It would seem that nothing interesting can be said about edible flowers.Meanwhile, this topic is constantly being rediscovered by cooks, herbalists and gardeners, contributing to the creation of only seasonal fashion, but even new areas of culinary art.
There are more plants with edible flowers than you might think. All the fruits and vegetables grown today were once wild. They often looked unappetizing and tasted like that. Only through natural selection and crossbreeding, they were used to obtain full-fledged utility plants.Various flowering plants undergo a similar process of refinement today.
There are three basic groups of flowers in a flower kitchen: edible and fragrant (e.g. roses, lavender), edible (nasturtium) and decorative. Untreated flowers are selected for consumption. As a standard, shoots, green buds, stamens and pistils are removed from them.We use flowers in moderation. One rose flower is enough for a bowl of salad.
When preparing marmalade, make 3-4 petals per kilogram of fruit.We will get a fresh, appetizing aroma only from fresh petals, so it is important to pick the flowers.Pickle lavender is harvested in the undeveloped stage and lavender is harvested raw during flowering.
It's a good idea to set up a garden of plants with different flowering times.At the beginning of the season, primroses, violets, tulips, forget-me-nots, magnolias appear.Summer is the time of blooming roses, lavender, flames, daylilies, marigolds, asters and many common herbs. Autumn belongs to the dahlias and the gilded.
In addition to the nasturtium and zucchini flowers commonly used in the kitchen, they can also be eaten, e.g. flowers of daylilies. Their thick crunchy flakes are added to salads. They can also be eaten raw.
They decorate and taste: violets, roses and lavender
Violets are very good for candying. To do this, coat the flakes with protein on all sides and sprinkle them with powdered sugar or fine crystalline sugar. Shake off excess sugar.Put the flowers on a kitchen dryer for about 2 hours until they are completely dry.
Rose flowers have been used in the kitchen since time immemorial. French, Damascus and centifolia rose petals are a great addition to salads, rice-based dishes or yoghurt. Meat, fish and vegetable dishes were seasoned with roses.
Lavender has a herbal aroma, making it an excellent spice for sauces, fish soups and stews.Enriches the flavor of lamb and poultry. Lavender is a popular addition to drinks, sweets and cakes.
Goat cheese "pralines" salad (dish for 4 people)
Goat cheese "pralines"
250 g goat cheese, s alt, pepper, ground chilli pepper, half a lime, two sprigs of parsley, chervil, tarragon, half a bunch of chives, 40 g ground walnuts.
Salad
12 strawberries, a handful of crushed walnuts, 150 g romaine lettuce, 50 g edible flowers, 2 tablespoons rose honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Preparation method
1. Add a pinch of s alt, pepper, chilli and lime juice to the goat's cheese, mix thoroughly. Form balls from the mass and put them in the fridge for half an hour. Finely chop the herbs and mix them with walnuts. Roll the cheese balls in them.
2. Wash the strawberries, dry them and cut them into quarters. Roast the nuts in a pan and cool them down. Wash and dry the lettuce and flowers.
3. Mix honey thoroughly with olive oil and season with s alt to taste. Pour the sauce over the lettuce and flowers and mix. We put them on plates, decorate with strawberries and nuts. Put cheese pralines on top. Sprinkle the dish with a little olive oil.
