cbrm-cooking with flowers

Like most of you, I am aware that violas and dandelion greens can be added to salads, and that fried squash blossoms are really tasty. Last year I made a fine rose petal jam, but that is about the extent of my knowledge when it comes to edible flowers. Boy do I have a lot to learn.

Cooking With Flowers: Sweet and Savory Recipes with Rose Petals, Lilacs, Lavender, and Other Edible Flowers by Miche Bacher offers up more ideas than I thought possible. Miche Bacher is an herbalist, chef, and the founder of Mali B Sweets. She takes that knowledge and pours it into a cookbook unlike any I have seen before.

Pistachio Rose Shortbread

Nasturtium Pizza

 

White Pepper Thumbprint Cookies With Lilac Jam

Hibiscus Popsicles

Elderflower Lemon Cakelets

Fig and Rose Cream Trifle

The chapters are broken up by type of flower. Calendulas, Dandelions, Day Lilies, Dianthus, Elderflowers, Geraniums, Herb Flowers, Hibiscus and Hollyhocks, Lilacs, Nasturtiums, Orchids, Pansies and Violas, Roses, Squash Blossoms, Sunflowers, Tulips, and Violets. Who knew?!?

Many of these flowers are growing in my own yard or in pots on the deck. I am an organic gardener so have no qualms about picking flowers to eat. If you are an apartment dweller, your local farmers market would be a great place to start a search for these edible beauties. Also, when at the nursery last weekend i noticed they had an entire section of edible flowers! Clearly this is an up and coming cooking trend.

The final chapter in the book includes many "basic" recipes for candied flowers, flower syrups, flower hard candies, flower butter and cheeses, flower glazes, flower jams, flower vodkas (!), flower wines, flower teas, flower vinegars, flower whipped creams, flower frostings, flower sorbets, flower lemonades, and more. If there is something that can be made using flowers, you will find it here.

ThIs book will make a great gift for the cook or gardener in your life as it is unlikely they have anything similar on their shelves. The pages of Cooking With Flowers are thick and luxurious, and the photography is sure to inspire. And flower vodkas!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Comments

[kate]

Chive flowers are my new favourite - more oniony than the chive, sort of like a red onion. I'm making chive vinegar and it went pink in just a couple of hours!

[Sonja Kosler]

yum, yum, and yum again!