I do love my lavender, don’t I? I step out my back door/garage area and enjoy it every day it is blooming. I have about 12-15 plants in this area and even when it is not blooming still smells good when you rub the leaves 🙂

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  20. Hello Aunt Juju, thanks for stopping by, it’s been ages since I last visited you too. Excellent recipe for lavender, must try it. I was in Provence recently and bought some lavender, essence I think and dried flowers for cooking as well as just for the scent, and I haven’t used them yet. I was considering a creme brulee but need to take the time. I like your exhortation to not add more lavender POli

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    • Thanks – a creme brulee would be a perfect way to use lavender. I once added too much lavender and it was not edible – so I err on the side of caution and add only what the recipe said. The picture along the river made me wish I was on that walk with you 🙂

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      • Hello there – the sales assistant told me the exact same thing, he said, DO not be tempted to add too much lavender.. that’s why it caught my eye when you wrote the same thing!

      • Oh i am definitely the kind of cook that thinks oh lets add just a little bit more, but lavender like violets can be tricky and bitter and soapy i magine 🙂 , i will keep u in mind

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