Herbal Spotlight: Lilacs, with my Honey Lilac Zabaglione Recipe

Lilacs:  Their heady scent & delicious flavor make them a favorite of mine for everything from perfume to ice cream. Join me this as I use them to flavor a beloved, heavenly Italian dessert called zabaglione.
Lilacs [Syringa vulgaris] are a part of the olive family. Most revered for their amazing fragrance, their flowers also have traditionally been used for medical purposes as well. The blossoms have wonderful astringent & bitter properties on top of ther aromatic ones. This makes them excellent to infuse into facial toners or into first aid tonics, such as witch hazel, where they greatly benefit minor skin issues like rashes & cuts. Their bitter properties make them an excellent digestive aid, making them useful for adding to salads, as an after meal tea, or as an ingredient in your own home-made bitters. ​

I often use them solely for their delicate flavor & color in recipes. Softly floral with slight bitter notes, lilac's flavor plays well with honey, strawberries, grapefruit, almond, & vanilla.  In this post, I'ill show you how to infuse cream with them. This ‘lilac-cream’ is wonderful to use in custards, ice creams, & any other desserts with a milk component. I will be using it to make an herbal version of a favorite Italian dessert of mine called Zabaglione. It is a creamy, whipped delight traditionally made with sweet Marsala wine. In this one, I skip the alcohol & replace the sugar with honey to compliment the lilac flavor.

Lilac infused cream: Heaven scented and delicious!

Here is my harvest of red, white,and, blue lilac flowers.

Your first step will be to collect your lilac flowers. Any color blossoms can be used. The ‘red’ & ‘blue’ flowers will impart a soft purplish hue to your milk that is quite lovely, but white or yellow flowers will also work. We are lucky to have inherited white, red & blue heirloom lilac trees with our 1841 homestead, so I use a combination of those three. Be sure the flowers you are harvesting have not been sprayed & were not grown close to heavily trafficked roads. First we will infuse our cream, then onto the main event! Let’s get to it!

Lilac Honey Zabaglione [serves 4]

1 cup Heavy Cream 
1 cup Lilac Flowers, removed from stems 
4 Large Egg Yolks  
½ tsp Vanilla Extract 
1 tsp Almond Extract 
1 ½ TSB Honey 
¼ tsp Fresh Lemon Juice 
Pinch Coarse Sea Salt 
Strawberries, cleaned & sliced, a few whole for garnishes 
I like strawberries with mine; they compliment the honey & lilac flavors well

Day Before: Rinse lilacs & remove all flowers from stems. Add the flowers & cream to a heavy cocotte or saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat.
​Gently heat, stirring for about 12 minutes -- DO NOT BOIL.
​Boiling will damage the delicate flavor of the petals. Remove from heat. Pour cream & petals into a large jar; place in the refrigerator to steep overnight.

Next Day:  Strain the petals off from your cream. Lilac petals can be rinsed with water & added to your compost. Your cream will now be flavored with the lilacs &, depending on the color blossoms used, it may also be a soft, pale purple. Pour your lilac-cream into the bowl of mixer with whisk attachment. Prepare your double boiler [or fashion one with a glass mixing cup or bowl & saucepan] with water on the stove. Bring water to a boil. Place the egg yolks, honey, lemon juice, & salt in the bowl over boiling water & whisk until doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. Keep it moving to avoid scrambling the eggs & it will easily double in volume. Add the baking extracts. Turn heat off.

I love to add a few sliced of stawberries to the bottom of my glasses.

Whip your lilac-cream on med/high in the mixer until stiff peaks form. [if you have a kitchen helper, this can be done while you are whisking the yolks]  Carefully fold your yolk mixture into the lilac whipped cream. Place the mixture in your fridge to set for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prep your serving dishes. I like to use old coupe cocktail glasses, but any small ramekins or custard dishes will work. 

​Add sliced strawberries to the bottom of each if desired. Spoon your cooled zabaglione on top of the berries in the serving dishes, dividing it equally over 4 servings. garnish with lilac flowers & strawberries as desired. Voila! The perfect way to end a meal-- Elegant, light & delicious.  Yum!

This is one of my favorite ways to use lilacs. I also love to infuse honey with them & make lilac syrup for use in drinks.  This year, I just may add some to my witch hazel too--we shall see! I hope you give this recipe a try-- Please  let me know what you think!
​Until next time -- Stay safe & take time to #StopAndEatTheFlowers