Using Flowers in the Kitchen
Index
Preparation
Flower Recipes
Bibliography
The use of floral waters in cooking dates from the Middle Ages. Orange blossom and rose were the most commonly used extracts, which, along with elderflower, gained popularity in seventeenth-century England. Nowadays floral waters are used primarily in the cuisines of India, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe, where they flavor everything from meat stews, to pastries, to after-dinner coffees. Floral waters are available in specialty stores, but be sure to use only floral waters specifically designed for cooking, since some are destined for cosmetic use only.
Preparation
When choosing flowers to use with or on foods, there are several important guidelines which should be followed. Firstly, be sure to use only edible blossoms, such as those listed here. Ensure that the flowers selected have been grown without the help of pesticides or other chemical sprays. Flowers from the florist are quite often treated, so those from a reliable source, such as an untreated home garden, are best. Even if the flowers are being used as a decoration and not as an ingredient, any flower that comes into contact with food should be suitable for human consumption. If in doubt, check with a local horticultural society or poison control center.
If gathering flowers from the garden, they should be picked early in the day and in dry weather. Rinse quickly under gently running cool water. Do not gather more than one day in advance as the blossoms wilt quickly. Before using in any preparation, remove the pistils, stamens, and the white part at the base of the petals. This is called the "heel" and, where visible, it should be cut off because it will impart a bitter flavor to the dish.
Some flowers suitable for culinary use are:
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Those muted in taste but colorful are:
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Flower Recipes
Recipes
Many flowers, such as lavender, hibiscus, heather, and rosebuds, can be dried for use out of season. One of the best uses for dried flowers is for flavoring: sugars. Grind the dry petals, then mix 1 part petals to 4 parts sugar. Let the mixture sit for at least one month to allow the flavor to mellow before using
Flavoring Butter
Fresh flowers are preferable for flavoring butter. Wrap unsalted butter in cheesecloth, place in a bowl of flower petals, and leave overnight in a cool place to infuse the butter. To best enjoy the delicate flavor, spread on thin slices of bread ands serve with flower jellies and jams.
Salads
A scattering of colorful petals and flowers is most striking when set against a background of lightly dressed salad greens. Be sure to use lettuces that match the flowers in texture and complement them in flavor. Delicate lettuces and salad herbs, such as lamb's lettuce and chervil, are best. Use a dressing that is light in vinegar or lemon juice. A highly acidic dressing will both discolor the petals and overwhelm their subtle flavor. Toss the leaves beforehand and arrange on individual plates; add the flowers just before serving for the most appealing and colorful appearance. Herb flowers, such as borage and chive, are ideal for salads, as are peppery nasturtium blossoms. Cornflowers, violets, and marigolds are also useful for their color. In sweet dishes, roses are the obvious choice, and they marry well with many fruits, especially cherries.
Orange-Flower Water Soother
Distilled from orange blossoms, orange-flower water is used to greatest effect to enhance oranges or to add a delicate perfume of flowers to to citrus fruit salads, sorbets, and candies. Like rose water, it is a powerful flavoring and should be used with restraint. As a culinary ingredient, it was most popular in Medieval times; orange-scented blancmange, still appreciated today, dates from this period. Today it enjoys great popularity in the Middle East, where a mixture of orange-flower water and sugar is often given to children before bedtime. When this drink is prepared with boiling water, it is called white coffee, and it makes a relaxing and digestive drink for all ages. To prepare, allow 1 teaspoon orange-flower water per small cup and add boiling water to fill. Sweeten with sugar or, better still, with orange-blossom honey. Although it is most commonly used to perfume puddings and pastries, a spoonful will also enhance salad dressings and stews.
Jams
Herbal preserves and jellies are very simple to make, taste wonderful and are very useful and unusual gifts. Another bonus is that jams and jellies last well and can therefore be made in advance. Better still, a store of them can be accumulated when the ingredients are in season and then you will always have a hostess gift in stock. Although the following 4 recipes mention specific herbs and flowers, the combinations you can create are almost endless. Using apple jelly as a base, you could combine apple and violet, apple and carnation and apple and lavender. Experiment and discover your own interesting flavor combinations.
Packaging Jams and Jellies
The easiest way to to decorate a present of jams and jellies is to give each jar a fabric or paper cap. There are many suitable materials to choose from: plain or colored paper, white or metallic doilies, antique linen or lace hankerchiefs, plain or printed fabrics.
Using pinking shears gives a better finish and will prevent the material fraying. A 6-inch ( 15-cm ) circle will fit the top of most jam jars, but do measure the size you need and cut accordingly. Center the circle of fabric over the top of the jam jar and hold it in place with a rubber band. Then cover the elastic band with ribbon or lace, cord or even colored shoelaces for fun.
Try to match the fabric to the contents of the jar; for example, a rose petal jelly could have a pale pink taffeta cap and a lace bow. A garden herb jelly could have a paper cap with some stencilled ivy leaves on top and garden twine to secure the cover.
Apple and Elderflower Jam
3 pounds (1.3kg) cooking apples)
1/2 pint (275 ml.) water
8 heads of elderflowers, fresh
2 pounds (900 g) sugar
Peel and core the apples and place them in a preserving pan with the elderflowers and the water. Simmer gently until the apples are soft. Add the sugar and stir until it has disolved. Bring the jam to a boil and allow it to boil rapidly until it has reached the setting point. ( If using a thermometer, the setting point is at 221. F [ 105. C ]. If not, spoon a little jam onto a chilled saucer, allow to cool and then push your finger across the surface --it will wrinkle when it has reached setting point. ) Remove the elderflowers and then pour the jam into warm, clean jars and cover each one with a circle of waxed paper.Once the jam has cooled, cover each jar will cellophane and add a label.
Damson and Rose Petal Jam
3 pounds ( 1.3 kg ) damsons
12 large scented roses, pink or dark red
2 1/2 pounds ( 1.1 kg ) granulated sugar
4 tablespoons ( 60 ml ) water
Pull the roses apart and discard the centers and stems. Trim the white part from the base of each petal. Wash the petals and tear in small pieces. Wash the damsons well and remove the stones. Place the damsons in a preserving pan and add the rose petals and water. Simmer gently for approximately 30 minutes, stirring regularly. Warm the sugar in the oven. Add the warmed sugar to the damson mixture and stir until dissolved. Boil about 15 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the rose petals falling to the bottom of the mixture. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then stir well and and pour into warm clean jars and cover each one with a waxed paper disc. Once the jam has cooled, cover each jar with cellophane and add a label.
Jellies
Scented Geranium Jelly
6 pounds (2.6 kg ) eating apples
50 lemon-scented geranium leaves
2 pints ( 1.2 L ) water
granulated sugar
Place the chopped apples, washed geranium leaves and water in a preserving pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Ladle into a jelly bag or piece of muslin and allow to drip through overnight. Measure the liquid and add 1 lb ( 450 g ) of sugar for every pint ( 600 ml ) of liquid. Simmer in a preserving pan until the sugar dissolves, then boil rapidly for ten minutes. Remove from the heat, pour into clean, warm jars and cover with waxed circles of paper. When cool, cover each jar with cellophane and add a label.
Rose Jelly
4 pounds ( 1.8 kg ) green apples
2 pints ( 1.2 L ) water
6 large scented pink or red roses
rosewater
granulater sugar
Place the apples and water in a pan and simmer until soft, about 45 minutes. Strain the liguid through a jelly bag or piece of muslin overnight. Measure the strained liquid and add 1 pound ( 450 g ) of sugar for every pint ( 600 ml ) of liquid. Place in a preserving pan and simmer well until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the petals from 5 of the roses and cut the white parts off the base of the petals. Add to the pan and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then remove all the rose petals with a slotted spoon. Add the petals from the last rose (removing all white parts from the base of the petals ) plus about 8 drops of rosewater, and stir. Pour into clean warm jars and cover with waxed paper circles. Once cool, cover each jar with cellophane and add a label.
Preparing Cordials
To prepare simple cordials, sweeten store-bought floral waters and blend with water, or use fresh or dried flowers to make a syrup (see below) and create more original beverages. Choose highly scented edible blossoms, because these will make for the most flavorful syrups. Elderflowers, roses, violets, clove-scented pinks, primroses, lilacs, and orange blossoms are all intensely pefumed to make delicious syrups.
In hot weather, cordials are more refreshing when diluted with chilled soda water or sparkling fruit juice, or they can be combined with sparkling or still wine for an unusual aperitif. In cold weather, teas or tisanes can be mixed with floral syrups for a warm and soothing drink, or combine syrups with hot mulled cider or wine, and wintery spices such as cloves and cinnamon sticks.
Floral syrups can also be used to flavor candies, custards, cakes, fresh fruit salads, ice creams, and sorbets. A tablespoon or two of a floral syrup can also add a subtle difference to a salad dressing, barbecue sauce, marinade, or dipping sauce.
Making Floral Syrup
For a basic syrup, place about 1 lb (500 g) flower petals (white heels removed) in a saucepan and add 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of water, or more if necessary to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, and infuse for 30 minutes. Strain and return to the pan with 1 3/4 cups (350 g) sugar, or to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Infuse the petals alone or create floral, fruit, herb, and spice combinations: violets sweetened with honey, hawthorn or may blossoms with with borage flowers, elderflowers and orange blossoms with dried apple.
Rosehip Syrup
Very high in vitamin C, and delicious over ice cream or as a base for fruit salads.
2 pounds (900 g ) rosehips, finely chopped
5 pints ( 3 L ) water
1 pound ( 450 g ) granulated sugar
Place 3 1/2 pints ( 2.1 L ) of water in a large saucepan and add the rosehips. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat and leave for 15 minutes. Ladle the mixture into a jelly bag or double thickness of muslin and leave to drain for several hours. Return the pulp to the saucepan with the remaining water and bring to a boil. Leave as before then strain through the jelly bag or muslin. Pour the liquor into a saucepan and simmer until it reduces to approximately 1 1/2 to 2 pints ( 900 ml to 1.2 L ) and add the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and boil for 5 minutes. Allow to cool a little and pour into clean, warm bottles and cork securely.
Vinegars
It takes only seconds to place washed flower petals into jars and cover with oil or vinegar. When packaged in attractive bottles you have a lovely and unusual gift. Again I have given a rose recipe but any edible flowers can be used; conbinations of flowers and citrus make especially delicious vinegars.
Rose Petal Vinegar
Fill a jar with washed, trimmed rose petals ( white sections near the base of the petal removed ) from a dark red or pink scented rose bush. Press down well and cover with white wine vinegar. Leave in a moderately warm place for a month, then strain and bottle.
Stuffed Zucchini Flowers
Serves 4
12-14 zucchini flowers
1 cup (250 g) ricotta cheese
4 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 small bunch fresh basil, chopped
freshly grated nutmeg
1 eggs, beaten
Salt
3/4 cup (90 g) all purpose flour, sifted
Vegetable oil for frying
Rinse the flowers and pat dry. In a bowl, combine the cheeses, basil, nutmeg, and egg, and season to taste. Fill each flower with the mixture and close, twisting the top to seal. In a bowl, whisk the flour with 1 cup (250 ml) water added gradually; it should resemble heavy cream. Heat the oil in a skillet. Dip each flower in the batter and fry until golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side. drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot.
Crystallizing Rose Petals
The ideal dessert decoration, crystallized rose petals can be bought or made at home. Separate the petals and trim away any white parts. Be sure to work in a dry enviornment, because they are very sensitive to humidity. Many other edible flowers can be crystallized, including violets and borage.
1. Dissolve 2 oz (60 g) gum arabic (or edible gum) in 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) warmed rose water. Allow to cool.(Gum arabic is found in specialty stores.)
2. With tweezers, dip each petal into the rosewater mixture and coat lightly and evenly. Shake the petal gently to remove excess liquid.
3. Dip the coated petals into sugar and place on waxed paper to dry. Store in an airtight container lined with waxed paper.
Rose Petal Ice Cream
Serves 6
2 cups (500ml) milk
Petals from one large rose, or to taste, rinsed
8 egg yolks
10 tablespoons sugar
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream, whipped
Red food coloring (optional)
Fresh or crystallized rose petals for garnish
Place the milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the rose petals, cover, and infuse for 15 minutes. In a large heatproof bowl, beat together the egg yolks and the sugar until thick. Strain the rose petals out of the milk and then return the milk to the boiling point. Pour a little of the hot milk onto the yolk mixture and whisk to blend, then pour it all into the saucepan of milk, lower the heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until thick. Draw your finger across the back of the wooden spoon: if it leaves a clear mark, the mixture is cooked. Cool, then fold in the cream and food coloring. Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Garnish with rose petals and serve immediately.
Summer Punch
Makes about 4 1/2 cups (1 liter)
1 orange, sliced
1 apple, sliced
1 tablespoon orange-flower water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups (1 liter) sparkling water or tonic water
1/2 cup (125 ml) floral syrup, such as elderflower
Lemon and orange slices for garnish
In a large pitcher, combine the orange, apple, orange-flower water, and vanilla. Pour over the sparkling water or the tonic water, cover, and leave to infuse for at least 2 hours. Alternatively, refrigerate for slightly longer. Stir in the elderflower syrup. Serve over ice cubes, and garnish with the lemon and orange slices.
Reference sources for the information pages:
Smith, Miranda, Your Backyard Herb Garden (Rodale Gardening, 1997)
Small butterfly courtesy of Moyra's Web Jewels
