Beautiful lavender fields abound in Provence.
By the time we arrived in September, the lavender had already been harvested for the year. Lavender is a fragrant bushy shrub that reaches the peak of its growing cycle in late summer. This is a small lavender field depicts the recent harvest.
Lavender is prized for its essential oils that have many medicinal properties. It is said to have a tranquilizing effect making sleep easier as well as an antiseptic used for insect bites and treating wounds.
Visiting the distillery was interesting. Steam is used to extract the prized essential oils from the blooms and stems of the plant.
Once extracted the oils are kept in plastic vats and shipped all over the world.
Lavender can be used in our food too, like in my recently published Goat Cheese Truffles or the Lavender Vanilla Scones that are sure to please!
Lavender Vanilla Scones
3 cups flour
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks cold butter, cubed
1 cup chilled buttermilk
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
1 teaspoon edible lavender plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles small peas. Mix extracts and vanilla seeds and lavender into the buttermilk. Pour buttermilk into food processor and pulse until dough is formed. Gather the dough into a ball and turn it onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead it gently not more than a dozen times. Cut the dough in half. Roll ½ of the dough into a circle ½ inch thick. Slice the circle like a pizza creating triangles. Repeat with second half of dough. Place triangles on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly brown around edges. Frost scones with glaze and garnish with lavender sprinkle if desired.
Vanilla Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon vanilla
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
Pinch of salt
Cream
Add all ingredients in a bowl except cream; add cream slowly until desired consistency is formed. Drizzle tops of baked scones with glaze.
