Classic Edible Flower Recipes

KEY: c+cup; t=teaspoon; T=tablespoon; 1l=pound; oz=ounce

Sooke Harbour House was voted by Gourmet Magazine as the best restaurant for local/regional cuisine. The menu highlights seafood, free range rabbit and fowl, as well as vegetarian choices. Sooke is located on Vancouver Island about 25 miles west of Victoria, British Columbia.

Salmon in Lemon Garlic Dressing

To make the lemon garlic dressing, blend following ingredients:

-1 egg yolk

-1/4c lemon juice

-1tfinely chopped garlic

-2t Dijon mustard

-3/4 c olive oil

-2 or 3 t maple syrup

Blend all to a smooth lemony flavor. Salt and pepper to taste. Makes 1 cup of dressing.

I like to steam the salmon in a Chinese stove top steamer basket. Stuff the body cavity of the 2 lb salmon with fennel or dill and chive blossoms...That's all. Let the taste of delicious salmon dominate. Serve the lemon garlic dressing on the side. Garnish with chive blossoms, thinly sliced cucumbers and borage flowers. (Serves 4)

Special Note:  Salmon and chicken may be highly seasoned.  A special rub of Lemon Pepper, Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, Garlic and Dill heavily applied to skinless chicken or salmon (with skin) makes for a marvelous flavor without overpowering the meat.

Steamed Salmon with Anise Hyssop Butter

Sprinkle a pound of salmon with fresh dill and marjoram. Steam in stove top Chinese steamer. Purchase one that fits into the lip of a ten inch pan.

The sauce is made by reducing 8 ounces of fish stock (use bullion cube); 4ounce Reisling wine; 4t minced shallots; 1/2t crushed garlic; 4t apple cider vinegar. Take pan off the heat and whisk in 8T cold butter (I mix 4 T of olive oil with four T butter). Finally stir in 1 cup of anise hyssop flowers and tender top leaves.

Put the sauce on the side or pour over steamed salmon. Day lily petals beautify this dish.

Gooseneck Barnacles with Tuberous Begonia Flower Vinaigrette

Cook 12 barnacles like lobster, submerging them in boiling water.

For the tuberous begonia vinaigrette blend ½ c of tuberous begonia petals with 1 or 2T of rice wine vinegar (try seasoned gourmet rice wine vinegar for a sweeter taste).

Next add 1T strained raspberry or strawberry puree to pureed begonia petals.

Finally, blend all with 3/4 cup to 1 cup (to taste) oil, walnut oil, grapes seed oil or almond oil.

Place hot barnacles on sauce, garnish with tuberous begonia petals (serves 2).

Geoduck with Loganberry and Scented Geranium Sauce

Substitute 12 oysters, 12 scallops or 12 mussels for geoduck if not available. Geoduck is a West Coast shellfish, that looks like God used his foot to stuff all but an elephant's trunk back into the shell.

Saute, grill, or steam shellfish.

Sauce: two oz of fish stock (fish bullion okay); 1 ounce Reisling wine, 1t minced shallots, 2 large leaves scented geranium.

Use smaller scented geranium leaves if you want more flavor. Reduce sauce to two tablespoons. Remove pan from heat and enter 1oz of strained loganberry puree (use raspberries if you don't have loganberries). Then stir in 4T cold butter. Adjust tartness with maple syrup or brown sugar. Place hot shellfish over sauce and garnish dish with scented geranium flowers (1-2 servings)

Grilled Oysters in Nasturtium Butter Sauce

Grill 12 oysters until both sides are brown, keep warm.

Reduce 10 ounces of fish stock with 2 oz of dry white wine and 2T nasturtium vinegar# in a sauce pan over high heat to about 2 ounces of liquid.

Add chopped nasturtium leaves and 4 coarsely chopped nasturtium flowers to sauce. Remove from heat and whisk in 3 oz of butter (or half butter half olive oil).

Pour sauce on plate, arrange oysters on sauce, garnish with nasturtium leaf and flowers (serves 2-4).

# To make nasturtium vinegar fill a half pint jar with nasturtium leaves and flowers, pour over quality vinegar (your choice). Let infuse in refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Other sauces

Venison with Blackberry and Lavender Vinegar

Sear 2 lbs of venison (buffalo, elk, antelope) in olive oil and water, about 4 T olive oil to ½ c of water. Stuff venison with three smashed garlic cloves (push then into the spaces between muscle). Add five T of fresh rosemary to roasting pan. Place venison roast in pan. Mix ½ cup low salt soy with a cup and a half water. Pour over roast. Put three generous slices of fresh ginger in the roasting water (you can't overdo this). Roast at 350 F until desired doneness.

In a saucepan, combine 1c pureed blackberries (strain away seeds) with 2-3 ounces of port wine and 4 T lavender vinegar*. Add 5T of the venison stock. Bring sauce to a simmer and whisk in 4T of butter. Mix 1T of cornstarch in cold water. Then put the cornstarch blend into the sauce and reheat and thicken.

Place hot sauce on plate and arrange sliced venison over it. Serves four.

*LAVENDER VINEGAR: fill a pint or half pint canning jar with lavender flowers. Pour quality vinegar over the blossom (apple cider, rice wine, balsamic). Store and let flavor infuse in refrigerator for one week. Other sauces

Roast Turkey with Sage and Rosemary Blossoms

5 garlic cloves

1/8 cup chopped rosemary leaves and blossoms

1/8 cup chopped sage leaves and blossoms

1 10 lb turkey

olive oil

juice ½ lemon

half dozen sprigs of rosemary and sage ideally with blossoms

Rinse turkey with water. Pour in lemon juice and swirl or brush around cavity with lemon peel, leave peel in body cavity. Push smashed garlic cloves up under turkey skin (over and around sides of breast). Stuff bird with rosemary sage dressing (see side dishes). Roast bird in a bag as directed on the package or at 350 F for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until deep breast temperature reached 160F. Garnish with sage and rosemary flowers.

DRIED FLOWERS: You may have to use dried flowers. Sage and rosemary flowers may be picked when in bloom and dried in a food dryer. Store in pint jars in cool dark place. All your edible flowers may be dried in this manner and used throughout the seasons.

VEGETABLES AND SIDE DISHES

Sage and Rosemary Dressing

Ingredients:

cooked turkey giblets

1/4 cup oil half olive and half butter

½ chopped onion

4 cups day old bread, prefer whole wheat

1/4 cup chopped parsley

½ cup chopped celery

1 tarragon and basil

salt to taste

½ t paprika

1/8 t nutmeg

oyster or clam juice to moisten turkey

½ cup chopped walnuts

1 ½ cups whole drained oysters

one cup diced Portobello mushrooms

½ cup dried sage and rosemary flowers

Preparation: Saute giblets, chopped onion and mushrooms in oil. Mix together the remaining dry ingredients. Then fold giblets, onion, mushrooms and dry ingredients into bread. Add oyster or clam juice to moisten dressing. Do not over moisten. Stuff into turkey.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Squash blossoms...(Cucurbita species) My favorite and most prolific squash blossom producing cucurbita is patty pan squash. Large blossoms. Gorgeous color.

Ingredients for squash blossom filling:

-Roast 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds to make Pepitas.

-Chop up three tablespoons of fresh ginger.

-Make about a cooked cup each: wild rice and long grain brown rice.

-One small diced onion.

-1 clove diced garlic

-1/4 cup Lite soy sauce (season to taste)

-One tablespoon Lee Kum Kee's Fine Chili Sauce an/or spicey satay sauce.

-2 tablespoons sesame seed oil

-1/8 pound of goat cheese, or Feta cheese

To Make Batter:

Ingredients: 2 egg whites and one egg yolk beaten in one T water.

Preparation: Mix rice, ginger, garlic, Pepitas, onion and crumbled cheese. Stir in soy sauce, fine chili sauce and sesame seed oil. Stuff mixture into squash blossoms, fold over ends of petals and dip blossoms into batter. Roll yolk coated blossom in bread crumbs or flour. Saute in olive oil. Drain and eat.

SALADS

Harbour House Salad with Blossoms and Herb Vinaigrette

There are as many as 20 different flower blossoms in the Harbour House Salad. Selection of flowers and greens vary by the season. The vinaigrette may be made in large volume and refrigerated. Around my house we use day lily blossoms, tuberous begonias, nasturtiums, calendula, beebalm, hyssop, pansies, Asiatic day flower, sorrel, shungiku, dandelion, chives...

To make about 2 liters: first combine in a blender 3/4 c Dijon mustard with 5/8th cup of apple cider vinegar.

Then add 1 c of chopped fresh herbs, equal amounts of chive, fennel marjoram, chervil, oregano, tarragon, rosemary, thyme and parsley.

Next, blend all with 1 liter of olive oil.

Finally stir in 1 c of water. Let dressing mature in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Yellow and Red Tomato Salad with Oregano Nasturtium Dressing

Slice four yellow and four red tomatoes.

Dressing:

-1/3c apple cider vinegar

-1c olive oil

-1 clove chopped garlic

-3 turns on a pepper mill

In a food processor combine vinegar, garlic and pepper. Then, while the machine is running, poor in olive oil. Emulsify. Next add one cup loosely packed fresh oregano; process to a chop.

Coarsely chop 3/4c of nasturtium flowers. Stir nasturtium flowers into dressing.. Allow to sit 30 minutes at room temperature to infuse floral essence. Pour dressing over tomatoes, garnish with marjoram and nasturtium flowers (serves 8-10).

Floral Spinach Salad

½ cup slivered almonds or walnuts

2 T olive oil, or canola oil

1 T red wine vinegar or seasoned gourmet rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

8 tp 10 ounces of garden fresh spinach (may use mesclin mix salad greens)

Have available a rosemary blossoms, chive blossoms, lavender blossoms and dianthus blossoms....What you have available...Experiment!

First brown almonds in a pan. Transfer almonds to bowl and mix oil, vinegar, mustard and perhaps a T of water. Stir in flowers of your choice, trial and error will help you select what works. Go easy on lavender, overpowering. Season with pepper and serve. Serves 6.

Rice and Flowers Salad

1 cup long grain rice, also good with wild sweet rice

½ cup of walnuts or almonds (crushed)

2T olive oil

1/4 lemon juice (3T)

1/4 cup chive blossoms (if blossoms not available use chives)

3T Rosemary blossoms

Preparation: Cook rice to desired doneness (don't over cook). Stir walnuts in a pan with 1 T oil until brown. Pour nuts over rice, stir in remaining oil, lemon juice,

chive blossoms. Garnish with parsley and rosemary flowers. Season to taste.

Pasta and Petals Salad

1 pound bow tie pasta

½ cup lemon juice

1/3 cup oil olive or canola

1 cup Feta or Asiago crumbled cheese

½ cup dandelion, calendula or day lily blossoms

4 cups of nasturtium blossoms and and equal amount of nasturtium leaves (red lettuce leaves as a substitute).

½ cup chopped cucumber (remove seeds if you have time, just use rind)

Preparation: Cook pasta. Drain in cold water. In bowl mix lemon juice, oil and 2T spoons of coarse ground pepper. Mix in pasta, then stir in feta and cucumber. Add flower blossoms and stir in gently. Serve salad over a bed of nasturtium leaves or red lettuce leaves.

Desserts

Fruit Salad with Rose Petals and Rose Water

Rosewater may be made at home...See our video: Cooking with Edible Flowers and Culinary Herbs call 800 487 0522.

1 cup of blueberries (or what is in season)

1 cup of strawberries or watermelon

3 cups peaches or nectarines

1/4 cup of rose petals

1 ½ teaspoons rose water

2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar, or pureed raspberries and lemon juice

In a bowl spread the fruit and toss lightly in the vinegar and rosewater. Garnish with wild violets or pansies. Serves 6.

Nut Tuile with Chokecherry and Blueberries

Nut tuile and berries: Break butter into chunks, blend 3T of butter with 3 T sugar until fluffy. Stir in 1/4 cup of flour and 3/8 c slivered almonds. On well greased baking sheet press mixture flat about 1/8 inch tick. Bake at 400 F for 6 or 7 minutes. Pull sheet from oven, let cool 5 minutes, then carefully turn over the tuile . If necessary, enter again in oven to brown opposite side. Let cool, then mold while still pliable to desired shape (crescent that will stand up) or serve flat.

Serve with edible flowers: pineapple sage or red bee balm blossoms. Add berries and berry sauce.

Lavender Ice Cream

-Scald 1 ½ cups of whole milk with 1 ½ cups whole cream.

-Add 2 T vanilla or ½ vanilla bean.

-Add one T of crystallized ginger or three T chopped fresh ginger.

Next, over simmering water (in a double boiler) blend 6 to 7 egg yolks with 3/4 cup of honey. Stir the scalded milk, cream, ginger into the egg and honey blend. Cook till blend coats spoon. Whisk in 2 T of lavender blossoms. Let flavor infuse and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Strain into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's directions.

Strawberry or Loganberry Scented Geranium Sorbet

Bruise and chop ten to fifteen scented geranium leaves (your choice, I like prince Rupert or rose scented).  Use young small end leaves.  Over medium heat bring to gentle boil 3 cups of strawberries, loganberries (or Raspberries) infused in 1/2 cup Gewurztraminer wine, or other fruity white wine.   Remove from heat and add chopped geranium leaves.

Let leaves and berry sauce cool and infuse for 45 minutes.  Then strain out leaves, puree, and strain out seeds.  add one more cup of wine and 1/2 cup of maple syrup to the sauce.  Pour into ice cream machine and follow manufacturers suggestions.  Garnish with tulip petals as shown in this photo.

Sauces

Floral Berry Sauce

Put one cup each of raspberries and chokecherries in a sauce pan. Use berries of season: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, loganberries...Whatever is available.

Mash berries. Add ½ cup of water. Stir and bring berries to a boil, then immediately remove pan from heat. Strain seeds from sauce. Then snip in 2 or 3 sprigs peppermint leaves and 6 or seven spikes of peppermint flowers (in late summer try mountain mint leaves and flowers). Let sauce infuse in refrigerator for 6 to 12 hours. Strain leaves and flowers from sauce then add 1/4 c of honey. Serve as berry soup or as a dessert topping over a tuile.

Three Berries Rhubarb Sauce

Take strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, one cup each and puree with one cup of chopped rhubarb. Add a little water if necessary. Bring puree to a gentle boil, remove from heat immediately and let cool. Press berry juices through a sieve, cheese cloth, or panty hose. Then stir in a half cup of honey or maple syrup. Use on paleo waffle.

Mayonnaise, Herbal Butters, Floral Honey

Floral Mayonnaise

Stir in a half cup of the following mixture of blossoms into one cup of mayonnaise or Miracle Whip: nasturtiums, chives, calendula, tulip or other blossoms that are available depending on the time of year.

Avocado and Mayonnaise with Chive Blossom (substitute chopped day lilies)

Mash one avocado with two tablespoons of mayonnaise. Stir in smoked white fish bits or chopped crab (about 5 T). Garnish with edible flowers like chive blossoms, day lilies, ramps flowers, viola...

Floral Vinegar

Use bergamot, tarragon, calendula, nasturtiums, lavender, roquette to make floral vinegar. Fill a small jar with edible aromatic flowers then cover with raw apple cider vinegar. Turn or snap on lid and let infuse in your refrigerator for at least one week. Strain out the flowers before using.

Use in salad dressing, cooking...examples: nasturtium

Mint Flower Essence

Crush mint leaves (your choice) with a mortar and pestle to release volatile oils. Place pounded mint flowers and leaves into jar and fill to the top with 190 prood grain alcohol or highest proof vodka you can legally buy in your State. Cover and shake daily for two weeks. Use to flavor vegetable dishes, fruit desserts and meat dishes. Try making this essence with port wine or sherry wine. Refrigerate to infuse. Pour over melon and fruit.

Mountain Mint Floral Oil

This may be duplicated with lavender flowers, nasturtium flowers and beebalm flowers. Break down cells of flowers with mortar and pestle (or rolling pin). Stuff flowers in a jar, then pour over a bland vegetable oil such as almond oil, walnut oil, grape seed oil. Fill jar not quite to top. Nest cover jar with cheese cloth so water can evaporate from leaves. Place on saucer and let infuse in refrigerator for two weeks. Strain oil and use t make chutneys, saute peas in it, use for salad dressings.

Lavender Butter

Stir a tablespoon of lavender blossoms into 1/8 pound of softened butter. Let flavor infuse in refrigerator for 24 hours. Try other aromatic flowers in butter: nasturtiums, mint, beebalm, chives, tuberous begonias...

Floral honey

Warm one cup of honey over steaming water. Then stir in chopped rose petals, borage flowers, beebalm and/or scented geraniums (all together or separately). Add one cup of these chopped petals to 1 cup of honey. Use on waffles, in tea, with biscuits, toast.