Lavender is a wonderfully versatile herb, that can be used for everything from flavoring drinks to salad dressings.
By Sawsan Abu Farha
Have you ever cooked with lavender? Or is it to you just something to stuff bags with to make clothes smell nice in the cupboard? 
Lavender is a wonderfully versatile herb, you can use it to flavor drinks, desserts (think lavender flavored cookies, cakes, cheesecakes), ice creams and sorbet, marinate chicken – and as we will be making today, you can use it in salad dressings.
You do have to remember one thing about lavender before you start experimenting with it – a little goes a long way. Lavender is very strong add too much and you will turn your meal into a bottle of perfume! The rule here is to use 1/3 lavender dried flowers in the place of fresh and always start with a little amount and see how you like it then you can add more if you want.
Cooking with lavender, peach and feta salad with lavender dressing
- Total Time: 15 minutes
Description
Add a wonderful twist to your summer table with this grilled peach feta salad with lavender dressing
Ingredients
- 3 cups romaine lettuce torn
- 1 red onion cut into rings
- 2–3 tablespoons of feta crumbled
- 2 peaches cut into segments
For the lavender dressing
- Juice of half a lemon (4 tablespoons)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh lavender flowers
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
To make the dressing
- In a bowl add the lemon juice, salt, mustard ,lavender, garlic and balsamic vinegar and whisk
- Slowly drizzle the olive oil while you continue whisking until you have added the entire amount
- I usually add the onion rings to the dressing while I prepare the salad, this takes the sharp edge off the onions
To make the salad
- On the grill or in a pan on the stove top, lightly grill the peach segment
- In your serving plate, arrange the torn lettuce, topped with the grilled peach segments
- Take the onions out of the dressing and arrange on top of the lettuce
- Crumble the feta cheese on top
- Decorate with a few lavender twigs
- Drizzle the dressing on the salad right before serving
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
Hurray! Ihave a lot of lavender in my garden and wondered if there was any use for it besides sachets.Thank you!
You are most welcome :) You are in for a treat. Lavender adds so much to recipes, you’ll love it
I just came across this link, Sawsan, how lovely. I am so pleased that you are featured in this international cooking website. I shall follow it from now on.
Thank you very much Eva.I really appreciate your kind comment :)
very nice idea for a dressing.
I love floral flavours, I’ll give this dressing a go.
It would be helpful to know how many servings are in this recipe.
Thank you
I didn’t know the flowers were used – I thug hr you used the leaves. Can’t wait to try the salad dressing!