Jardin du Soleil Lavender Farm, Bath & Body Products

Mother's Day is quickly approaching! Find the perfect gift for your mother (or for any other special mothers you know) at Jardin du Soleil. Lavender has always been used for relaxation and makes a perfect "thinking of you" gift. Or perhaps you know she's a fan of our lavender products and want to indulge her a little this year. Either way, you're sure to find something she'll love. Can we recommend...

It may very well be fall, with the holidays just around the corner; but at Jardin du Soleil we are playing up lavender with citrus to brighten our crisp October days! Enjoy this recipe with Certified Organic Culinary Lavender. For stronger lavender flavor replace regular sugar with Certified Organic Lavender Sugar, and pair with any of our Lavender Tea Blends and enjoy!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup confection sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
2 teaspoons Jardin du Soleil Culinary Lavender, crushed
2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon rind

Topping:

1 3/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1/3 cup lemon juice
confection sugar (to dust before serving)

Yield: 2 dozen bars

Prep time: 30 min, Total time: 75 min

Directions:

1. In small mixing bowl, cream butter and confection sugar; Add the flour, almonds, lavender, and lemon peel; beat until crumbly.

2. Pat into an ungreased 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish; bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

3. In another small mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking soda, eggs and lemon juice; beat until frothy; pour over HOT crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown; cool on wire rack, dust with powdered sugar; refrigerate leftovers

In an effort to celebrate the summer season's bright and playful mood try our spinach and strawberry salad!  This excellent salad is so simple to prepare, you will love making it again and again! If you are making it for a gathering, why not print up this recipe and attach it to our beautiful jarred lavender honey for the perfect hostess gift! 
Stock up on Jardin du Soleil Lavender Honey now and take advantage of our extended Free Shipping Promo for online orders of $65 or more only till 10/01/2010.

1 lb. fresh spinach
1 pt.  strawberries hauled and halved
1/2 cup Jardin du Soleil Lavender Honey*
1 1/2 tsp. minced onion
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup salad oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar *

Toss spinach and strawberries together in large salad bowl.  Combine the remaining ingredients, mix well in shaker or blender.  Drizzle over salad just before serving; toss gently.

"Add the subtle scent of lavender to aromatic jasmine rice and you get a new side dish fit for company- and easy enough for quick weeknight meals.  Take your choice of mushrooms. Cremini and Shiitake are especially good. I like to prepare the pilaf in a rice cooker.  If you don't have one, use a covered 2-quart casserole dish and bake the rice at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes."

Ingredients

1 tbls. dried Jardin du Soleil Certified Organic Culinary Lavender
2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
2 tbls. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 lb. mixed mushrooms, diced
1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
1/2 cup finely diced shallot
1/2 cup finely diced green onions
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Combine the lavender, mustard seeds, and fennel seeds in the spice grinder.  Pulse until finely ground.

Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute` for 7 minutes, or until golden and the liquid released my the mushrooms evaporates.  Add the rice, shallot, green onions, salt, pepper, and lavender mixture.

Transfer to the rice cooker and add the chicken broth.  Cook for 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

This recipe is taken from page 136 of Sharon Shipley's The Lavender Cookbook,available here.

Interested in cooking with lavender?  Add Jardin du Soleil certified organic culinary lavender in your spice rack and start exploring the flavor of lavender in a wide variety of foods, ranging from desserts to roasted vegetables!  Check back to this blog weekly for added recipes. Use our Lavender Recipes or purchase "The Lavender Cookbook" by Sharon Shipley.

Simple ingredients full of flavor is what this salad has to offer! The rich goat cheese calms the flavors of basil and onion, while the baby greens and nectarine offer a bright refreshed flavor. Try it for your own lunch on a sunny spring afternoon, or multiply the recipe to serve the whole family at dinner. The dressing contains Jardin du Soleil's culinary lavender.

mmm... Scrumptious!

Ingredients (1 serving)
1 nectarine - pipped and sliced
a handful of baby lettuce leaves
a few young basil leaves
thin sliced red onion to taste
2 thin slices of goat's cheese

Dressing
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp Salad Oil
a pinch of minced Jardin du Soleil Culinary Lavender
a pinch of sugar
chopped mint leaf to taste

Since the temperature has dropped a bit, this recipe for Rice Pudding with Jardin du Soleil Culinary Lavender should hit the spot!

Ingredients

½ cup rice

2 ½ cup whole milk

1 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons Jardin du Soleil Culinary Lavender

2/3 cup sugar

2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

Put milk, sugar and Jardin du Soleil Culinary Lavender in a small pot, bring to boiling point, and remove from heat immediately. Let the mixture steep for at least 30 minutes, longer depending on how strong you wish lavender flavor to be. In a separate pot, add rice to boiling water; cook on medium heat with the lid half closed for 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed by the rice.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch together with a couple teaspoons of water and a bit of the hot milk mixture, to slightly increase the cornstarch temperature.  Then add the this to the steeping milk.  Transfer the infused milk through a strainer into the rice and cook for 30 minutes or so, until you reach the desired consistency.  Transfer the pudding into your serving dish and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, until serving.

Looking for something a bit richer? Try our Jardin du Soleil Lavender Crème Brulee! (It’s the 5^th recipe down.)