In last weeks Lilac post, I had wondered why lilac's weren't used in desserts since violets and roses were, not to mention the ever popular lavender and believe it or not...this weekend, serendipity surprisingly struck (is it ever not a surprise?) when my fabulous sis-in-law came over for a visit and mentioned that just the night before, she had had a Lilac Sorbet! I felt myself falling over and shared all about the recent post and it's ponderings. How does this happen? I've never heard of or actually even thought of lilac's being used for anything other than admiration and scent, and then all of a sudden...boom, proof that lilac's *are* used in desserts walked right through my door...I'm still trying to recover from the coincidence!
The Lilac Sorbet my SIL had was of the white variety such as in the image above...she had it at a restaurant called Crush here in Seattle, they served it as a palate cleanser and she said it was delicious, and beautiful. I wasn't able to find Crush's version online but I did find this one. It sounds and looks divine, and fairly simple to make actually, as does the one below...which I think is the one I'm going to try first..the lilacs are combined with honey, lemon and lemon verbena...I'm enthralled.
So after the discovery of the sorbets, I found myself spiraling down a culinary lilac rabbit hole and discovered even more lovely recipes using this sweet flower. I'm so looking forward to trying them out and to do that, I just need to acquire 'a few' blossoms (Pam...I have a very tall ladder!). I truly do want to give these a go...they all sound delightful and I think they look uber pretty too! The sorbet above was made using the dark florets...their beautiful color actually tinted the dessert.
You can make a lovely Lilac Custard using Lilac Sugar...
Or these sweet Lilac Petit Fours with Crystalized Lilac Florets...how lovely they would be at a wedding, a tea, or even a little girls birthday party, so delicate!
The Crystallized or Candied Lilac's can either be made...or bought, if you live in Paris!
I love the image above!
And then there's the pies de resistance....crepes filled with either Lilac Cream - using fresh lilac florets and blueberries or lilac jelly...I have to try the Lilac Jelly!
So there you have it...an assortment of Lilac delectables and delights! Now I just need to start gathering...and growing!
Would you ever consider trying one of these recipes...if so, which one calls to you? Bon Appetit...(Lilac Cupcake in first image ~ here )
Update - My sincere apologies as I just realized several of my links actually never connected and several of my 'post fiddles' never stuck or changed back somehow...and after I had spent quite a lot of time linking and fiddling too! Hopefully now they will stay...and blogger will behave as it should...this has been a tricky post to make stick...lets see what happens!)
The other night, Mr. 24 came home with these lovely lilacs which had been 'procured' from several lonely, random bushes on the side of the road in our neighborhood. Luckily, especially since we don't have any of our own yet, they grow profusely here and are easily had if you have some clippers handy when driving by.
Well Mr. 24 didn't have any clippers handy, but he did have a pair of electrical wire nippers and somehow, miraculously, he managed with those (I think it might have been fun to watch)....such genius!
Since the lilacs were a bit too fluffy for the window sill, I decided to put them right in front of the sink so they could be enjoyed whilst doing dishes...and since we don't have our dishwasher put in yet, there is A-LOT of dishwashing that goes on around here.
Their heavenly scent has made the dishwashing and cooking a sublime experience...
I wonder why there aren't lilac desserts...violets are used, as are roses...why not lilac? The scent hasn't interfered with cooking at all, and has actually made me want to bake something delicate and pretty...I'll let you know if that comes to fruition.
I literally could just stare at them all day...
and I kind of did at first...as I'm sure you can tell by all the pictures (and these are just a few).
Since these beautiful flowers are so briefly with us, I just want to soak them up and take in as much of their loveliness as possible (so needless to say, I've been using as many dishes as possible throughout the day so that standing at the sink is an absolute necessity).
We're finally here...
The dreamland of spring has arrived...
And I'm taking it all in....
Won't you join me....
Seeing these lovelies about to burst forth on my walk the other day gave me hope that the show is about to begin. Nothing says spring so solidly here like her star flower...Miss. Lilac, which she prefers to be called over Miss. Siringa, her more fancy name. Either name will do for me...I just want to bask in her sweet scent and enjoy her brief yet beautiful performance, one that I wait all year for (as I'm sure you do too).
Have you ever???
I haven't! Maybe it's because I've never had a Crab Apple tree...but my goodness if I had, there probably wouldn't have been many branches left on the poor tree to enjoy out of doors!
The lovely tree in the above two pictures is right around the corner from our house...and no, I didn't get mine from there...I actually got them at a local nursery on Mother's Day! I'd never seen them for sale before...ever, and I just couldn't pass them up. Funny thing is, we were there with and for my MIL, and she insisted on purchasing them for us...she wouldn't budge on it either, so they turned into a lovely gift, one I'm very grateful for.
I've always been in love with these trees for their umbrella shape (which I know you have to assist with), but now I'm coveting them even more for their cut flower abilities...and I'm certain now that one day, several will be 
Wishing every Mom out there a uniquely beautiful day!
Happy May everyone!!! These flowers were the left over survivors from a much larger bouquet that I had received last month...their longevity has surprised me. The stems were in need of some serious trimming so I chose to re-vase them in this much lower vase than the previous one that they had called home for *two weeks*!
The little white 'vase' is one of two that I found on 
In December when these pictures were taken, my *white* hydrangeas were still wearing their fall best so I clipped a few and placed them in the 'vase'. It always amazes me how white hydrangeas can turn such vibrant colors such as 
So when I saw the two white vases on 
Both had been sitting on some shelving in the laundry room until the bouquet rescue and now the other one looks so lonely...it would be fun to use both at the same time somehow, somewhere...
and guess what.....they're 
Which means they fit perfectly on the window sill in the kitchen! Those ovals...so handy!
This is looking from our master bedroom...I was ironing and looked up and there they were. I thought it was kind of cool that I could enjoy them from there too.
So please...if anyone knows what the original use was for these 'vases'...I'd so love to know. Was it a biscuit jar, some sort of toiletry jar, a 
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