The Grapefruit Experiment - Lavender

I am back to my experimenting with grapefruit.  This time the marinade was grapefruit juice with culinary grade lavender.  It smelled good when I took the chicken thighs out of the marinade, but I was still skeptical, given that not all my experiments have yielded great results.  Again, I started baking the chicken at 500 degrees for 15 minutes, then lowered this time to 375 for 30 minutes.  The skin turned out crispier this time.

I reduced the marinade while it the chicken was baking, straining out the lavender buds for the last 10 minutes of reduction.  The result was a very fragrant sauce.  When I took the chicken out of the oven, it too had a wonderful aroma.

The true test was the eating.  I plated it up with corn, pouring a little sauce over it.  When I took my first bite, I was surprised…it worked!  The combination turned out to be an excellent pairing.  The lavender infused very nicely with the grapefruit, without overpowering it.  It was very subtle.  I will definitely try this pairing again, perhaps with some other citrus in a marinade again. 

I can definitely recommend using the lavender with grapefruit, especially if you want a delicate, subtle flavor.