Serendipitous Lilac Treats (They Do Exist!)

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!)