Baked! Lavender scones with lemon cream.

I think the thing that initially drew me to these scones was the fact that they sounded so springlike. I mean, just the words "lavender scones" make you think of a Southern brunch on someone's front porch, don't they?

And I love lavender. I love its scent most of all -- so soothing -- but I also really enjoy the taste. That being said, it is so easy to overwhelm a dish with these little purple buds, and I'm always afraid I'm going to put too many of them into whatever recipe I'm making and end up with something that tastes like a bar of soap. Yuck.

Luckily, these scones have the perfect lavender balance. The flavor is distinct, but not overwhelming, and the scones are tender and moist with a perfect golden brown crust thanks to a coating of buttermilk and a sprinkle of sugar. Plus, they come together so easily -- you don't even have to wait for the butter that's called for to come to room temperature (the secret to a scone's buttery, flaky crumb.)

P.S. I bought lavender buds at my local Penzey's Spices.
P.P.S. I have now typed the word "scone" so many times that it's lost all meaning.

OK, so that's the scone part. The lemon cream part is kind of a funny story.

Part of the thing that drew me to this recipe was that the author suggested that these scones be served with lemon curd -- storebought, specifically. But I wondered how hard it would be to make my own curd, and found a recipe that looked super-easy. Basically, you heat lemon juice, sugar and eggs over simmering water while whisking constantly until the mixture thickens, then pour the whole thing into a blender and add pieces of cold butter one at a time.

Alas -- and I kind of can't believe I'm admitting this -- I don't have a blender (or an immersion blender, at that -- mine broke). No, I have a Magic Bullet knockoff. So I ended up having to add a piece of butter, blend, remove the lid of my psuedo-Bullet, add another piece of butter, blend, etc., etc. And instead of lemon curd, I got lemon cream.

But guess what? The lemon cream is delicious. It's light and tart and sweet and decadent, and while it tastes amazing on these scones, it's also super delicious with fresh strawberries. Don't you just love happy accidents?

Lavender scones
Lemon curd