Instructions: My love affair with what the French call blue gold began when I was pregnant. While wading down the aisles of a toney boutique in San Francisco, feeling like the protagonist of Raffis childrens song, Baby Beluga, I discovered a vial of lavender oil. After that, I placed a few drops in my bath every day, becoming a firm believer in the relaxation properties of this fragrant plant.

I dont think its a coincidence that when searching for our first home in California years later, we chose one with a huge stand of lavender in the front yard. As I brushed against it, releasing its fragrance, my curiosity grew about cooking with lavender.

It turns out that the French, particularly in Provence, have a long tradition of using lavender in their cooking. As French author Jean Giono observed, Lavender is the soul of Haute-Provence.

Most of the lavender harvested there now is destined for the perfume and cosmetics industries, but some makes it way into the kitchen. The French produce aromatic lavender honeys. Herbes de Provence is a blend of dried herbs that often contains lavender and is used to season poultry, meat, fish and vegetables. And lavender honey ice cream is considered a French classic.

While lavender grows profusely in the Bay Area, I was disappointed to learn that my stand of Spanish lavender should be enjoyed solely in the garden because its flavor is too strong.

So while it may be tempting to forage some nearby flowers, when cooking with lavender not just any variety will do.

I feel Provence (Lavandula x intermedia `Provence) is the most suitable culinary lavender because it doesnt have much camphor, which can be overpowering in food, says Susan Ditz of Rancho Alegre, a lavender farm in Pescadero.

However, if you happen to have English lavender (Lavandula angustofolia) in your garden, which includes such well-known cultivars as Munstead and Hidcote, this will work as well. Jerry Traunfeld, chef of the Herbfarm near Seattle, which grows more than 100 herbs for use in cooking, prefers English lavender in the kitchen.

Lavender belongs to the Labiatae family, which includes marjoram, mint, rosemary, sage and thyme. While its exact origins are obscure, its use dates back thousands of years. The Egyptians used it in the mummification process.

Lavender scented the public baths of Rome, providing one possible origin of its name from the Latin lavare (to wash). And the Romans may well have brought it to England, where there are references to it in botanical and medicinal manuscripts written during the Middle Ages by Benedictine monks.

When I visited Rancho Alegre, Ditz handed me a few fragrant sprigs of Provence. This is the second year she and her husband, Fred Brittle, have grown lavender on their five-acre farm. With 4,200 plants encompassing 20 varieties, Rancho Alegre already ranks among the countrys top 10 percent of lavender growers.

Ditz definitely possesses a flair for cooking and has created numerous lavender dishes, such as her signature Stud Muffins. Since studies have shown that the aroma men respond to the most is a combination of lavender and pumpkin, I have developed my own special recipe, she says. Though the recipe is a secret, the muffins will be available next month at the Pescadero Art and Fun Festival.

She has discovered myriad other ways to cook with lavender.

Ditz adds a teaspoon of dried lavender to summer berry crisps. She makes lavender sugar by placing a few handfuls of lavender flowers in a jar of sugar for two weeks and then grinding the mixture in a food mill when needed. It can replace regular sugar in baked goods, such as shortbread.

We use the dried stems as flavorful skewers for chicken, fish and lamb, she says. Or sometimes we soak them and place on top of barbecue coals to add a savory smoke.

Lavender also marries well with flavors such as chocolate, caramel and lemon, and can be substituted in recipes calling for rosemary.

But cooks new to lavender should use it judiciously. The flavor can overpower a dish and impart a soapy flavor.

As Ditz advises, You can always add more.

Bruno Lopez, the executive chef at the new Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay, is also a fan of Provence lavender, which he incorporates in both savory and sweet dishes. Given his commitment to working with local farms and using regional products, its not surprising the hotel and Rancho Alegre found each

A native of France, Lopez discovered lavender as a child.

My mother is from Provence, and everyone kept a small bag of lavender in their closets. I began experimenting with lavender in my cooking years ago, beginning with a sweet-and-sour duck breast, says Lopez, who also uses lavender in a crusted rack of lamb as well as a thyme-lavender ice cream.

Sharon Shipley of Mon Cheri Cooking School & Caterers in Sunnyvale is such an avid lavender enthusiast that she frequently travels to Provence and brings back French varieties to try.

Lavender is a staple in many French desserts such as ice cream, sorbets and custards. Sometimes tortes use lavender-flavored butter creams, Shipley says.

I like to infuse lavender in buttermilk and add it to pound cake.

She uses the flowers to make lavender vinegar or candies them, like rose petals, by lightly coating them with egg white, dusting them with superfine sugar and drying for four to eight hours.

Shipley also loves how lavender complements fish, especially halibut, shrimp and scallops.

Given lavenders versatility, its easy to experiment by adding it to recipes. Sprinkle some finely chopped fresh flowers on a fruit salad. Use lavender as a dry rub for meats or fish. Or soothe those frazzled nerves at the end of the day with a lavender tisane (herbal tea). Just steep an ounce of dried or fresh flowers in two cups boiling water and drink hot or cold.

Just as I did when I was expecting, Ditz says she has experienced lavenders relaxation effect firsthand.

Last summer I kept wondering why I felt sleepy in the afternoons when working in the fields, says Ditz. Then I realized it was the lavender.

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