Honey Lavender Mousse Parfaits

The French have long understood what Americans are only now discovering: lavender belongs in the kitchen as much as the garden. This is not some modern invention. Herbes de Provence has included lavender for generations, and the cooks of southern France have been folding it into creams and custards since before anyone thought to write such things down. What we're making here honors that tradition while embracing the American instinct to make fine food portable.

A mousse should taste like eating a cloud that someone has flavored. The technique isn't difficult, but it demands attention. You'll infuse cream with lavender, strain it, chill it, then whip it into soft peaks that hold their shape without becoming stiff. The honey goes in warm so it incorporates smoothly. Rush this and you'll have sweet scrambled cream. Patience rewards you with something ethereal.

I've served these parfaits at backyard gatherings from Portland to Providence. They travel beautifully in a cooler, and there's something genuinely lovely about handing someone a glass of layered purple and pink and gold as the sun goes down. The shortbread provides crunch against the silk of the mousse. The raspberries offer tartness that keeps the honey from cloying. Each layer has a job. Each layer does it well.