Moving a little bit away from the usual recipes today, I want to share something rather unusual: the use of flowers in food. This is not all that unusual because lavender, jasmine, marigold and nasturtiums have been used as food for centuries now. How? We’ll see.
Nasturtiums can be a great addition to salads. They add just the amount of delicate piquant flavor to salads.
Scented geraniums and borage flowers can be used to decorate the tops of lemons, and believe me, the aroma is amazing.
Crystallize primrose flowers by mixing a spoon of Gum Arabic in a tablespoon of rose water. Set aside till it becomes a thick paste and then paint it on the petals of the flowerets. Dip these in superfine syrup and leave to dry and become crisp. They can be used later to decorate cakes. To store them, put them in an airtight container.
Soft creamy puddings can be decorated with rose petals.
Put lavender flowers in lemon syrup or a fruit sorbet for a beautifully perfumed flavor.
Put water in an ice tray and drop tiny flowers or petals in it, put some more water and let it freeze. The flower gets set in th middle of the cube and can make wonderfully unique ice cubes for your drinks next time.
Tulips can be used to hold mousse and small amounts of dessert.
In general, edible flowers include: carnation, chrysanthemum, hibiscus, red clover, scented geranium, tulip, lavender, rose, apple, chervil, chive, *English* (not American) daisy, oxeye daisy, day lily, calendula, elderberry, lilac, mustard, nasturtium, orange, garden pea, plum, arugula, rosemary, sage, squash, violets, johnny-jump-ups, pansy, grape hyacinth (muscari), honeysuckle, lemon, pumpkin and squash blossoms.
Why this sudden post? Well, I have been working on dried flowers for sometime now, and it is the mot wonderful project one can work on. It got me all sucked in, so I began looking around for what else to do with flowers, hence…