I got the idea to infuse lavender from a recent podcast of The Splendid Table. If you enjoy cooking, you’ll love the podcast! My favorite part of the show is when listeners call in with kitchen questions because a lot of the time, they apply to me, too! Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s impromptu recipe ideas are nothing short of genius. When I heard the idea of infusing lavender in liquid sweeteners (such as honey), I wanted to give it a try myself! All I did was pour about 2/3 of a cup of maple syrup into a saucepan and threw in about 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of dried lavender. Then, I boiled down the syrup to about a 1/2 cup. I was a bit too eager to taste the maple syrup, so I may have burned my tongue a bit. Whoops! I was quite surprised how the dried lavender mellowed out the maple syrup. I suppose I wasn’t sure what to expect! I let the maple syrup stand for about 2 hours before using it to cook the granola, and I didn’t bother straining out the lavender. I wanted to make sure that I could still taste the lavender in the granola after everything was said and done. I’ve got to say, this is a better way to make lavender granola! The lavender flavors just stuck with the granola much better this time around. Thanks, Lynne Rossetto Kasper for the suggestion (if you’re even reading my blog)! I think I might try this Potatoes with Lavender and Rosemary recipe next time! For the Leftovers Club this month, I was partnered with Kelly from Kelly Bakes. The food photography on her blog is fantastic! I am totally crushing over these Lemon Raspberry Madelines and Homemade Peppermint Joes right now. Also, the next time I have a party with my friends, I’m definitely going to make some of these Samoa Girl Scout Cookies Shots.
