Edible flowers add subtle nuance of flavor, texture

The use of flowers as food is not new. Edible flowers were especially popular in the Victorian era during Queen Victoria's reign, and they are back in vogue again.

The use of flowers as food is not new. Edible flowers were especially popular in the Victorian era during Queen Victoria's reign, and they are back in vogue again.

The culinary industry has embraced edible flowers not only for their appearance as a garnish, but also for their subtle nuance of flavor and texture. We don't often think of flowers as food, and when we hear the word horticulture, we think of fruits and vegetables. The world of floriculture encompasses the production of flowers and ornamental plants; generally, cut flowers, pot plants, and greenery, and is a branch (pun intended) of horticulture which is defined as plant agriculture dealing with garden crops, generally fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants. Floriculture is gaining its place in the food chain.

Most of us are familiar with edible flowers in the form of teas such as chamomile, hibiscus and elderflower. We also recognize lavender as a common edible flower ingredient. Or how about chives? They are usually cultivated before they flower, but if the dainty purple flowers of chive plants are picked right after they bloom, they can be used to infuse distilled white vinegar, which turns a pretty pink and has a subtle onion and garlic flavor.

Maybe you are familiar with fried squash blossoms. Squash plants develop a flush of male flowers before female flowers, which later bear the fruit. Pick the male flowers with their stems when the flowers are fully formed and swollen but before they open. The best time for picking is in the early morning. Rinse the flowers just before using them and remove the inner parts (stamen and pistil) and the sepals (the leaves right below the flower). Squash blossoms have a mild flavor that's reminiscent of squash. They're good stuffed with cheese, rice or beans; baked as a gratin; or coated in a tempura batter and deep-fried. For fritters and stuffing, leave the stems on.

This is just the tip of the iceberg as there are several varieties of edible flowers. Some may even be found in your flower beds at home. But wait, don't start nibbling on random plants in your yard. Some flowers are poisonous. Others only have certain edible parts such as petals but not leaves, and some are only edible at a specific time in the growing cycle. If you’re unsure if a flower is edible, be safe and don't eat it. There are many articles online that list edible flowers, but as a novice, it can be hard to accurately identify plant species. So, the best way to get started exploring edible flowers is to purchase them from grocery stores and reputable online sources that specifically advertise their flowers as safe for human consumption. You also want to avoid eating flowers grown commercially for greenhouses and florists. Those can be sprayed with chemicals that are not food grade and not safe for people to ingest.

Spring and summer are the perfect time for seasonal blooms to make their way to your plate. When using edible flowers, you experience flavors ranging from spicy to bitter to floral. Flowers are almost their own version of spices, and incorporating flowers, whether it's in an infusion or for decoration, adds a layer of elegance to a summer dish.

Servings: 12

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

Directions

For the jam: In a medium saucepan combine cranberries, the 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the orange juice, hibiscus flowers and 1/4 cup water. Bring to simmering, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat. Gently simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Let cool 15 minutes; transfer mixture to a blender and blend to a smooth puree. Cool completely. You should have 2/3 cup jam (it thickens as it cools; stir before using).

For the babka: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flour, milk, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the eggs, yeast and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt. Mix on low until combined. Increase speed to medium and knead 8 minutes. Add butter, one piece at a time, beating until combined after each.

Coat a medium bowl with nonstick cooking spray; transfer dough to the bowl. (Dough will be very sticky; use floured hands or a rubber spatula.) Cover; let rise in a warm place 2 to 3 hours or until doubled in size.

Turn out dough onto a generously floured work surface. Sprinkle with more flour; pat dough into a 12×9-inch rectangle. Spread jam in an even layer over rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border all the way around. Starting from a long side, roll dough into as tight a log as you can without the jam squeezing out. Pinch edges of dough to seal.

Cut the log in half lengthwise, exposing the jam. Lay the two pieces, jam side up, side by side. Twist the two pieces around each other. Pinch ends together and fold them under the loaf.

Coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Lay the babka in the pan. Cover; let rise in a warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until it has risen slightly above the edge of the pan.

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake babka about 35 minutes or until golden brown, firm to the touch, and the internal temperature reaches 190°F.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine the remaining 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar and 3 Tbsp. water. Bring to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat; let syrup cool slightly.

Remove babka from oven and brush generously with syrup while still warm. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes. Remove babka from pan; cool at least 15 minutes more. Store, covered, at room temperature, 1 to 2 days.

Adapted from Food Network's Mark Bittman

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.

Shred vegetables, using a food processor, grater or knife.

Put olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add garlic. When it starts to brown, stir and add vegetables. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, add a bit of lavender and cook, stirring occasionally, until they barely soften, just 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, cook pasta until it is just barely tender, a little less cooked than it would be to serve it. Drain, reserving some cooking water.

Add pasta to vegetables and continue to cook, adding water as necessary to keep mixture moist.

Taste, and add more lavender to taste; it should be distinctive but not too strong.

When pasta and vegetables are tender but not mushy, adjust seasoning for salt and pepper, garnish with a couple of lavender flowers if you have them, and serve.

Yield: 12

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Cut butter into small pieces. Work butter and flour together with a pastry blender, or use two forks, or rub in with hands, until butter is about pea-sized at its largest.

Add your lilac blossoms, removed from the stems (no green part).

Pour buttermilk into the flour-butter mixture, and fold together until you can pull the dough into a rough ball (mix as little as possible).

Dust surface with clean flour and roll out to a half inch thickness.

Cut into triangles and place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with coarse sugar (turbinado is best) and a few more blossoms if you wish, and bake until golden at the edges, around 12-16 minutes.

Jolene Lamb is culinary coordinator, community education at Lincoln Land Community College. For cooking or food questions email [email protected].

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.