Recipe: Lavender Chicken with Avocado Cream Sauce on a Bed of Linguine

LAVENDER CHICKEN WITH AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE ON A BED OF LINGUINE

"Serve this at parties and your guests won't stop talking about it. Basic pasta and chicken are greatly enhanced by unexpected ingredients: Cognac, avocados, gorgonzola, pistachios, and - of course - lavender."

1 pound dry linguine pasta
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon dried culinary "Provence" lavender buds, finely ground in a spice grinder
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
2 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or Cambozola cheese
1/3 cup unsalted pistachio nuts, toasted
and coarsely chopped (garnish)
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped (garnish)

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes, or until just tender to the bite. Drain well, return the pasta to the pot, and set over low heat. Add 4 tablespoons of the butter and stir until the butter melts and coats the strands (this prevents the pasta from sticking).

While the pasta water boils, cut each chicken breast into 6 or 7 strips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over high heat until hot but not browned. Add the chicken. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the mushrooms, shallot, and lavender to the skillet. Stir for 3 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the cream, broth, and Cognac or brandy. Stir into the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in the chicken and heat through.

Halve, pit, and peel the avocados. Dice 1 avocado and stir into the skillet.

Slice the other avocado into 1/2-inch wedges and place in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat.

Transfer the pasta to a serving platter and top with the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese. Garnish with the pistachios and parsley. Toss the avocado wedges with the lemon juice and arrange on the platter.

Makes 4 to 6 servings
Source: The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley