Wednesday, August 08, 2007

For the love of lavender

I can't believe that it's August already. It wasn't too long ago when I welcomed the nasty hot and humid July with sweaty arms! Maybe I was too busy consuming the luscious summer berries, which we lugged back from the farmer's market every week. Or being distracted by the countless recipes I have bookmarked to try with the abundant fruits, but keep putting off by the heat.

Either way, 0707 has passed, and I am glad that I have read the 7th and the last book of Harry Potter too. Not that it is any form of achievement, but nonetheless, I am relieved to know the ending of the story.

Anyhow, I digress. Instead of keep complaining about the hot weather that nobody needs reminding, let's talk about what is to love about July. Perhaps the fleeting season of cherry? The first peach, nectarine and plum that hit the market? And the most charming, blooming lavender?

Yes, lavender is one of the reasons that makes July heat slightly bearable. I simply love the sight of lavender and its scent when rubbed between fingers. There are studies that supported the many beneficial properties of its essential oil. And for that reason, lots of products incorporated lavender into their ingredient list.

Lavender SablesUnfortunately, I am no fan of such products, but I am guilty of being partial to any baked goods with lavender in it. So imagine how excited I am, when seeing a lavender sable recipe from this blog.

It is love at first sight, and I make it as soon as the temperature dropped a bit. As with the rest of the sables I made in the past, these lavender sables have a buttery and tender texture. If I were Hermione (my favorite character in Harry Potter books), I would gladly put a scent charm into this post, so that you get to smell the lavender sables when they first come out from the oven. The scent though heavenly, is difficult to put in words. I guess you have to bake some while I work on the scent charm.

I bake a few pieces to nibble with a cup of tea in the afternoon and freeze the rest of the dough. It proves to be a useful strategy. For one afternoon when OCT invites friends over at the last minutes, I effortlessly pull out the dough, slice it and bake under a 350F oven for less than 15 minutes. Not only that friends get to eat fresh from the oven lavender sables, our apartment is filled with the scent of lavender that lingers for quite a while.


Lavender Sables


Lavender Sable
Adapted from this blogandthis blog

1.5 cups and 1.5 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon dried lavender
7 oz (14 tablespoons)unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioner sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
zest from 1 lemon

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed until smooth, add the confectioners' sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in the egg yolk, followed by salt, dried lavender and lemon zest.

On low speed, add the flour and cornstarch and mix just until flour is incorporated.

Turn dough out onto a counter, gather dough into a ball, divide in half, and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Chill dough for 30 minutes in refrigerator.

Form each piece of dough into a log that is about 1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Wrap logs in plastic wrap and chill dough for 2 hours in refrigerator. (Dough logs can be wrapped airtight and kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or stored in freezer for up to 1 month.)

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F.

Once the oven is ready, slice the log into 1/4-inch thick and place on a lined baking sheet with 1/2 inch interval.

Bake for 12- 14 minutes, or until the sables are set but not brown. Tranfer and cool the sables on the rack.

17 comments:

Deborah said...

OK, I really need to try baking with lavender. I have seen it all over the blog world, yet I have never tried it. Your cookies look wonderful!!

Belinda said...

I just happened upon your blog, and I'm so happy that I discovered it! I am going to have to read the archived posts now to see what I've missed out on! I have never baked anything with lavender, but it sounds so intriguing and looks so pretty in your photos. :-)

Anh said...

Beautiful, beautiful! These cookies are so nicely done and photographed! You have captured my heart with these ;)

Happy Homebaker said...

Mandy, thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe. I will try it once I get hold of lavender!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Your sables are so beautiful, Mandy! OMG!
The photos are stunning.

Helene said...

That last picture is perfect! Thnaks for sharing the recipe!

Little Corner of Mine said...

This looks sooooo good! Now I need to keep my eyes open for some lavender powder!

Aimée said...

These are adorable! And what a pleasant blog, too!

Aimee from Montreal

Anne said...

Mandy, these cookies are absolutely perfect! Your photo's are lovely as always :)

kellypea said...

Beautiful cookies. Everyone seems to be in a lavender baking mood. Mine always ends up in savory dishes.

Mandy said...

deborah,
yes, you should. Go ahead and give lavender a chance in your bakes. I am sure it will turn out wonderful.

belinda,
thanks for dropping by.

anh,
thanks for the kind words. Your photos are breathtaking too.

happyhomebaker,
Can't wait to see your version!

Patricia,
Thanks!

Helene,
you are most welcome!

little corner of mine,
I got mine from World Market. Maybe you can try there.

Aimee,
thanks for dropping by.

Anne,
thanks!

kellypea,
Really? I have not heard of lavender in savory dish before. How ignorance I am. :P I am heading over to your blog for inspiration now.

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for posting this recipe! It was delicious. I added some cacao nibs to give it a subtle crunch and also put in a little less lemon. It was delicious!

naogirl8 said...

So glad I happened upon your blog. Look like some really good recipes, I can't wait to put some of them to the test

naogirl8 said...

Look like some really good recipes, I can't wait to try them. So glad I found your blog.

Stardust said...

Hi!

I came looking for chiffon cake recipe and found this along the way. =)

This looks so tempting... Ahh... I must have it, when lavendar season comes... Meanwhile, I'll go back to chiffon cake hunting. Thanks for sharing!

AK said...

Hi, i made this cokie just now and i find a bit too sweet and the dough was too soft to handle. In the end, i added some flour to it and bake.Maybe i didn't measure butter properly.How much in gm for 14 table sppon of butter?

JS said...

We had lavender sables at a bakery over the weekend. This is a marvelous combination. The lavender taste was subtle, not overpowering (as would be easy to do by mistake). The cookies we ate were lavender color so they must have used powder or extract.

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