Cooking With Edible Flowers

Story & Photos By GAIL BLAKELY

“Eat your flowers” may become the new “eat your vegetables.” There seems to be a renewed interest in home gardening, perhaps as a consequence of the pandemic. Whatever the reason, more people are looking to use flowers in cooking and baking, and not just for a garnish. Whether you have an extensive garden, complete with fences to keep out rabbits and other interested parties, or just a small window box to plant, or a couple of large pots on your deck, choosing, growing and cooking edible flowers are easy. And it’s a wonderful way to add color, texture and flavor to your meals.

Many edible flowers are attached to herbs, and sometimes the tastes are subtle (marjoram, bergamot, lavender). Other times they are more bold (mint, basil, sage, chives). Some are from plants not considered to be in the herb family (orchids, lilies, pansies, dandelions). Often home cooks choose to grow the basics, as in “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.” All of these offer flowers at some point in their growth, but with the array of options now available, you can

choose a wider variety—and have fun experimenting at the same time.

What’s important is that you have them nearby, which means close to the kitchen. If you only have a deck for pots or a window box or two, that will do. If you have a larger garden located farther from your kitchen, plant them there, but be ready to keep a vase of water for somewhere in the kitchen, so that you can fill it with fresh cut stems. That allows you to pick a few blossoms and scatter them on your salad or add them to your muffins or cupcakes. A few stalks of fresh basil will provide leaves that will make quite an impact when torn and scattered over your freshly baked pizza.

Making compound butters with edible flowers is a particularly easy way to include them in your meals. Most home cooks are familiar with the magic that fresh thyme imparts on roast chicken, rosemary on lamb, sage with pork, baked potatoes with chives. Often we forget about the flowers, however, with the exception perhaps of the more obvious ones: chive blossoms, nasturtiums and zucchini flowers.

Over the years, I have watched as the herb selection in our local nurseries has expanded considerably. I also know that seed packets of easy-to-grow herbs such as nasturtiums are difficult to find as the warmer months approach. I try to get my nasturtium shopping done by April—otherwise, I have had to order online. This seems to indicate that both dedicated gardeners and passionate home cooks have discovered the delight of adding fresh flowers to their culinary efforts—in this case, usually with great success.

Just as in foraging for mushrooms, however, using edible blossoms in cooking comes with some cautionary advice. That’s where the experts can be especially helpful. The books featured here are excellent resources for both experienced and novice gardeners who are interested in learning more about this subject; there are many others available as well, but I think these are two of the best.

For those who want to incorporate edible flowers into their everyday cooking, “The Edible Flower Garden” by Kathy Brown is an excellent guide to choosing, growing and cooking these blooms. Ms. Brown explains the history of flowers in the pantry from 16th-century Europe to today. Making candied flowers, floral drinks and salads is just the beginning. Adding them to sauces, oils, vinegars and sugars is a time-honored tradition.

History tells us the Romans used fennel, alpine pinks, violets and roses in their dishes, and lavender in their sauces. Prior to that, pot marigolds, lilies and chrysanthemums had been included in Eastern cooking for centuries. I can still remember the first time I tasted a honeysuckle blossom: walking past a hedge as a young girl, picking a flower, putting it to my mouth and being totally enchanted by the sweetness of the nectar.

More than half a century later, I am still pursuing that special moment and enjoying sharing it with others. Whether it’s serving thyme butter balls on top of steaming, roasted carrots or infusing purple basil flowers in oil to drizzle over a summer salad, there’s something of a “wow” factor involved when serving dishes that include these glorious blooms. Ms. Brown’s book has inspired me to play with various plant schemes: combining rosemary with lemon balm, variegated mint, violas, marjoram and red daisies in a large pot, or perhaps a basket of blue and white violets, with primrose and feverfew for some “early spring enchantment.” The mixing of pot marigolds (calendula) with two different types of parsley is also appealing—just be sure to use culinary marigolds, not the so-called African marigolds.

Scented geraniums can be planted with lemon verbena to produce a delightful aroma: lemon, spice, peppermint and orange are only a few choices for this. Day lilies have long been a favorite flower in Chinese cooking, and they are exceptionally easy to grow locally. Both the buds and petals can be eaten—use them in stir fries and salads.

Throughout her book, Ms. Brown provides us with various cooks’ tips that are invaluable. She encourages us to add borage flowers to a summer punch, adding some cucumber slices and mint for complementary taste. Bright purple borage flowers perched atop the fuzzy leaves have been used in cooking since ancient times. This plant has a long flowering period, which means it is available to use with lots of summer fruits, from early strawberries to raspberries, and on to peaches and apricots later in the season.

 

Summer Punch

(Adapted from “The Edible Flower Garden”)

Several sprigs of borage

¼ of a cucumber

1 small orange

½ bottle of Pimm’s, chilled (an English liqueur)

Several sprigs of mint and/or lemon balm

1 bottle lemonade, ginger beer or ginger ale

Prepare the flowers by gently removing each flower head and set aside, reserving the stalks; halve the cucumber lengthwise, then cut it into very thin slices. Chop the orange into small chunks (skin on), and put the orange and cucumber in a large glass jug or pitcher. Add the Pimm’s, mint and/or lemon balm, followed by the borage stalks and some ice cubes. Mix in the lemonade, ginger beer or ale, and stir very gently; serve in tall glasses with borage flowers on top of each glass.

Stir-Fried Duck With Day Lilies

(Adapted from
“The Edible Flower Garden”)

1 lb lean duck breast

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 slices root ginger, shredded

3 tbsp vegetable oil

4 scallions, sliced lengthwise

20 day lily buds, sliced lengthwise

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sherry

Petals from 4 day lilies

2 tsp cornstarch

Cooked and drained noodles, for serving

Cut the duck into small pieces and place it in a bowl with the ginger and garlic; pour 1 tbsp oil over the duck, stir and let marinate for half an hour. Heat the remaining oil in a wok or deep skillet, and add the spring onions and day lily buds; stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the duck with its marinade and cook for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sherry and flower petals, and cook for 2 minutes more; add the cornstarch mixture and cook for another minute, stirring until thickened. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste; serve over a bed of cooked noodles, and scatter with more fresh day lily petals.

People tend to forget that rose petals are edible. Roses are an extremely versatile edible flower that can be used in sorbets or crystallized with sugar, or used just to decorate a summer cake. This leads us directly to “Botanical Baking,” a book by Juliet Sear. As you can gather from the cover, this book includes both contemporary baking as well as cake decorations with edible flowers and herbs. The frontispiece is simply gorgeous—I think it’s designed to embolden the reader to pick some buds and turn on the oven.

The author is British, so there are plenty of charming names for what you might make: lavender biscuits and meringue lollies, for example. Desserts include a pistachio, mint and yogurt cake, along with an apple blossom loaf cake that is on my “to try” list. Ms. Sear also describes a bold botanical leaf cake that is actually a two-tier vanilla sponge cake, with vanilla buttercream—decorated with large edible foliage, including pineapple sage leaves, Peruvian marigold leaves, purple sweet potato leaves and optional small accent flowers. As if that’s not enough, she encourages us to use the same cake but decorated it with various colorful dried edible flowers: roses, pansies, oregano and mint flowers.

This may seem slightly intimidating to the average home baker, yet Ms. Sear is passionate about edible flowers: “Even the most novice baker can create stunning wedding worthy designs by creatively placing or decorating with flowers.” And it’s true, as you can see from the simple flower garnishes on the accompanying photos. Fans of “The Great British Bake Off” will swoon over this book; average home bakers, such as this writer, will be inspired.

Whatever you want to do with your edible blooms—suspend them in sugar, crystallize them, freeze them in ice, press them or dry them, or make them into syrup—this book will show you how. Ms. Sear also includes a glossary of sorts, based on “flower flavor,” which describes almost 30 different plants, their flavor profiles and a few notes to explain how best to showcase them.

Apple Blossom Loaf Cake

(Adapted from “Botanical Baking”)

3½ oz salted butter, cut up

9 oz self-rising flour

4½ oz muscovado sugar (unrefined brown sugar)

3 to 4 tsp ground ginger

2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

3½ oz confectioners’ sugar

1 to 2 tsp apple juice

Apple blossoms

In a large bowl, rub the butter and flour together until you have a breadcrumb consistency; add the sugar and ginger, and mix well. Stir in the apples; in another bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla and add to the apple mixture. Scrape the batter into a lined and greased loaf pan, and bake in a preheated 335° Fahrenheit oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until cooked through and golden. Leave in the pan to cool, then remove the cake to a serving plate. Mix the confectioners’ sugar with the apple juice until runny; drizzle this generously over the apple cake, allowing it to drip down the sides, and scatter the apple blossom petals on top before serving.

Friends and family often call me the nasturtium queen, and in my weekly food column for the Enterprise, “Gourmets and Good Eaters,” I have often extolled the virtues of this simple plant. Perhaps I was influenced when I was in college in Boston and visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum one time in April. If you don’t choose to look at either of the above-mentioned books, a trip, either real or virtual, to that special place will definitely motivate you to plant a few nasturtium seeds this spring.

More than just a garnish, edible flowers can be source of delight for any home cook. Remember, when you purchase a bag of salad greens from Coonamessett Farm, those colorful nasturtiums are much more than eye candy. They are there to be eaten—as yours will be, should you choose to include them in your meals. Their subtle taste, and glorious colors, will add an extra dimension to many of your best-loved dishes.

Let the blossoms do the work for you. Simply mix chopped flowers, such as peppery nasturtium, borage and pansies, into softened goat cheese. Shape them into rounds, and pat more flowers on top. You can use any edible flowers here, and the addition of arugula or watercress provides a nice contrast.

Vibrant Goat
Cheese Appetizer

(Adapted from
www.marthastewart.com)

2 large logs fresh goat cheese, at room temperature

1 cup packed arugula, coarsely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups loosely packed edible blossoms and leaves, coarsely chopped

Stir 1 goat cheese log in a bowl until smooth; mix in arugula or watercress along with a few grinds of black pepper. In another bowl, stir remaining goat cheese lob until smooth and mix in 1½ cups flowers and leaves, seasoning again with some pepper. Form each mixture into 2 or 3 disks, each about ½ inch thick. Roll each disk in remaining blossoms, and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet; chill for at least 30 minutes, then remove to a pretty serving platter and serve with crackers or baguette rounds.