I've made a lemon lavender curd in the traditional manner for years. I use lavender-infused sugar (regular sugar stored with organic lavender for several days, then strained) and both lavender and meyers lemon zest in the curd. The whole mess is strained after cooking. I just made a batch using this method and noticed that the lavender component is reduced to a bare hint. I'm thinking that because the cooking time is so much less, the lavender volatilizes less. Anyone have any ideas? It may have to do with how old the lavender sugar is; the volatile compounds in it may be slowly dissipating over time. You could increase the amount of lavender you're putting in before straining it back out. Since microwaves cook by agitating the molecules in the food from the inside out, I suspect you may be losing more of the lavender's oils than you realize using this method. Does the inside of the microwave smell of lavender when you open it? It would also be interesting to see if cooking the curd with a loose covering of waxed paper makes a difference. Susan

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