The Edible Petal
BY MICHAEL COYLE l PHOTOS BY JOEY CAGLEWithout exception, my most memorable dining experiences involved flowers.
How could I forget the dendrobium orchid blossom resting next to freshly sliced canary melon drizzled with honey-vanilla yogurt sauce, or tuberous begonia petals scattered across a ginger crème brulee, or the subtle aroma of fresh garlic blossoms tossed in an arugula and mesclun salad?
Savvy chefs have long used flowers for culinary purposes, as both decoration and flavoring. The secret to presenting extraordinary floral cuisine is to defy expectation without violating the aesthetic experience of the meal itself.
Before you put that blossom on the plate, make certain that you aren’t exposing yourself, or your guests, to an unpleasant (or potentially lethal) experience. Use caution and common sense when choosing your floral flourishes (see sidebar).
How you grow a flower is a major factor in its edibility. Dandelions are safe to eat if grown properly, but the toxic chemicals used on many lawns may render these pervasive flowers inedible. Similarly, an organically grown lavender plant will provide a floral spike suitable for flavoring and garnishing a dark chocolate truffle, but the same plant grown with systemic insecticides or fungicides deserves no place closer to the plate than the window box outside the house.
To offer a splash of color with confidence, beginners may want to choose pansies and violas from the salad section of the grocery store. But if you want to expand your palette, there are many options for growing your own edible flowers. You will then have a side dish of engaging garden stories to tell when you present your meal.
To grow edible flowers at home, find a location in your garden that you can confidently maintain with composts and organic fertilizers. Keep the edible section of your garden clear of run-off that may unwittingly bring toxic lawn and ornamental plant chemicals to the roots of your plants. And, if you must use pesticides, choose from the many organic products now offered. Most are composed of nothing more than food grade oils and emulsifiers.
You may not need to look further than your own herb garden for a start. Most culinary herbs bear edible flowers. While generally not strikingly beautiful, the small blossoms of most herbs offer us some insight into how a flower works its magic. Rich in aromatic oils, plants such as borage, chives, and basil transport these alluring compounds to the flowering tops in order to attract pollinating insects. The flavor of the flower is often more subtle than the leaves or bulbs, so herb blossoms can be used with delicate dishes where the chopped foliage would overpower the food.
Roses are another great choice for the edible flower garden. Hybrid tea and floribunda varieties offer fantastic structure and color when used as a garnish, but just about any rose variety can be used for flavor. The most common use of rose petals as an ingredient in food is an infusion in simple syrup. Steep a handful of rose petals in a cup or two of near boiling water for approximately a half an hour and use this as the base in a 1:1 mixture of sugar and water. Rose syrup is delicious drizzled on semolina cakes or Middle Eastern pastries.
For desserts, choose rose varieties that have a pleasing, fruity aroma. Organic rose cultivation is a must when you cook with these beautiful plants. Most rose gardens are full of systemic fungicides, so by all means grow your own. Commercial florists’ roses are not suitable for the dining room table unless they are in a vase.
Daylilies are also a fine choice to use as a companion to, or component of, a meal. There are feral daylilies dotting the hills of the Southeast during late spring and into summer and a number of attractive hybrids and cultivars are now available from garden centers. If you decide to use daylilies from the wild, be sure they are far from roadsides as traffic related toxins can accumulate in the otherwise edible portions of the plant.
Daylily blossoms also make an attractive garnish after you remove the pistil and stamen. The unopened blooms can be sautéed with some butter and garlic for an unexpected side dish.
For something with a peppery flavor, nasturtium is a fine kitchen addition. The vibrant orange and red flowers, along with the striking leaves add zest to salads. The flavor is strong, so be sure to choose food items that can support the tang and spiciness of the flower. Meats and pasta dishes with wine flavored sauces are good candidates.
Calendula, or pot marigold, also imparts peppery notes to a meal. The presence is milder than nasturtium, which lends this plant to broader culinary use. The yellow and orange petals can be bruised either in the palm of your hand, or lightly with a mortar and pestle and used as a saffron substitute to flavor and color rice.
Flavor and color are not the only benefits of using flowers in the preparation and presentation of a meal. Zucchini and squash blooms provide a durable pouch for savory fillings. For the best results, remove the pistils and heat the stuffing to serving temperature. A quick cooking method such as flash frying will prevent the blooms from getting too soft, but the flowers can also withstand other cooking techniques. Zucchini flowers alone lend themselves quite well to sauté, quick grilling and tempura.
There are countless other flowers that can add variety, color and savory appeal to your dining event. Curiosity and a little bit of research are all you need to begin this process of discovery. So pour yourself a glass of hibiscus iced tea, get out into your garden and gather a bouquet of culinary delights.
Please Don’t Eat the Daffodils
Horticulturist John Murphy of the Bullington Center in Hendersonville recommends that you take some precautions when introducing flowers into your culinary repertoire:
Know what you’re eating. If you’re uncertain, the horticulture department at NC State University maintains a list of poisonous plants on their website www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison.
Know how it’s been treated. Flowers grown for commercial floral use are not intended for human consumption. Pretty as they are, most have been sprayed with toxic pesticides not labeled for food.
Keep it clean. Flowers gathered from roadsides or unfamiliar fields may have been exposed to exhaust or other chemical contaminants (including those in the ground water).
Don’t take the bad with the good. In some cases, not all parts of a flower are edible. It’s generally wise to remove the reproductive portions of the bloom (the stamen or pistil) before consuming a blossom.
Take it slow. Introduce edible flowers gradually into your cuisine. Everyone reacts differently to new foods.
