Peach-lavender Cobbler

In case you haven't noticed I love making pastries and desserts! Unfortunately the culinary school I attended did not have a pastry program, so I am completely self taught in this area. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the culinary arts program and I have gained considerable knowledge of a working kitchen. I have grown as a chef through the entire process.

Even though I am a classically trained chef and can produce a beautifully plated, complex meal with little to no effort I find my self drawn to the simplicity of self taught cooks. My absolute favorite self taught cook would have to be without a doubt Ina Garten. She is simplistic in her preparation but chooses her ingredients wisely, letting the flavors of the foods shine.

A few days ago I was browsing through some of her cookbooks and happened upon a recipe for Peach-Blueberry Cobbler. I decided to adapt the recipe to suit my taste, leaving out the blueberries and adding some culinary lavender to the base.

The result was fantastic, the peaches I had already had a slight floral note so the lavender complemented the dessert perfectly. Simply add a scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream and you have a delightful summer dessert!

The recipe for Peach Blueberry Cobbler is available at http://www.foodnetwork.com. Search under Ina Garten desserts or Peach Blueberry cobbler.

I altered the recipe by reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup and added 1/2 tsp. of culinary lavender to the peach mixture.

Mmmm, fresh peaches are now in season. They smell delicious!

Uncooked Peach Lavender Cobblers in individual ramekins

Cooked Lavender Peach cobblers adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home