The story goes that Cleopatra’s seductive secret to wooing Julius Caesar and Marc Antony was her bathing in lavender. When the tomb of King Tutankhamen was opened the slight scent of lavender filled the air, dried remnants of the plant-filled the tomb.
The love of lavender has a well-documented history dating back 2,500 years.
I fell in love with lavender five years ago. Always one to seek out a natural remedy my research for how to deal with stress led me to the beauty and benefits of this herb. And honestly, who wouldn’t feel better after a bowl of No-Church Lavender Ice Cream from Savor the Best blog?
According to dozens of old wives tales and folklore, lavender has long been considered the herb that drives love, passion, and seduction. It is also thought as being an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, disinfectant and aromatherapy herb.
Although known for its soothing, relaxing qualities, an infusion of lavender has been used to treat insomnia, heal headaches, toothaches, joint pain, small cuts, sunburn and even acne. Physicians used it to cleanse and heal wounds. Midwives used lavender to aid in childbirth.
If you are looking to relax after a long day use the fresh leaves and flowers in the bath. You can cook with lavender by adding a few flowers, or essential oil into anything from tea, or biscuits, even ice cream. A single drop of lavender essential oil in your cocktail is delicious. Lavender products, including dried culinary buds, tea bags, or essential oils, can be purchased at health food markets or online.
No Churn Lavender Ice Cream
Ingredients
Instructions
Combine half of the cream and the lavender buds in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer then remove from the heat. Pour into a bowl, and then cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 to 40 minutes. Make sure it is cold before moving on to the next step. If it is not chilled all the way, then set the bowl of cream over a larger bowl of ice chips and stir it until it is nice and cold.
Pour the chilled cream and lavender mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a mixing bowl. Discard the lavender buds.
Add the remaining 1 cup of cold cream to the lavender-infused cream. Whisk on high speed with an electric mixer until you have stiff peaks.
Combine the condensed milk, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Use a wide rubber spatula to fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the evaporated milk mixture. This will lighten the condensed milk and let you fold in the rest of the whipped cream without deflating too much air.
Gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream until it is well combined. Pour the mixture into a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 5 hours.
If you can’t get enough of lavender, check out this other Spoon article with more recipes to try out.