In Good Taste
Work edible flowers into your next menu for a beautiful presentation that delivers on taste
Image courtesy istockphoto
No wonder plates are blooming in the finest restaurants and small packets of very pricey flowers are mingling with herb displays in gourmet food shops.
Fortunately many edible flowers are also easy to grow, so you can indulge in a floral feast for a fraction of what you'd pay in a store.
"Flowers have such entertainment value. I love them for the novelty," says Tod Dimmick, a gardener and cook in Dover, Mass.
Blossoms transform otherwise ordinary fare into delightful, whimsical dishes. Tuck a salmon strip into a daylily. Press a pansy into an open-face peanut butter sandwich. Toss nasturtium into a cold pasta salad.
Pick posies just before using so the fragrance lingers and the petals are firm. To clean, hold flowers under cold running water and let drip dry or gently pat dry, says Dimmick, author of the "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Quick and Easy Low Carb Meals" (Alpha Books, 2005).
There are just a couple of cautions: Only eat flowers you've cultivated without pesticides and don't take an experimental nibble if you're not sure a flower is safe to eat, says Susan Barton, assistant professor and extension specialist, department of plant and soil sciences with the University of Delaware in Newark.
Her top choices?
"My favorites are daylily flowers that have a peppery flavor. I also love little violets dipped in a light egg wash and coated in sugar," Barton says.
The Blooming Best
Here are the most popular edible flowers, according to Barton, and tips on using them:
Calendulas: Known as pot marigold with yellow or orange daisy-like petals. Sprinkle the petals in carrot salad or Cole slaw. The color of the petals leaches out to stain other ingredients during cooking. Stir the petals into a rice dish for example, to turn it a beautiful saffron yellow.
Daylilies: Light orange color and long petals. Enjoy the peppery flowers chopped and sprinkled over scrambled eggs.
Nasturtium: Yellow to scarlet with soft petals. Peppery taste that enhances a salad of mixed baby greens.
Pansy: Variety of colors from cream to deep purple with velvety petals. Hint of wintergreen. Take advantage of the beautiful color by serving pansy petals on open-face cream cheese sandwiches, or as a garnish for a cake.
All That Glitters
Not all marigolds should be eaten, according to experts at the National Garden Bureau. Look for "lemon gem" and "tangerine gem" marigolds with fern-like foliage. If you're not sure what you're growing consult your local botanical garden before indulging.
Herb Appeal
Don't overlook herbs and vegetables as sources for edible flowers. Chive blossoms have a potent onion taste that's wonderful in egg or pasta dishes. Tiny delicate thyme blossoms are excellent sprinkled over saut�ed chicken. Zucchini blossoms are a delicacy in Italy where they're stuffed with cheese and fried.
Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"
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