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Edible Flowers—Blossoming Recipes
The culinary use of flowers dates back thousands of years. Many different cultures have incorporated flowers into their traditional foods. Oriental dishes make use of daylily buds, the Romans used mallow, rose and violets, Italian and Hispanic cultures gave us stuffed squash blossoms, and Asian Indians use rose petals in many recipes.
If you haven't cultivated your own garden, try exploring gourmet markets, specialty spice stores or farmer's markets. Some of the more popular edible flowers are begonias, pansies, roses, violets, lavender, poppies, primrose, nasturtium, daisies, dandelion, and zucchini flowers. Just remember to remove pistils and stamens from flowers before eating. Eat only the flower petals for most flowers. Do not eat flowers from florists, nurseries or garden centers. In many cases these flowers have been treated with pesticides not labeled for food crops.
- Apple Blossom Infused Honey
- Lavender Punch
- Sauteed Maine Halibut with a Citrus Marigold Sauce & Lemon Candy
- Glossary of Common Edible Flowers
Apple Blossom Infused Honey
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
1 cup clover honey
1 cup loosely packed apple blossoms (washed and spun dry)
Method:
1) Warm honey over a double boiler until it reaches 100 degrees F.
2) Pour over the apple blossoms.
3) Serve when cooled.
*Serve with a good blue cheese, such as Roquefort or Stilton.
Lavender Punch
6 teaspoons dried mint
6 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon dried lavender blossoms
1 liter ginger ale
1 cup purple grape juice
ice cubes with fresh mint leaf frozen in each
Brew the mint in the water in a teapot for ten minutes. Add the lavender blossoms to the pot. Allow tea to cool. Strain the tea and add the ginger ale, grape juice and ice cubes. If serving in a punch bowl, float lavender buds and mint sprigs on top.
Dandelion Salad
4 cups dandelion leaves
4 cups romaine lettuce leaves
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup chive flowers
1 cup chopped dandelion flowers
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari
2 teaspoons lime juice
Wash and dry the greens. Tear into bite size pieces. Place greens, tomatoes and chives in a large pretty bowl and toss well. Add the dressing and garnish with the chive and dandelion flowers.
For a Special Occasion
Sauteed Maine Halibut with a Citrus Marigold Sauce & Lemon Candy
from Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier of Arrows Restaurant - Ogunquit, Maine
Citrus marigolds are some of our favorite flowers to work with because of their intense lemony-spicy flavor that is quite easy to impart into sauces and other applications. For this sauce we infuse the flowers into a simple beurre blanc.
Yield: serves 6
6 6-7 ounce halibut filets
3 tablespoons clarified butter
For Sauce:
10 peppercorns
6 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup white wine
6 tarragon stems
1/2 pound butter
1/2 cup picked citrus marigolds
salt and pepper
For Citrus Candy:
Julienned strips of six lemons
3 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups water
1) Combine the peppercorns, lemon juice, white wine, and tarragon stems
and simmer until reduced by two thirds. Reduce heat and whisk in the butter.
Pour sauce through a fine sieve. Adjust seasonings.
2) Heat three cups sugar and two cups water to a boil. Blanch the zest
in the sugar water for three minutes. Strain out the zest and immediately
toss in the remaining sugar and set aside.
3) Sauté the halibut filets in the clarified butter until golden
brown. Place a pool of the beurre blanc on each plate and place filet
in the pool. Sprinkle the sauce with the citrus marigolds and lace a
portion of the lemon candy on each filet.
Common Edible Flowers
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva)
Scented geranium (Pelargonium species) flowers come in fragrances from citrus and spice to fruits and flowers, and usually in colors of pinks and pastels. Sprinkle them over desserts and in refreshing drinks or freeze in ice cubes.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) flowers look beautiful and taste good too in a glass of champagne, with chocolate cake, or as a garnish for sorbets or ice creams. Lavender lends itself to savory dishes also, from hearty stews to wine-reduced sauces.
Marigold (Tagetes species) petals can be sprinkled on salads, open-faced sandwiches, herb butter, pasta or rice, and steamed vegetables before serving.
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) come in varieties ranging from trailing to upright and in brilliant sunset colors with peppery flavors. Use entire flowers to garnish platters, salads, cheese tortas, open-faced sandwiches, and savory appetizers.
Roses (Rosa species) in miniature varieties can garnish ice cream and desserts, or larger petals can be sprinkled on desserts or salads. Freeze them in ice cubes and float them in punches also. Crystallized petals or entire miniature roses are quite lovely.
Violets (Viola odorata) eat the tender leaves in salads and use the flowers to beautifully embellish desserts and iced drinks. Related flowers, Johnny jump-ups or violas, and pansies now come in colorful purples and yellows to apricot and pastel hues. Freeze them in punches. All of these flowers make pretty adornments for frosted cakes, sorbets, or any other desserts, and they may be crystallized as well.
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