Flower Recipes

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Alura Noel
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Flower Recipes

Post by Alura Noel »

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Here's an important link (Also has safety information and what flowers can be eaten) to look at before choosing to cook using flowers: list of Flowers that are edible

I'd like to also say that all of these recipes aren't any that I came up with. This is simply a thread where I have compiled some recipes that I'm interested in making.



Dried Flowers
Uses: Used in teas and syrups, used to infuse sweet and savory dishes year round.

To substitute dried flowers for fresh you will need only 1/3 of the amount of the flower.

To dry flowers, place a brown paper bag on a baking sheet and cover it with paper towels. Arrange a single layer of clean flowers on top, spaced about 1/4 inch apart. Place the baking sheet in a warm, dry spot for at least 2 days- maybe longer for larger flowers. Store dried flowers in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. They will gradually lose their color but retain their flavor. Use within 1 year. A notable exception is lavender that lasts for many years.



Flower Sugars
Uses: To sweeten anything you wish.

In a clean jar, layer about ½ cup flowers per 1 cup sugar and let the scent infuse over time (Lavender requires much less: Just two tablespoons per 1 cup of sugar.) If the sugar absorbs enough moisture that it starts to clump, a short spin in the food processor will revive it. Flower sugars last up to one full year.

For vibrant, flavorful flower sugars: Grind sugar with flowers in a food processor for 2 minutes before storing in jars. If there is a lot of moisture, spread it out on a cookie sheet and let it dry and put it back in the food processor again.



Candied Flowers

Last for a year

2 cups sugar (refined)
1 egg white, whisked until foamy
About 25 large or 50 small flowers like violets, violas, pansies, roses or rose petals

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulse sugar in a food processor until superfine and powdery. With a small paintbrush, brush the petals of each flower thoroughly with egg white. Sprinkle with sugar to coat, shaking off access. Place on the prepared baking sheet and let dry for at least 10 hours. Store in a single layers with parchment paper in an airtight container.



Flower Simple Syrups
Uses: best used as babes in other recipes like sorbets or drink mixes
Makes about 1 pint

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 tbsp to 1 cup fresh or dried flowers

Dissolve sugar in water over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a simmer. Place flowers in a GLASS bowl. Pour hot syrup over top and let stand for at least 30 minutes. Strain the mixture and discard the flowers.

Store for 1 or 2 months. If it begins to crystalize, just reheat it again until smooth.

Syrup variations:
Borage Basil Simple syrup: Use ¼ cup borage flowers and ¼ cup basil leaves and/or flowers.
Elderflower Simple syrup: Use ½ cup elderflowers and add the juice and zest of half a lemon along with them.
Herbal Simple syrup: Use ½ cup herb leaves, ¾ to 1 cup herb flowers, or ¾ cup mixed herbs and herb flowers.
Lavender Simple Syrup: Use only 2 tablespoons lavender buds. Lavender is a potent herb, and this syrup will get stronger the longer you let it infuse. Time for your own taste.
Lime-Scented Geranium Simple syrup: Use 1 cup lime geranium petals and/or ½ cup leaves. (Use more geranium leaves for a stronger scent and flavor; the petals are less potent.) Other scented geraniums work well too.
Rose Simple syrup: Use 1 cup rose petals
Tulip Simple syrup: Use the petals of 2 tulips.
Violet Simple syrup: Use 1 ½ cups violets



Flower Syrups
Similar to simple syrups but much thinner and easier to pour.

Uses: Finishing syrup over pancakes, waffles or ice cream.

2 to 3 cups fresh or dried flower blossoms
2 cups boiling water
¼ to 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit (optional)

Place blossoms in a GLASS bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let stand for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring flower water, sugar, and fruit (if using) to a simmer. Cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a glass container. Discard the solids. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Makes 1 Pint

Flower syrups variations:
Borage Basil Syrup: Use 2 cups borage blossoms and ¼ cup basil leaves instead of fruit.
Chamomile Peach Syrup: Use 2 cups chamomile and 1 cup chopped peaches.
Dandelion Apricot Syrup: Use 2 cups dandelion petals and 1 cup chopped apricots.
Lavender Blueberry Syrup: Use ¼ cup lavender buds and ¼ cup blueberries.
Lilac Blackberry Syrup: use 2 cups water, 3 cups lilac blossoms (stems removed), ½ cup sugar, and 4 tablespoons fresh or frozen blackberries. Bring berries to a simmer, along with the sugar and water, and cook and stir mixture for 4 minutes. Strain and discard berries along with the flower solids.
Rose Raspberry Syrup: Use 3 cups rose petals and ¼ cup raspberries.



Flower Rock Candy

Using Flower syrup

Dip candy sticks or 8- inch pieces of string in flower simple syrup and then roll them around in plain sugar or flower sugar. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let dry overnight.

Next day, warm flower simple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat and add sugar ¼ cup at a time, waiting until it completely dissolves. When the liquid stops absorbing sugar, pour it into a clean, heat proof container that’s at least 8 inches wide and 6 inches deep. Suspend the sugar-coated sticks in the liquid. Move it to a dark place and leave it alone for two weeks. When the sticks are loaded with sugar crystals, suspend them briefly over a clean container to dry.

Flower Rock Candy Jewelry for girls: Use a clean ribbon or embroidery thread. Instead of dangling one end into the liquid, loop it in so crystals will form in a wide arc (for necklaces of bracelets) or a narrow one (for rings). Tape ribbon to the sides of the jar if necessary to hold it in place.



Flower Butters and Flower Cheeses
Uses: In savory dishes to add subtle flower flavors easily, Like Rose butter on top of steak

To 1 - 8 oz. package, or 1 cup of any soft, room temp butter or cheese, add ¼ cup to 1 cup flowers, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, and any other desired seasonings. Stir to incorporate. Cover and refrigerate butters up o 2 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months. Soft flower cheese should be used within 1 week.

Flower Butter and Cheese variations:
Calendula Butter or Cheese: use ½ cup calendula petals per 2 cups (1 Ib) butter or cheese
Dandelion Butter or Cheese: use ¼ cup dandelion petals per 2 cups (1Ib.) butter or cheese
Herb Flower Butter or Cheese: Use 1/3 cup chive florets or mixed herb flowers per 2 cups (1Ib.) butter or cheese.
Lavender Butter or Cheese: Use up to 2 Tbsp. lavender buds per 2 cups (1Ib.) butter or cheese
Nasturtium Butter or Cheese: Use ¼ cup pansies or violas per 2 cups (1 Ib.) butter or cheese.
Pansy Butter or Cheese: Use ¼ cup pansies or violas per 2 cups (1 Ib.) butter or cheese
Rose Petal Butter or Cheese: Use ½ cup rose petals. Add ½ tsp. rose water per 2 cups (1Ib.) butter or cheese.



Flower Jams

¼ to 2 cups flower petals
2 to 3 cups water
1 to 4 tbsp. lemon or lime juice
1 ½ to 4 cups sugar
1 (3-oz.) packet powdered pectin

Place blossoms in a sealable heatproof jar and pour boiling water over top. Let stand for at least two hours and up to overnight; you want a strong infusion for jam.
Strain the mixture and press all the liquid you can out of the blossoms: discard or leave them if desired. In a 3 to 4 quart STAINLESS STEEL (not aluminum), bring the flower-infused water, lemon or lime juice, and sugar to a boil. When sugar dissolves, add pectin and return to a full rolling boil for 3 minutes. Skin off any foam that develops on the surface, because it will affect the taste and appearance of your jam. Ladle jam into clean, sterilized, dry jars. Can or refrigerate.

Canned jams will last for at least 1 year. Refrigerated jams will last for a couple months. Makes 4 (8 oz.) jars.

Jam Variations:
Dandelion jam: Use 2 cups dandelion petals, 3 cups water, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 2 ¼ cups sugar, and 1 (3 oz.) packet powdered pectin.
Elderflower jam: use 1 cup elderflowers, 3 cups water, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, 3 cups sugar, and 1 (3 oz.) packet powdered pectin.
Hibiscus Jam: Use ½ cup hibiscus, 2 cups water, 4 tbsp. lemon juice, juice from ½-inch piece fresh ginger, 4 cups sugar, and 1 (3 oz.) packet powdered pectin.
Lavender Jam: Use 4 tbsp. lavender, 3 cups water, ¼ cup lemon juice, 4 cups sugar, and 1 (3 oz.) packet powdered pectin.
Lilac Jam: use 2 cups lilacs, ¼ cup lemon or lime juice, 3 ½ cups sugar, and 1 (3 oz.) packet powdered pectin.
Nasturtium Jam: Use 1 ½ cups nasturtiums, 2 cups water, ¼ cup lemon juice (or a dash of hot sauce), 2 cups sugar, and 1 (3 oz.) packet powdered pectin.
Rose Jam: Use 2 cups roses, 3 cups water, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 2 cups sugar, and 1 (3 oz.) packet powdered pectin.
Violet Jam: Use 2 cups violets, ¼ cup lemon juice, 4 cups sugar, and 1 (3 oz.) packet powdered pectin.

You can add flowers to fruit jellies and jams. Just be sure to strain out the flowers before you do the final canning.



Flower Vodkas

Place chopped or whole flowers, a mixture or all one kind, in a jar with a lid. Cover with vodka, cap the jar, refrigerate for at least a week. When it tastes good enough to drink, strain it and rebottle it in a clean jar. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Flower Vodkas variations:
Borage vodka: use 1 cup borage flowers per 2 cups vodka.
Dianthus vodka: use 1 cup dianthus per 1 cups vodka.
Elderflower Vodka: use ½ cup elderflowers per 2 cups vodka.
Lavender Vodka: Use 2 tbsp lavender buds per 2 cups vodka.
Nasturtium vodka: use ½ cup nasturtium flowers per 2 cups vodka.
Tulip Vodka: Use 1 cup tulips per 2 cups vodka.




Flower Whipped Creams
Uses: put on pie, ice cream, fresh fruit, shortcake.

2 cups very cold heavy cream
1 tbsp to 1 cup flower petals (or 2 tsp to 2 tbsp flower simple syrup)
½ tsp pure vanilla extract 9omit if using flower simple syrup)
¼ confectioners’ sugar

Put heavy cream, flower petals (or flower syrup), vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar in a large mixing bowl. Chill for 30 minutes and up to overnight. Strain out the petals. With a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the mixture on high speed for 3 minutes, or until it forms soft, billowy peaks. Serve right away or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
Makes 4 cups.

Whipped Cream variations:
Basil whipped cream: use 1 cup basil flowers or 2 tbsp basil simple syrup.
Dianthus whipped cream: Use 1 cup dianthus flowers or 2 tbsp dianthus simple syrup.
Elderflower whipped cream: use 1 ½ tbsp. elderflower simple syrup (because elderflowers shouldn’t be eaten raw)
Hibiscus whipped cream: Use 1 cup hibiscus flowers or 2 tbsp. hibiscus simple syrup.
Lavender whipped cream: Use only 1 tbsp lavender buds or 2 tsp lavender simple syrup.
Rose petal whipped cream: Use 2 cups rose petals or 1 ½ tbsp.. Rose petal syrup
Scented Geranium whipped cream: Use 1/3 cup scented geranium flowers, or for a richer geranium flavor and aroma, use a mix of scented geranium flowers and leaves; geranium leaves are edible and more potent than the flowers. Or you can use 1 tbsp. scented geranium simple syrup.



Flower Pastry Creams
Uses: layering cakes, filling doughnuts, topping pies, and more.

1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
½ to 1 cup flower sugar, divided
Pinch salt
6 egg yolks
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp butter
1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Warm milk and cream in a medium-low heat. Stir in all but and egg yolks and 2 tbsp of the sugar, vanilla and butter. Keep your eye on the milk mixture, whisking occasionally to dissolve the sugar and prevent from boiling. Whisk to combine egg yolks and remaining 2 tbsp of sugar in a glass bowl. Slowly whisk half the milk mixture into the egg mixture. Then whisk the milk-egg mixture back into the saucepan. Increase heat to medium, add cornstarch, and whisk until the cream starts to cling to your whisk and threatens to bubble. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using.
Makes 3 cups.

Pastry Cream variations:
Hibiscus pastry cream: use ½ cup hibiscus sugar
Hollyhock pastry cream: Use ½ cup hollyhock sugar
Lilac pastry cream: Use 1 cup lilac sugar. And a pinch of cardamom along with the vanilla.
Scented Geranium pastry cream: use ½ cup scented geranium sugar.
Light and fluffy flower cream: Whip 1 cup cold heavy cream to soft peaks and then gently fold flower pastry cream into it.



Flower Frostings

Cream cheese based flower frosting for vanilla cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, carrots cake rolls, etc

Can freeze for up to 6 months

1- 8oz package cream cheese
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more to taste
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 to 1 cup flower petals


Put all the ingredients in the bowl of a mixture. Beat slowly at first, to let the confectioners’ sugar start to absorb, and then increase speed to medium-high; beat for 3 to 4 minutes until no lumps remain. Taste and beat in more confectioners’ sugar if desired. Overbeating will cause the frosting to lose its stiffness.

Makes 3 cups

Any edible flower- or a mix- works in this frosting recipe. Calendula, dandelion, rose petal, sunflower, and viola frostings.


Flower Buttercream Frostings

¼ cup water
½ dug sugar, divided
3 egg whites
1 tbsp flower simple syrup
¼ to ½ cup flowers
1cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp, cut in 1 inch pieces

Bring water and ¼ cup of the sugar in a small saucepan. Boil until the temp reaches 240 on a candy thermometer. When the temp reaches 240, beat whites with a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed for 1 minute, until the whites start to get foamy. Gradually beat in the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly and carefully pit in the boiling sugar syrup. Beat on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the mixer bowl is room temp again. Return mixer speed to low and add flower simple syrup. Beat in butter a few pieces at a time. Beat frosting on high speed for about 30 seconds, until butter is fully incorporated. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week

Makes 2 cups

Lilac, rose, hibiscus, calendula, dandelion, and violet buttercreams are great.



Flower Ice Creams

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
½ cup sugar
¼ to ½ cup flower petals
4 egg yolks
Zest and juice of 1 lime or other citrus fruit
¼ to ½ cup flower simple syrup

Warm cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until the liquid comes to a bare simmer. Stir in sugar and flower petals and simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. In a medium bowl, use a fork to combine yolks with lime juice. Gradually whisk about half the steamy milk mixture into yolk-milk mixture back into saucepan. Cook and stir until it thickens and the temperature reaches about 155F on a candy thermometer. Stir in flower simple syrup. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a 1-quart container. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. (Chill it overnight to make sure it’s really cold) Process ice cream in an ice cream maker according to manufactures instructions.

Ice Cream Variations:
Elderflower Ice cream: use ½ cup elderflowers and 1/3 cup elderflower simple syrup.
Lavender honey ice cream: Reduce sugar to ¼ cup and use ¼ cup fresh lavender (or 3 tbsp dried). Add ½ cup honey along with the flowers to the ice cream, milk, and sugar. Omit lime juice and simple syrup.
Rose petal ice cream: Substitute 2 tbsp rose water for the lime juice. Use ¼ cup rose simple syrup and ¼ cup chopped rose petals just before processing.



Flower Sorbets

2 cups water
¼ cup sugar
2 tbsp lime juice or other citrus juice
2 cups fresh or dried fruits (use any flower but lavender, which is better in ice cream)

Bring water, sugar, and citrus juice to a boil. Pour mixture over flowers, and let it steep for at least 10 minutes and up to 24 hours before straining out and discarding petals. Chill for at least 2 hours. Process the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. For the best flavor, let sorbet sit at room temp for about 15 minutes before serving.
Makes 1 quart

Herb flower sorbet is really good along with elderflower, hibiscus, lilac, pansy, rose and violet sorbets.



Flower Lemonades
Basic guideline. Mix and match with flower vodkas for happy hour.

1 cup flower simple syrup
4 to 5 cups water or sparkling water
1 cup lemon juice or ¼ cup lime juice

Mix ingredients directly in the pitcher. Adjust the flavors to your own taste preferences.

If you’re using juice in place of water, reduce the amount of flower simple syrup by half.

Flower lemonade variations:
Hibiscus Basil Watermelonade: use ½ cup hibiscus simple syrup, ¼ cup basil simple syrup, and 5 cups watermelon juice.
Lilac lemonade: Use 1 cup lilac simple syrup, 1 cup lemon juice, and 4 cups water
Sparkling Geranium limeade: Use 1 cup lime scented geranium simple syrup, 5 cups sparkling water, and ¾ cup lime juice.

Lavender lemonade goes well with a touch of gin, and hibiscus basil watermelonade mixes well with champagne.




Blueberry Elderflower (Syrup) Smoothie

Ingredients:
2 C. blueberries
1 C. yogurt
2 C. almond milk
1/4 C. Elderflower Syrup

Directions:
- Blend all ingredients until smooth.




STRAWBERRY ROSE SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups frozen strawberries
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp rosewater
1 pinch sea salt
1-teaspoon brown sugar or maple syrup
Rose petals for garnish

Directions:
Place everything in the blender and process until smooth.
Adjust sweetness level and serve with a garnish of rose petals




White Chocolate Lavender Cookies

This is a basic recipe for icebox sugar cookies, which can be altered in many ways.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour (we used the soft white flour from Bluebirdgrain Farms)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2 tbsp fresh or dried lavender, lightly ground in a food processor

Directions:
- Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Beat butter and sugar together on medium speed until fluffy and well blended.
- Add egg and vanilla, continue to beat until well combined.
- Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add chocolate chips and lavender. Mix until blended and smooth.
- Cover and refrigerate until firm, 30 mins.
- Place dough on one end of wax or parchment paper. With lightly greased hands, shape into 11-inch long log. Roll up in paper, twisting the ends of the paper to prevent unrolling. Freeze until completely frozen, 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Grease cookie sheets.
- Gently peel paper off the log and cut the log cross-wise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Transfer slices to cookie sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, until the cookies are golden, just slightly darker at the edges (7-10 mins).




Chive Blossom Vinegar

Chive blossoms have a gentle onion fragrance when steeped in vinegar for a week or two, and the vinegar becomes an attractive transparent pink. Add a tablespoon of chive blossom vinegar to a salad dressing, or drizzle it over sushi. It's fabulous.

Chive Blossom Vinegar

Directions:
Pick a generous number of chive blossoms.
Soak them in cool water overnight to remove any dirt or bugs.
Dry them well (salad spinners are great for this).
Stuff them into a glass jar so that it is between 1/2 filled with blossoms.
Fill the jar with white wine or white balsamic vinegar. Let steep for 2 weeks.
Strain and add to any recipe.
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Firebird
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Re: Eat Your Yard~ Flower Recipes

Post by Firebird »

these are wonderful Alura, thank you!
I used to make the candied flowers out of borage flowers and then consume them for courage!
FF
“There are things known and things unknown and in between are the Doors.”
― Jim Morrison
“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.”
― RWEmerson
:mrgreen:
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Alura Noel
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Re: Eat Your Yard~ Flower Recipes

Post by Alura Noel »

That's what I like about some of this stuff. It's pretty simple but so many different ways to use it, magically or just for fun. I always enjoy making the rock candy. That stuff is a lot of fun.
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Alura Noel
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Re: Flower Recipes

Post by Alura Noel »

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Lavender Chocolate Truffles
Makes about 3 dozen

Lavender chocolate truffles are a hands-down favorite and are usually gone within the hour!

6 ounces heavy cream

1 tablespoon organic lavender flower powder

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine

Powdered sugar

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled to 90F

Cocoa powder, 1 rounded teaspoon for each truffle

1. Over medium heat, mix the cream and the lavender together and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and strain immediately into the chopped chocolate in a small mixing bowl. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes without stirring. After 5 minutes, stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the ganache (chocolate mixture) is smooth. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 2 hours.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Scoop balls from the ganache with a melon baller dipped in powdered sugar. Quickly firm the balls between your palms and coat in the melted bittersweet chocolate. Roll in the cocoa powder to finish.

3. Place the truffles on the prepared baking sheet. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours. Truffles can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Dust them once more with cocoa powder before serving if needed.

- See more at: http://mountainroseblog.com/2012/08/#st ... 56lwP.dpuf




Duck breast with lavender, beetroot and sweet potato

Image

Ingredients

Spiced duck breast

4 Gressingham duck breasts
50g of Szechuan pepper
50g of coriander seeds
25g of cumin seeds
25g of fennel seeds
50g of lavender, dry
100ml of maple syrup
Beetroot and sweet potato

6 small beetroot
2 sweet potatoes
olive oil
butter
salt

1.
Combine the Szechuan pepper, coriander, cumin and fennel in a dry pan on a medium heat and toast for 5 minutes
2.
Place the spices into a mortar and pestle and roughly crush. Combine with the lavender and mix well. Set aside until required
3.
Preheat the oven to 190˚C/gas mark 5. Cover the beetroot with foil and place in the oven until tender, approximately 30-45min. Allow to cool, the peel with a small knife while still slightly warm. Cut into large cubes
4.
Dice the sweet potato and lightly season with salt and coat with olive oil. Place on a baking tray and into the oven, cook until tender, approximately 40 minutes. This should be done while the beetroot are roasting
5.
For the duck, place a large pan on a medium to high heat and season the breasts evenly with salt. Place each breast skin side down into the dry pan and slowly render down the fat. As the fat is released from the breast be sure to remove any excess from the pan by tilting it towards you and taking out with a spoon
6.
Cook for 6 minutes and then turn and continue to cook for a further 4 minutes. Finish in the oven for 2 minutes at 220˚C/gas mark 6. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-7 minutes
7.
When the duck has finished resting, place the breasts flesh side down into the spice mix
8.
Heat a second pan over a medium to high heat. Add the butter and once it begins to foam add the roast beetroot and sweet potato. As soon as the vegetables are heated through, season with salt and remove the pan from the heat
9.
Once the duck has finished resting, return to the pan, flesh side down to sear the spices. After 1 minute, add the maple syrup and coat the duck until it reduces down to a sticky glaze. Remove from the pan, slice and serve on a bed of the roast root vegetables
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Re: Flower Recipes

Post by Alura Noel »

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Calendula Custard

1 pint of milk
1 cup of calendula petals
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons of sugar
small piece of vanilla bean
3 egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 teaspoon of rose water

Pound the calendula petals in a mortar, or crush them with a spoon, and scald them with the milk and vanilla bean. Remove the vanilla bean, and add slightly beaten yolks of eggs, salt, and sugar mixed with the spice. Cook until the mixture coats the spoon. Add rose water and cool. This makes a good sauce for blanc mange. It may be poured into a dish without cooking, and then baked like a custard. Serve with beaten cream, and garnish with calendula blossoms.





Orange Calendula Drop Cookies

6 to 8 fresh calendula blossoms
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
zest of 2 oranges
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces almond halves

Rinse calendulas and pull off petals. Cream butter, sugar and orange zest until fluffy. Add concentrate and vanilla. Add eggs and mix until blended.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Blend calendula petals into dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Press an almond half into each cookie. Bake at 350F for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.




Lavender Honey

1 cup dried lavender flowers
1 quart mild flavored honey

Combine the two in an airtight jar and sit on a windowsill in the sunlight for 2 to 3 weeks turning every couple of days. Once brewed warm honey in a double boiler until honey is runny but not too hot. Using a piece of cheesecloth and funnel pour honey through and squeeze remainder of honey out of lavender through the cloth.




Lavender Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder


Preheat oven to 375F. In a med. bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and lavender: mix well. Combine the flour and baking powder and add to the lavender mixture. Stir until will blended. Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake eight to 10 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Let cookies cool.




Rose Petal, Chamomile, and Lavendar Jelly

Image

1 cup tightly pressed rose petals
1/8 cup crushed chamomile
1/4 cup crushed lavendar
1 pack dry pectin
3 1/2 cups water
4 cups sugar

Hothouse roses are fine for this jelly, but home grown or wild roses are best. I found a wild primrose bush with lovely pink and white petals, growing next to honeysuckle. If you do find wild roses, be aware of what's growing around it...poison ivy isn't the best added flavor.

Thoroughly clean the petals, making sure all of the little bugs aren't in your mixture. Mix them with the chamomile and lavendar, then add the boiling water, to cover all of the ingredients. Cover the pot, let it stand for one hour.

Strain the floral matter from the liquid twice with a cheesecloth, making sure all that you have is pure liquid. The petals, chamomile, and lavendar make an excellant facial poltice for tired eyes and oily skin.

Add the pectin to the liquid and bring to a boil, then add all of the sugar at once, stirring carefully but quickly. Bring to a rolling boil for one minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Remove as much foam as you can from the top, otherwise, you have funky white clouds in you jelly. Stir for a few minutes, until the mixture starts to cool, then pour into hot, clean jars for canning. Old jelly jars with their lids work wonderfully for this.

Be careful pouring! I missed the jar and slopped near-boiling sugar and pectin all over my thumb, it's *quite* painful!

Let your jelly stand for one hour in the jars, then put them in the fridge to hasten their setting. Depending on the size of your jars, you should have edible jelly one hour after putting them in the fridge.

The color of you rose petals determines the color of your jelly. With my pink and white primroses, I got a lovely reddish-golden color, and a delicate taste. This jelly complements jasmine tea, as well as lavendar and chamomile, even plain old Lipton.



'
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Alura Noel
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Re: Flower Recipes

Post by Alura Noel »

'


Lemony Lavender Frozen Yogurt

Image

1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
2 teaspoons dried lavender
4 cups vanilla fat-free Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons finely shredded lemon peel
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup honey
Finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
Fresh lemon slices (optional)
Fresh lavender sprigs (optional)

1. In a small saucepan bring fat-free half-and-half just to boiling. Remove from heat; add dried lavender. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. In a large bowl combine yogurt, the 2 tablespoons lemon peel, the lemon juice, honey, and the lavender mixture. Cover and chill 1 hour.
3. Freeze chilled mixture in a 2-quart ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer’s directions. Serve at once for a softer frozen yogurt. For a firmer mixture, place in an airtight container; freeze 30 to 60 minutes. If desired, garnish servings with additional lemon peel, lemon slices and/or fresh lavender sprigs.

MAKES: 8 servings





Hibiscus Flower Enchiladas

Image

YIELD: 4-6 servings TOTAL TIME: 55 minutes
ingredients:
For Filling:
1 cup dried hibiscus flowers*
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 large carrots, grated
1/2 cup grated jicama
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Sauce:
2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cored, halved (or substitute 1 28-ounce can of whole plum tomatoes, drained and halved)
1/2 white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large dried bay leaves
Kosher salt

For Assembly:
Vegetable oil, for frying
12 6-inch corn tortillas
1 cup sour cream
1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage (from about 1/2 a small cabbage)
1/2 cup Cotija or feta cheese, crumbled

*Dried hibiscus flowers, also called Jamaica flowers, are available at some natural foods stores and at Latin markets, or available online (I purchased mine from Nuts.com).

directions:
For filling, bring hibiscus flowers and 2 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; let steep until flowers are just tender, 5–8 minutes. Strain, reserving flowers (the liquid can be saved for another use).

Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add onion and sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add softened hibiscus flowers, carrots, jicama, sugar, oregano, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender and liquid is mostly evaporated, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chipotle chilies along with 2 cups of water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender, in batches if necessary (be cautious blending hot liquids). Purée until smooth.

Carefully wipe out saucepan; add oil and return to medium-high heat. When oil begins to shimmer, carefully add tomato mixture and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Pour vegetable oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch; heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, submerge tortillas and fry, turning once, until just softened, about 30 to 45 seconds (no longer, you do not want them crispy). Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Spoon 1/4 cup of filling down the center of each tortilla and roll to enclose. Spoon chipotle sauce over top and garnish with sour cream, cabbage, and cheese.





Hibiscus Mango Sorbet

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YIELD: about 1 quart COOK TIME: 20 minutes TOTAL TIME: 24 hours
ingredients:
1/2 ounce (15 grams or about 1/3 cup) dried hibiscus flowers*
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
2-3 large, ripe Champagne or regular mangoes
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from 2-3 limes)

*Dried hibiscus flowers, also called Jamaica flowers, are available at some natural foods stores and at Latin markets, or available online (I purchased mine from Nuts.com).

directions:
In a small saucepan, combine hibiscus flowers, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain liquid, discarding flowers, and set aside to cool.

Peel the mangoes and remove the flesh from the pit. Chop into large chunks and place it in a blender along with the hibiscus sugar mixture and lime juice. Squeeze the mango pits and skins over the blender to extract as much juice as possible. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) until completely chilled, then churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. When sorbet is the consistency of a thick slushy, transfer to a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the sorbet to freeze completely. Let soften slightly before scooping.




Cherry, Hibiscus, and Goat Cheese Panna Cotta

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yield: 4 to 6 servings
active time: 20 minutes
total time: 4 hours

Panna Cotta
the ingredients
• 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (3 ounces) soft goat cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Hibiscus & Cherry Topping
• 1/2 cup dried hibiscus flowers
• 7 ounces fresh cherries (about 18), pitted and chopped
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

how to make the panna cotta…
in a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of cold water and let sit for 5 minutes to soften. heat half-and-half and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and mixture just starts to steam. Remove from heat and stir in goat cheese, whisking until smooth. Stir in softened gelatin and vanilla extract until completely incorporated. divide among 4 (6-ounce) or 6 (4-ounce) jars or ramekins. arrange on a tray and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set. meanwhile, to prepare topping, pour 1/2 cup boiling water over hibiscus flowers. let steep for 5 minutes, then strain, discarding flowers. combine hibiscus liquid, cherries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until reduced by about half, about 15 minutes, or until thick and syrupy. transfer to a heat proof container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Just before serving, spoon topping over set custards.




Hibiscus glaze

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You have to start with the concentrate since it takes some time to infuse well and then cool down.

1 cup of dried hibiscus flowers
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
In a sauce pan, boil water and sugar until the sugar is dissolve.
Remove from stove, add the flowers, let cool.
We let ours cool and infused for most of the doughnut making time to make sure that we had a strong taste of the hibiscus.
Once cool, strain and reserve the liquid.
While the cut doughnuts are rising (about an hour), make the glaze.

1/4 cup Hibiscus concentrate
2 cups icing sugar
In a small bowl, mix together until smooth.
Adjust ingredients to obtain desired flavor.
Pour in a shallow dish and set aside.

Doughnut

4 cups (1L) of canola oil or vegetable oil
12-15 doughnuts. 3 hours.

[Recipe from Canadian Living.]

First step:

1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water (125°F) – VERY IMPORTANT
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 cup all-purpose flour
In bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water (125°F). *It is so important for the water to be warm (almost hot), we had to try a few times to get that one (thanks Erika)!
Sprinkle in yeast; let stand until you see that the water becomes milky, about 10 minutes. You can also stir it a little to make sure all is well dissolve. This step is very important. The yeast needs the sugar to feed and to start blooming.
Stir in flour and mix with wooden spoon until smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm place until bubbly, about 30 minutes. *When we say warm me mean warm! The best spot? On top of the dryer or the stove.

Second Step:

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy.
Beat in eggs, vanilla and salt.
Beat in your first step (the yeast mixture you just made in first step).
With wooden spoon, stir in flour in the whole mixture to form sticky dough.
Transfer to floured surface; knead for 8 minutes. The dough will be smooth.
Place in greased bowl (grease dough all over).
Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm place until tripled in size, about 1-1/2 hours.
On floured surface, roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Using 3-inch doughnut cutter or round cutter with 1-inch hole, cut out doughnuts. Transfer doughnuts baking sheet lines with parchment paper. Cover with damp clothe and let rise about 1 hour.

In a big pot or sauce pan, heat oil until thermometer reads approximately in between 360-370°F. *We suggest to heat at medium, it will take time but if you go to fast the oil is hard to keep steady at the right temperature (again lots of try on this one).

Fry for about 1 minute on each side, make sure to turn only once. When fluffy and golden, remove to paper towels with slotted spoon. Transfer to rack; let cool.

Once cooled pour glaze over or put the glaze in a shallow dish and dip. The dipping should be done twice, it will give it a nice thick coat.

Note: Homemade doughnuts are meant to be enjoyed on the spot or preferably the same day for the optimal fluffy texture and best flavor!




Hibiscus Marshmallows

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Ingredients

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 cup hibiscus “juice”, divided (recipe below)

12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

1 cup light corn syrup (or glucose)

1 tsp. Lemon zest

2-4 Tbl. Lemon juice (depending on your preference)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

Nonstick spray

When you are able to blow a bubble with the boiling sugar then it is the correct temperature. Dip the fork in the sugar then lightly blow.

Method

Place the gelatin and 1/2 cup of the hibiscus “juice” in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 hibiscus “juice”, granulated sugar, corn syrup, lemon zest, juice and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.


Combine the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Line a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with aluminum then spray with pan spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.When ready, pour the marshmallow fluff into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel or sharp knife dusted with the confectioners’ sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.




Hibiscus Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

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Posted by The Minister of Fire and Water
Ingredients

Marinade:

Zest and juice of 2 oranges
1 Tbsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 1/2 Tbsp The Republic of Tea Hibiscus Vinegar
1 tsp Stir Fry Tea Spice
1 1/2 Tbsp Stir Fry Tea Oil
1 whole chicken, cut up into 8 pieces
1 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 leek, white and light green portions, rinsed well and finely chopped
Glaze:

Zest and juice of 1/2 orange
1/2 tsp Tea Spice
3 tsp The Republic of Tea Hibiscus Simple Syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation

Combine all marinade ingredients together in small bowl.
Place chicken pieces in large resealable plastic bag and pour marinade in bag.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
Place chicken pieces in a heavy roasting pan or dutch oven. Arrange the sweet potato and leeks around the chicken.
Pour marinade over chicken and sweet potatoes.
Combine all glaze ingredients in sauce pan. Heat on low for 8-10 minutes or until glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Roast chicken uncovered for 55 minutes.
Take out pan and glaze the chicken and the potatoes. Return entire pan into the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until nicely golden.
Place chicken pieces on a plate and arrange sweet potato around plate. Garnish with tea spice and serve immediately.
Serves 4




WILD HIBISCUS CHEESECAKE

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Serves 12

Edible flowers will turn any dish into an impressive guest-wowing treat. We love Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup for our party desserts and drinks.

Ingredients:

1 (8.8 ounce) jar Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons superfine sugar (grind granulated sugar in a spice grinder)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup reserved syrup from the Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Drain the jar of Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup and reserve the syrup. Quarter half of the flowers and set aside.
For the crust, mix all graham cracker crumbs, butter and superfine sugar together in a small bowl. Pat crumbs into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
To make the filling, in the bowl of a standup mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the granulated sugar, cream cheese and reserved hibiscus syrup until fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in sour cream and flour until smooth.
Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until center is set but slightly jiggly.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
Loosely cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Loosen the cheesecake from the side of the pan by running a knife in between cake and ring. Remove the ring.
To serve, slice cheesecake and place onto dessert plates.
Garnish cheesecake slices with some cut and full hibiscus flowers.



Hibiscus Macarons Recipe

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Makes... (these were so good that we ate a good amount of them before even pairing them and forgot how many they were)

Note: For the meringues we used the following proportions - 1,3 gr almonds / 2 gr sugar per every gram of egg whites.
All the ingredients were weighed out after dehydrating.
110 gr egg whites (3-days aged);
20 gr granulated sugar;
143 gr blanched almonds;
220 gr powdered sugar;
15 gr dry hibiscus flowers;
In a mortar grind the dry hibiscus flowers to a fine powder. If needed sieve it as there are not so fine particles that remain.

In a food processor grind the almonds till coarse semolina size. Add in the powdered sugar and grind finely. Add the hibiscus powder and pulse 2-3 times to blend. Sift the mix to remove any clumps.

In a large bowl begin beating the egg whites on a low speed. When they are foamy gradually add the granulated sugar. If necessary increase the speed to medium (but not high). Beat till glossy meringue.

Remove the beaters. Add the almonds/sugar mixture in two or three times and fold carefully until homogenous.

Line a baking pan with paper. Pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (we use № 7) and pipe about 2cm large rounds (we prefer even smaller “one bite” macarons) leaving 2cm space between them. Tap the pan on the counter several times to bring up any air bubbles.

Let the macarons rest for 30 – 45 minutes to form a skin. At the end they should not be tacky on touch.

Preheat the oven to 150º C. When the shells are no more tacky on touch, bake for around 10 minutes or until they seem done.

Remove from the paper and let cool on a wire rack. (If not using immediately, store the shells in an airtight container.)

Mascarpone-Butter Cream Recipe:
50 gr butter (room temperature);
100 gr powdered sugar;
150 gr mascarpone.
Combine sugar and butter and beat until creamy and fluffy. Add the mascarpone and beat until homogenous.

To assemble: Fill a pastry bag with the mascarpone-butter cream and couple the macaron shells with a good twist of cream. Store the macarons in an airtight container in the fridge. Let them rest for 24 hours before eating.




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Alura Noel
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Re: Flower Recipes

Post by Alura Noel »

Pink Rosé Wine Cake

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"Dianthus is one of the 130 secret herbs and flowers used by monks at the Chartreuse monastery to make their signature liqueur. So, in the spirit of that long-standing tradition, let’s pair the flower’s pink petals with rosé wine for a delightfully tipsy cake." — Miche Bacher

From: Cooking with Flowers © 2013 by Miche Bacher Buy the book

pink rose wine cake

Yields: 9-inch cake
Oven Temp: 350

Ingredients

1/2 cup(s) (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup(s) sugar
1 1/2 cup(s) sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoon(s) dianthus petals, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup(s) rosé wine
1 1/2 cup(s) cherries, pitted
localoffersIcon
Dianthus Whipped Cream, for topping
Candied Dianthis Flowers, for topping


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper and coat it with nonstick spray.
Beat butter and sugar in bowl of a mixer until mixture is soft, light, and fluffy, about 4 minutes. While waiting for butter and sugar to fluff, sift flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add eggs, one at a time, making sure first is fully incorporated before adding next. Scrape down paddle and sides of bowl as needed to make sure everything is fully incorporated. You can multitask again by fluffing dianthus petals into flour. Toss vanilla into butter mixture and beat on medium-high speed for about 30 seconds.
Beat flour mixture and wine into butter mixture in 3 alternating additions, starting and ending with flour mixture. When it’s all in, turn mixer off and gently stir in cherries.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Serve with dianthus-infused whipped cream and/or candied dianthus flowers, if desired, or store cake for up to 3 days.




Coconut Lilac Tapioca

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"I’ve always loved tapioca pudding, but the first time I had it made by Claudia Fleming, it took my breath away. When I began thinking of uses for lilac, the creaminess of tapioca kept springing to mind. This dish has just enough texture from the tapioca and lilac flowers, and the coconut and lilac flavors provide a nice balance." — Miche Bacher

From: Cooking with Flowers © 2013 by Miche Bache

Ingredients

1/2 cup(s) large pearl tapioca
2 can(s) (28-ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
3 cup(s) whole milk
1/2 cup(s) sugar
1 cup(s) lilac blossoms
36 fresh lilacs and/or Candied Lilacs, for topping
Lilac Blackberry Syrup

Directions

Soak tapioca in coconut milk for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure you end up with individual bouncy nuggets rather than a solid lump of tapioca.
Combine milk and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a fast simmer. Stir in tapioca with coconut milk and bring to a boil.
Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 1 hour, or until tapioca turns soft and translucent. Let pudding cool before stirring in lilac blossoms. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 1 week. Serve topped with lilac blackberry syrup and fresh or candied lilacs, if desired.





Pansy Petal Pancakes

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"Spring, summer, and fall, pansies decorate my pancake plates. These pancakes are really crepes, so the batter can be made the night before — give it a gentle shake in the morning, and it’s ready to go. It’s fun to see a little flower peeking up at you from the plate. Served with a floral syrup, it is a great way to wake up in the morning." — Miche Bacher

From: Cooking with Flowers © 2013 by Miche Bacher

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup(s) milk
1/2 cup(s) water
1 tablespoon(s) sugar
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
3 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
1/2 cup(s) buckwheat flour
3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
12 pansy flowers
Pansy Simple Syrup, for topping if desired

Directions

Place all ingredients except pansy flowers in a blender. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Let batter come to room temperature before frying. Shake well. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat until a bit of butter melts quickly when added to it.
Lift skillet from heat and pour 1/4 cup of batter in middle, tilting and swirling pan to distribute it quickly and evenly. Return to heat. After about 1 minute, sprinkle with pansies. Use a spatula to loosen edges of crepe from sides of skillet. Flip crepe and cook for another 30 seconds. Turn or slide it onto a serving plate. Repeat with remaining batter.




Flowerfetti Cake

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"At our confectionery shop, Mali B, Nanao and I are often asked to make Funfetti cakes. Something about the sprinkles inside and the festive colors make people feel young. But I think flower petals are the original cake confetti. Colorful, flavorful, textural, flower petals. They're irresistible when it comes time to bring a frosted cake to a summer party." — Miche Bacher

From: Cooking with Flowers © 2013 by Miche Bacher

Ingredients

3 cup(s) sugar
3 small lemons, (zest and juice)
4 1/2 cup(s) cake flour
1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1 1/2 cup(s) (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
9 eggs
1 1/2 cup(s) full-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup(s) assorted flower petals (roses, dianthus, bachelor buttons, and marigold)
8 cup(s) (1 batch) Assorted Flower Frosting, (see below)
Flower Frosting
1 package(s) (8 ounces) cream cheese
1 cup(s) confectioners' sugar, sifted, plus more to taste
2 tablespoon(s) milk
1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup(s) to 1 cup flower petals, (roses, dianthus, bachelor buttons, and marigold)

Directions

Preheat over to 325 degrees F. Line the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and coat them with nonstick spray.
Whir sugar and zest in a food processor for 2 to 30 seconds, or until it releases a sweet lemon aroma.
Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter and lemon sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl so the mixture is smooth. Reduce speed to low and add half the flour mixture; then mix in yogurt and lemon juice. Beat in the remaining flour mixture and petals.
Distribute batter among the pans and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a metal tester comes out clean. Let cakes cool to room temperature in pans and then turn them out and flip them upright. Let them cool for a least 1 hour and up to overnight; after an hour, tightly cover each layer in plastic wrap and store at room temperature until ready to frost.
Mark the lowest spot in the top of the first cake layer. With a serrated knife, use a slow sawing motion and circle around the cake, cutting off the uneven top. (Good news is, you can sample this yummy crusty piece.) Repeat with remaining layers.
Place the first layer cut-side down on your serving dish. Spread frosting on top with an offset spatula or a good flexible spatula. Top with another upside-down layer cake and repeat the process twice more. Frost the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Time to decorate. Toss petals onto the cake, sprinkle them down like rain, shower them like asteroids — you are the artist, and you can't go wrong.
For the frosting: Put all the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer. Beat slowly at first, to let the confectioners' sugar start to absorb and then increase speed to medium-high; beat for 3 to 4 minutes until no lumps remain. Taste and beat in more confectioners' sugar if desired. Note that overbeating will cause the frosting to lose its stiffness.




Violet Flower Cupcakes

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"Like tiny snowcapped mountains, these cupcakes capture your heart. They look delicate and airy but have the texture and crumb of a perfect pound cake, with a sweet violet jam surprise inside." — Miche Bacher

From: Cooking with Flowers © 2013 by Miche Bacher

Ingredients
Yields: 18 cupcakes
Oven Temp: 350

Cupcakes
3 cup(s) cake flour, sifted
1 1/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1 tablespoon(s) salt
1 cup(s) (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cup(s) sugar
1 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 cup(s) coconut milk, (half of one 14-ounce can plus 2 teaspoons)
Frosting and Topping
1/3 cup(s) Violet Jam
3 cup(s) Violet Buttercream
1 cup(s) unsweetened coconut flakes
24 Candied Violets

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line wells of 18 muffin cups with cupcake liners.
In a bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in another bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute more.
Add egg whites to butter mixture one at a time, beating like crazy after each addition to lighten batter and pausing to scrape down sides of the bowl. This should take about 5 minutes in all.
Beat in flour mixture and coconut milk in alternating additions, starting and ending with flour mixture; do not overmix. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool.
Place coconut flakes in a small bowl. Cut a cone-shaped piece of cake out of top of each cooled cupcake and drop a dollop of violet jam into well. Replace caps on the cupcakes. Top each with a generous dollop of buttercream, and dip in coconut flakes. Top cupcakes with candied violets and serve.
Tips & Techniques

For cupcake liners like the ones shown here, cut 6-inch squares of parchment paper. Turn a glass with a 2-inch diameter upside down. Place a parchment square on top and mold it by sliding your hands down and around the glass. Drop parchment cups into a cupcake pan and fill them with batter.



Blackberry Borage Fool

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"A fool is a simple, old-fashioned English dessert made with fruit folded into whipped cream. It is so light you could fool yourself into thinking it has no calories at all, and the layers of flavors are complex enough that it is satisfying without being filling. British accent is optional." "A fool is a simple, old-fashioned English dessert made with fruit folded into whipped cream. It is so light you could fool yourself into thinking it has no calories at all, and the layers of flavors are complex enough that it is satisfying without being filling. British accent is optional." — Miche Bacher

From: Cooking with Flowers © 2013 by Miche Bacher

Ingredients

1 cup(s) heavy cream
1/3 cup(s) borage flowers, plus extra for garnish
4 cup(s) fresh blackberries, divided
1 tablespoon(s) freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon(s) freshly grated ginger, (from about 1/2 inch fresh ginger root)
1 tablespoon(s) confectioners' sugar

Directions

Put heavy cream and borage flowers in a covered container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. In a bowl, combine 2 cups of blackberries with lime juice and ginger and let them infuse for same amount of time as the cream.
Mash blackberry mixture by hand or in a food processor.
Strain borage-infused cream through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the solids. Combine with confectioners’ sugar in bowl of a mixer, and whip on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, or until cream is soft and billowy, but firm. Reserve a small amount for garnish, if desired.
Gently fold blackberry mash into borage cream. Divide remaining 2 cups of blackberries between four tall cups or parfait glasses and top with borage blackberry cream. Garnish with reserved borage cream, if desired, and borage flowers.
Tips & Techniques

To use borage flowers, first pluck flower from plant at base of its stem. Then wash and dry flowers and, using a thumb and forefinger, gently tug at one of five blue petals. Blue flower should easily come apart from its hairy green star-shaped receptacle.



Squash Blossoms with Pimento Ricotta

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Leigh Magar loves the fresh taste of edible flowers. For her, Matt Lee and Ted Lee created a new version of a Tuscan classic, fried squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta. They mix the ricotta with pimentos -- an homage to pimento cheese, a Southern favorite -- and serve the blossoms raw.

Ingredients

15 ounce(s) fresh ricotta, 1 1/2 cups
3 ounce(s) cream cheese
2/3 cup(s) well-chopped drained pimentos, from one 8-ounce jar
1/2 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
24 squash blossoms

Directions
1. In a food processor, puree the ricotta and cream cheese. Add the pimentos and crushed red pepper and pulse until the pimentos are minced. Season with salt.
2. Remove the pistils from the squash blossoms. Spoon the pimento ricotta into a sturdy resealable plastic bag and snip the corner. Pipe about 1 tablespoon of the ricotta into each blossom and transfer to a platter. serve with Toasted baguette slices.



PERSIAN LOVE CAKE
by mimithorisson



Once upon a time, there was a Persian woman madly in love with a prince. To make him fall in love with her, she baked him this cake, filled with magical love powers. So the legend goes for this nightingale of all cakes.
If I had to imagine a cake representing love, this would be close to the real thing. With enchanting ingredients like cardamom, rose water, rose petals, saffron and whipped cream, how can anyone resist this sweet temptation? Cardamom is the queen of all spices – Cleopatra burnt cardamom incense when Mark Antony visited, and the ‘Arabian Nights’ often refers to cardamom’s aphrodisiac properties. The rose and saffron cream icing gives this cake a beautiful golden glow, and when you add the candied rose petals mixed with pistachio nuts, that’s when the magic begins.

Ingredients

Cake:
140 grs plain flour
60 grs sugar
9 grs baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 eggs, separated
60 grs canola oil
80 ml water
1 tsp lemon peel
¼ tsp ground cardamom
8 strawberries or raspberries (sliced and optional)

Cream icing:
25 cl whipping cream
60 grs fine sugar
A good pinch of saffron
1 tbsp rose water
2 tbsp pistachios (unsalted)

Candied petal roses
Untreated organic rose petals
1 egg white (whisked until foamy)
30 grs crystal sugar

Clean delicately the rose petals, and brush each rose petal gently with the frothy egg white. Sprinkle each rose petal with sugar and dry on a small wire rack or parchment paper covered plate for half a day, or even overnight. I put mine in the fridge because the weather is getting warm.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Prepare two cake tins of approx 20 cm with parchment paper and butter on the sides. Mix all the dry ingredients together: Flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Whisk egg yolks with the water and oil until double in size and fluffy then add the lemon rind. Add to the dry mixture. Whisk the egg white until stiff then fold in very gently to the batter. The key is to have an angel light fluffy chiffon cake so this part is very important. Pour equal parts in both cake tins and bake for approx. 15-20 minutes or until test-knife comes out clean. Leave to rest and remove from pans to cool on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool so you can spread the icing.
For the cream frosting:
Whisk the cream to ‘stiff’ peaks, gradually add the sugar, rose essence and saffron.
When cakes are cooled, spread the first cake with the cream frosting, add the sliced strawberries (optional) all over. Add the second cake (like a sandwich) and continue spreading the cream frosting. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts and candied rose petals. I like to add some additional fresh rose petals (cleaned and rinsed) on and around the cake for maximum ‘beauty’ effect.




Blueberry Violet Éclairs
yield: 18 mini éclairs
pâte à choux recipe adapted from The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook

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This recipe has several parts which can be made ahead and assembled right before the éclairs are to be served. The pastry cream can be made the day before and kept in the refrigerator. The éclair puffs can be kept at room temperature for up to 24 hours and crisped in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes, then cooled before filling. Make the blueberry sauce ahead of time, cover, and refrigerate, but wait to whip it into a glaze until after you have filled all of the éclairs with the pastry cream.

Ingredients:
For vanilla violet pastry cream:
2 cups whole milk
½ vanilla bean, split
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated sugar, divided
5 large egg yolks (90 grams)
5 tablespoons (40 grams) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
¼ cup crème de violette liqueur

For éclair paste (pâte à choux):
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons whole milk
6 tablespoons water
1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup (65 grams) all-purpose flour

For blueberry violet glaze:
1 cup (160 grams) fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup crème de violette liqueur
2 cups (240 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon whole milk
edible flowers (optional)

Instructions:
Make the pastry cream: Wipe a sheet pan with a clean, damp rag. Cover the bottom and sides of the pan with plastic wrap (the water will help the plastic wrap stick). Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine milk, vanilla bean, and 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks together in a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar and cornstarch with a fork. Add to egg yolks and whisk together until smooth.

When milk is boiling, slowly pour ½ cup (or a ladle full) of hot milk into egg yolk mixture in a steady stream with one hand, while whisking with your other hand. Whisk until smooth, then pour back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk. Whisk until the cream thickens and sputters like the Bog of Eternal Stench. Whisk for another 2 minutes after the first bubble. Remove from heat and fold in butter cubes until melted. Pour in crème de violette and whisk until combined.

Pour pastry cream onto prepared sheet pan and spread edge to edge with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the pastry cream so it doesn't form a skin, then let cool to room temperature. When at room temperature, transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.

While pastry cream is chilling, make the éclair paste: Adjust oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of your oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats.

In a measuring cup, whisk together eggs and egg white. Set aside. Combine butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add flour all at once, mixing until dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return to low heat, smearing the dough around the bottom of the pan for 3-4 minutes, until the temperature of the paste reaches 175-180°F and looks like wet sand.

Transfer hot dough to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Process for 10 seconds to cool a little, then stream eggs in through the feed tube with the processor still running. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process for an additional 30 seconds until smooth. Spoon warm paste into a piping bag fitted with a wide plain tip. Pipe nine 3-inch long lines of paste onto each lined baking sheet, spacing each line about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400°F, then rotate pans from top to bottom. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and use a skewer or chopstick to poke a hole lengthwise through the center of each puff, being careful not to poke through the other side. Return pans to oven and turn off the oven. Prop the oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon and allow puffs to dry in there for 45 minutes. The outsides will be firm, and the insides will be moist, but not wet.

While puffs are drying, make the blueberry violet sauce for the glaze: In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, granulated sugar, and crème de violette and place over medium-high heat. Crush blueberries with the back of a fork, then cook for 5-6 minutes, until sauce has thickened and darkened in color. Remove from heat and let cool.

Now you can assemble everything: When puffs are done drying, cool them on a wire rack. Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator and scrape it into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 1 minute.

Using a skewer or chopstick, go back through the holes in the puffs that you poked earlier and gently wiggle the skewer around to clear a path for the pastry cream. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a long plain tip (I used Wilton #230) with pastry cream. Insert piping tip into hole at the end of each puff and lightly squeeze pastry cream into the puffs until filled. You will feel them plump up in your hand and pastry cream will come out of the starter hole when it is full. Don't squeeze too hard or you may break the puff.

When all éclairs are filled, whip up the glaze: Combine 4 tablespoons of blueberry violet sauce with sifted confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Slowly add milk and beat until smooth. Glaze should be somewhat thick, but should drip off the whisk a bit. If too thick, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. Transfer glaze to a smaller bowl and dip the tops of each éclair into the glaze, wiggling to get coverage. Touch up any missed spots with the back of a spoon. If desired, place edible flowers on top of the glaze. Allow to dry for 20 minutes.

Serve immediately; éclairs are best when eaten within 4-5 hours after they've been filled, then they start to get soggy.




Strawberry-Rose Cupcakes

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Strawberry jam and rose water are baked directly into the vanilla cupcakes to infuse delicate, fragrant flavor into these party-ready cakes. Garnish with fresh rose petals in the colors of your party.

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs $
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup strawberry jam
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. rose water*
Cream Cheese-Rose Frosting
2 1/2 cups small rose petals (organically grown)
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line 16 muffin cups with liners. Beat butter and sugar with a stand mixer until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk; beat until well blended.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Gradually beat into butter mixture until well blended.
3. Whisk together jam and rose water to taste in a small bowl. Spread 2 heaping tbsp. batter in each liner. Top with 1 tsp. jam mixture, then another 2 heaping tbsp. batter, carefully spreading it to cover jam.
4. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted toward the edge comes out clean, 25 to 27 minutes. Let cool in pans 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Spread with frosting and decorate with rose petals.
*Find with cocktail or baking supplies.




Yogurt Honey Jelly with Strawberries and Roses

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Sunset's April 1975 recipe for Russian Cream—and English food writer Josceline Dimbleby's recipe for Athenian Jelly—inspired Niloufer Ichaporia King to make this dessert. It's perfect after Parsi food and very much in character with it. Serve with cookies if you like. Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour of chilling time. Notes: We used a 6-in. cake pan for the mold, but you can use anything from a plain metal mixing bowl to a fancy crenellated pudding bowl. Or pour the yogurt into small bowls to make individual servings. Find rose water in Middle Eastern markets, and look for Middle Eastern, French, and Italian brands over Indian ones—they have better flavor. Rose petals are edible if they're pesticide-free; pluck from your garden if you haven't sprayed, or ask for them at your local farmers' market flower vendors.

Sunset JUNE 2008

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1 envelope (1/4 oz.) powdered gelatin
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons honey, or to taste
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 cup hulled strawberries, sliced lengthwise
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon rose water (optional; see Notes)
1/4 cup rose petals (see Notes)
Preparation
1. Put gelatin and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and let soften for a few minutes. Meanwhile, pour cream and vanilla into a medium bowl and use an electric mixer to whip the mixture into soft peaks.

2. Heat gelatin mixture gently over low heat until gelatin dissolves completely. Stir in honey and salt; remove from heat.

3. Whisk yogurt in a medium bowl. Whisk some yogurt into gelatin-honey mixture; then whisk that mixture into rest of yogurt. Fold whipped cream into yogurt mixture and pour into a 6-in. cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until set, at least 1 hour.

4. Combine strawberries, sugar, and rose water in a small bowl and mix gently. (If you'd like a bit of syrup, let mixture sit for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.)

5. To unmold, dip underside of cake pan in a large bowl of hot water for a minute or so. Remove from water and set a serving plate face down on top. Holding plate in place, quickly invert cake pan to release jelly (tap pan if necessary). Top with strawberries and rose petals.





Snapdragon’s Bruschetta



Ingredients:

Fresh snapdragons of various colours

Lemon

Parsley

Cream cheese

Black olive pâté

Extra virgin olive oil

Slice the bread and toast it. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, the lemon and the parsley, in another one, mix some cream cheese and the black olives pâté. Using a teaspoon, stuff the Snapdragons alternatively with one or the other filling. Place one on each slice and season with olive oil. You can vary the filling as long as it stays delicate so to not cover the flavour of the flowers. Pair it with a Gewürztraminer from Alto Adige or a Riesling.




Seared tuna with lavender and pepper crust


Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds centre-cut Ahi tuna or 4 steaks

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

1 teaspoon white peppercorns

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons dried culinary Lavender flowers

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups savoury mixed fresh greens and herbs

Mustard seed dressing

If using the centre-cut Ahi tuna, trim and cut the tuna into a block approximately 2 inches across; then cut into 1-inch steaks. Crush the salt, peppercorns, fennel seeds, and lavender with a mortar and pestle. Lightly oil the tuna with 2 teaspoons of olive oil; evenly coat the tuna with the lavender-pepper mixture, patting off any excess. In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan or a cast-iron pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Increase the heat to high and place the tuna in the pan. Sear for 1 minute, then turn over carefully, reducing the heat to medium. Sear the other side for 1 more minute until medium rare. Remove from heat and immediately refrigerate the tuna for at least 1 hour (don’t exceed the 3 hours). Serves 8. Pair with a Chardonnay.





Grilled chicken with nasturtiums pesto



Ingredients:

1 chicken piece, breast or legs

4 cups of nasturtium petals

3 or 4 cloves of garlic

1 ½ cup of olive oil

2 drops of Tabasco

1 cup of hazelnuts

Grill the chicken. On the side, mix all the ingredients with an electric mixer until you reach a creamy and soft consistency. Pair it with a Ligurian white wine, Pigato.





Strawberry and violet sorbet



Ingredients:

24 violets

2 pounds strawberries

9 OZ sugar

1 lemon

2 egg whites

Pour the sugar and the violets in a small pot with some water and bring to boil. Cook it on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Let it cool and then strain it. Clean the strawberries and mix them with the lemon juice, then add the violets to the mixture. Keep it in the freezer for a couple of hours, stirring it once in a while. Whip the egg whites and add it to the mixture only once the two hours have passed, stirring very carefully. Keep it in the freezer for another hour. Pair with a Prosecco.

Written by Elisa della Barba
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Alura Noel
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Re: Flower Recipes

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Tuna, Asparagus, and New Potato Salad with Chive Vinaigrette and Fried Capers

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Makes 6 servings
A springy take on Niçoise salad, with radishes and asparagus in place of tomatoes and haricots verts.
ingredients
Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1 small shallot, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad:
1 1/2 pounds thick asparagus, stems peeled
1 1/4 pounds baby red potatoes, halved or quartered
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup capers, drained, patted dry
8 ounces mixed spring greens
16 large radishes, trimmed, very thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
3 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled, quartered
12 ounces imported tuna packed in oil, drained
Chive blossoms (optional)
preparation
For vinaigrette:
Puree first 5 ingredients in blender until smooth. With machine running, gradually add vegetable oil, then olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
For salad:
Cook asparagus in large skillet of boiling salted water until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer asparagus to 13x9x2-inch pan of ice water to cool. Drain asparagus and pat dry. DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Wrap in paper towels, then plastic, and chill.
Place potatoes in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch. Sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil and cook until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size of potatoes. Drain; let cool 5 minutes. Place in medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in small skillet over medium-high heat. Add capers and fry until capers are crisp and open like flowers, stirring often, 45 to 60 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer capers to paper towels to drain. DO AHEAD: Potatoes and capers can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
Place asparagus in large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons vinaigrette and toss to coat. Toss potatoes again to coat, adding 1 more tablespoon vinaigrette if dry. Place greens and radishes in another large bowl. Toss with enough vinaigrette to coat. Spread greens and radishes over large platter. Arrange potatoes, asparagus, eggs, and tuna atop greens. Drizzle some vinaigrette over tuna. Sprinkle with fried capers and chive blossoms, if desired.




Baby Greens with Roasted Beets and Potatoes

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Makes 6 to 8 servings
Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr
ingredients
For vinaigrette
1 1/2 tablespoons tarragon white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
For salad
2 medium beets (1 lb with greens; 14 oz without greens), stems trimmed to 2 inches
1 lb small new potatoes (about 1 inch in diameter) or fingerlings (1 to 1 1/2 inches long), scrubbed well
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 oz microgreens* such as baby Bibb, red-leaf, and oak-leaf lettuces and baby arugula, or mesclun (about 10 cups)
4 cups baby spinach (3 oz)
1/3 cup lovage* leaves, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh chervil and/or dill leaves
1/3 cup fresh tarragon leaves
20 unsprayed organic nasturtium blossoms*
preparation
Make vinaigrette:
Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
Roast beets and potatoes:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
Wrap beets individually in foil and roast on a baking sheet in upper third of oven until tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Once beets have roasted for 30 minutes, toss potatoes with oil and salt in a small baking pan and roast in lower third of oven, shaking pan occasionally, until potatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully unwrap beets and cool slightly, then slip off and discard skins.
Assemble salad:
Cut beets into 1/3-inch dice and put in a large salad bowl. Cut potatoes into 1/3-inch-thick slices and add to beets along with all greens and herbs. Add vinaigrette and toss gently to coat.
Sprinkle blossoms on top and serve immediately.
*Available at farmers' markets and specialty produce markets.





Fresh Strawberry Frosting with Edible Flower Simple Syrup

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For the Simple Syrup:
*1 c. sugar
*1 cup water
*1 c. violets or roses (organic only)

Together: Wash the your flowers with your mini-chef. Drain the water off and pat dry. Combine equal parts sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pot.

Big Person: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stir in whatever flowers you have on hand, keep stirring for another few seconds (you can count to 30 with your mini-chef), and remove it from the heat. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Pour the syrup through a fine mesh sieve to strain out the bits of flower. (These sugary flower leftovers are delicious in iced tea or lemonade, FYI.)

For the frosting:
*1/4 c. fresh strawberries, pureed
*2 T. edible flower simple syrup
*1/4 t. vanilla
*1 c. unsalted butter, cold
*mini-chef pinch of salt
*3-4 c. confectioner’s sugar
*1/4 t. vanilla
*more edible flowers to top your cake or cupcake

With your Yummy, stir together the strawberries, pinch of salt, vanilla and simple syrup in a small bowl. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter till fluffy, about 5 minutes. On medium speed, add the strawberry mixture and beat another 15 seconds or until just combined. The frosting should be a very pale uniform color but still light and fluffy.

Frost your cake or cupcakes. Top with more edible flowers.




Spring Salad: Edible Flowers & Dandelion Greens

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Ingredients
spring mix salad
dandelions or watercress
handful wisteria flowers, pulled of their stems (I left mine on, quite by accident)
english cucumber, chopped
sweet orange, peeled and chopped
orange zest

Dressing (serves 2)
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
juice of 1/2 orange
cracked pepper to taste

Start with the dressing by combining all ingredients, except the oil, in a small bowl or decanter, mix well and then add in the olive oil. Mix again and let set.

For the salad ingredients, use as much as you like of each ingredient. Mix your greens, place on serving dish and top with cucumber, orange pieces, orange zest and flowers. Drizzle with dressing just before serving.





Pan Fried Squash Blossoms filled with Creamy Herbed Goat Cheese

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Ingredients:
squash blossom flowers
herb goat cheese (chilled is easier to stuff into the flowers)
chopped herbs of any variety
salt
pepper
2-3 eggs, whisked in a bowl
olive oil or butter

Carefully wash and pat dry the squash blossom flowers. Take scoops of herbed goat cheese and gently push it into the inside of the flower petals. Heat a sauté pan on medium heat with some olive oil or butter. Once all of the flowers have been stuffed, roll them in the whisked egg mixture. Gently fry the flowers in the pan until the egg batter is cooked. Sprinkle squash blossoms with salt and pepper and enjoy them while soft and hot.




Grilled Scallops with Ginger Sauce and Orange

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For 2 servings, input

ingredients

4 large scallops
French 2 small shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 c. teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1/3 cup white wine
1 c. tbsp + 1 tsp. teaspoon butter
1 c. tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
Some shoots, flowers or fresh herbs for garnish
training

In a small pan or skillet, cook the French shallots in a tablespoon of butter. When translucent, deglaze with white wine. Reduce for a few minutes. Add orange juice and ginger. Salt and pepper. Simmer and reduce until a syrupy sauce.

In another pan, heat a teaspoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. Pat scallops dry before salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, sear the scallops on both sides quickly (about a minute or two on each side), so they are golden brown and crisp on the outside, but soft on the inside. Serve scallops with ginger sauce and orange, topped with sprouts, edible flowers or fresh herbs.




Zucchini Blossom Fritters

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Serves 4

7-8 squash blossoms
1 clove garlic {peeled + sliced}
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves {plus more for garnish}
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
vegetable oil for frying

Prepare the squash blossoms by inspecting each flower for dirt, or bugs {little critters do like to hide inside them}. Give them a gentle rinse with water, and dry with paper towels. Remove the pistil from inside each flower. Note: For this application, it's fine to cut a slit alongside the length of each flower, to make removal easier. You wouldn't want to do this if you were stuffing the blossoms. I also like to remove the little green spikes from around the stem of the flowers.
Saute the blossoms with the garlic, and olive oil, in a skillet over medium high heat until softened, and lightly browned. Remove from the skillet and coarsely chop. Transfer to a bowl, and add in the chopped basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, egg, and milk. Use a fork to gently beat the ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl, and stir to combine. The mixture should be slightly thicker than a pancake batter. If needed, add in a bit more milk.
Pour enough vegetable oil into a skillet to coat the bottom by about a 1/4"; heat over medium high heat. Scoop the batter by the heaping tablespoonful, and drop into the hot oil. Use the back of a spoon to flatten each fritter slightly. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the fritter over, and brown the other side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle lightly with some coarse salt, and chopped fresh basil. Serve while hot.




Lavender Honey Grilled Chicken

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1 boneless chicken breast, about 1 1/2 pounds
2 tablespoons lavender honey*
2 teaspoons herb de Provence with lavender
freshly ground pepper
*Or use your favorite honey.

Have ready a grill that is medium high temperature.

Rinse and pat the chicken dry and cut it into 4 strips. Coat the chicken with the honey and sprinkle with the herb de Provence. Freshly grind pepper over chicken to taste. Place the chicken onto the hot grill and grill until mostly cooked on one side, about 15 minutes. Turn and finish cooking until nicely browned, but not burned. The sugars in the honey can easily burn, so adjust temperature if it starts to brown too quickly. It should be nicely caramelized.Once the chicken is done, take off of the grill and put it on a plate to rest. Slice diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces and serve either warm or at room temperature.




Spring Flower Lollipops

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Hard candy recipe from the SprinkleBakes baking book!
Yield: 10 lollipops

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup water
1 dram bottle candy flavoring oil (such as LorAnn, I used Blackberry)
Violet gel food coloring
10 organic whole voila flower heads or pansy petals, washed and patted dry
10 lollipop sticks
If you are using a lollipop mold (recommended), lightly grease it with cooking spray. If you are not using a mold, pour 2 cups of powdered sugar into a baking pan with a lip. Create indentations with the bottom of a glass or other flat-bottomed object. Set aside.
Stir together the sugar, corn syrup and water in a small saucepan and clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue to heat without stirring until the bubbling mixture reaches the hard-crack stage (302 degrees F). Remove pan from heat.
Stir in flavoring oil and a small amount of gel food coloring. Be extra careful because the mixture will bubble and sputter with these additions.
When the mixture has stopped bubbling, drop it into molds by the spoonfuls (or powdered sugar indentations) using a metal spoon. Carefully place a viola flower head or petal face down on the hot candy. Use the end of a lollipop stick to slightly press it into the candy. Quickly pour just enough hot candy over the flower head or petal to cover the backside, encasing it completely in the candy. Place a lollipop stick in the candy and turn 1/2 turn. Allow the candy to harden, then remove from molds. If using powdered sugar to mold, you may choose to rinse off the excess sugar under a thin stream of warm water - either way, the flower will become more visible once the lollipop is being enjoyed.

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Note: Make sure the mold you use is large enough to accommodate the size of the flowers and petals you are using.




Strawberry Hibiscus-Tea Lemonade

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from Martha Stewart Living, June 2008
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Level: Easy Serves: 4-6
For the lemonade:
6 cups water
6 hibiscus tea bags
2 pounds strawberries, hulled and halved
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
1/4 cup Simple Syrup
For the Simple Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
To make the Simple Syrup:
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool completely, and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
To make the lemonade:
Bring water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, add tea bags, and steep for 30 minutes. Discard tea bags, and pour tea into a pitcher. Let cool completely.
Combine strawberries and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat until strawberries release their juices, about 25 minutes. Strain through a sieve into the pitcher. (Stir gently, but do not press strawberries or juice will become cloudy.)
Add lemon juice and simple syrup to the pitcher, and stir to combine. Divide juice among ice-filled glasses. (Or cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)
Notes:

The recipe says it makes 6 and 1/4 cups, but if you have more than three or four people I would suggest doubling the recipe so you can offer either enough for the amount of people or even seconds.




Blueberry-Lavender Shortcake Cookies

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adapted from Strawberry Shortcake Cookies, originally from Martha Stewart
makes about 3 dozen cookies
12 ounces blueberries (about 2 cups)
1-2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried lavender, divided
3 ounces (6 Tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the blueberries, lemon juice, and 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of the lavender and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter to the flour mixture until coarse crumbs are formed. You can also use your fingers. Stir in the heavy cream until the dough starts to come together, then gently fold in strawberries. Add more heavy cream if the dough is still crumbly and doesn't come together, 1 Tablespoon at a time.

Using a 1-1/2 inch cookie scoop, drop dough onto cookie sheets, evenly spaced apart. Sprinkle with coarse sugar and the remaining lavender. Bake for 22-27 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies are best eaten the same day.





Violet Macarons With Violet And Vanilla Bean Buttercream Recipe:

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Makes between 30 to 40 macarons

For the macarons shells:
90 gr egg whites (about 3)
30 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
110 gr almonds
2 tablespoons crushed violet sugar or candied violet petals

For the whites: the day before (24hrs), separate your eggs and store the whites at room temperature in a covered container. If you want to use 48hrs (or more) egg whites, you can store them in the fridge.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue. Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry. Combine the almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that flows like lava or a thick ribbon. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with the crushed sugar or violet petals. Preheat the oven to 280F. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily do to the moisture. Don't let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer. To fill: pipe or spoon about 1 big tablespoon of butterceam in the center of one shell and top with another one.

Violet and Vanilla Buttercream:
1/2 cup (100gr) sugar
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon violet sugar +1 tablespoon water (or 2 tablespoons violet liqueur)
1 vanilla bean, split open and seeded

Put the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the meringue on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. Divided the buttercream in two portions.
For the violet buttercream: microwave the violet sugar and water for 30 to 45 seconds. Let cool completely before folding it into the buttercream. If using liqueur, just fold it in the buttercream.
For the vanilla buttercream: add the seeds from the vanilla bean to the buttercream and fold with a spatula until fully incorporated. If not using right away, refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to 1 month.




Meyer Lemon Curd and Chamomille Vanilla Mousse Verrine Recipe:

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For the Meyer Lemon Curd:
½ cup (125 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon (4gr) lemon zest
1/2 cup (100gr) sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoon (28gr) butter

In a saucepan set over medium heat, combine the lemon juice, zest and sugar and bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally to make sure the sugar is dissolved. In the meantime, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl just until combined. Once the lemon mixture is hot, slowly pour it over the eggs to temper, continuously whisking to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture to the pan set over medium low heat and cook until thick. Do not let it come to a full boil or it might separate. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and whisk until it is fully melted. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and let cool to room temperature.

For the chamomille-vanilla bean mousse:

3 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
1/4 cup (60ml) cold water, divided
1/2 cup (100gr)sugar
1/4 cup chamomille buds (flowers), chopped
1/2 vanilla bean, split open and seeded
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks and the salt. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of water, and let it sit while you make the syrup base of the mousse.
Combine the sugar, chamomille leaves and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water in a heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a rapid boil over medium high heat (prevents crystallization of the sugar on the side of the pan). Once the syrup comes to a boil, uncover and cook until the mixture reaches 238F.
Strain the leaves over a container with a spout, it will be easier to add to the yolks. Pour the syrup slowly and into a steady stream into the egg yolks with the machine running on medium high. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 10 seconds or until dissolved. Add it to the yolk mixture along with the seeds from the vanilla bean and continue to whisk on medium high until it triples in volume and cools to room temperature.
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Add it to the mousse base and fold the two gently together. Pour the mousse in a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (I use Ateco #807).
Layer the Meyer lemon curd and the mousse in jars or ramekins and refrigerate if not eaten right away.




Flower Power Cake

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It is completely voluntarily to eat the flowers. We used them mainly because they are pretty.

Crust
1 1/2 cups (225 g) almonds,
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 tbsp hemp seeds
12 fresh dates (medjool), pitted
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt

Filling
1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours, longer if you have the time
2 organic lemons, juice & zest
1 tsp grounded vanilla powder or 1/2 vanilla pod
1/3 cup (0,8 dl) coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup (0,8 dl) honey or agave nectar
1 tbsp rosehip powder (optional)

Topping
2 medium size pomegranate, seeds
1/3 cup (0,8 dl) frozen raspberries
1/2 lime, juice

Decoration
Organic & edible fresh flowers

Making the crust: Grind nuts and seeds in a blender or a food processor for about a minute. Add dates, coconut oil and sea salt and run the processor until it all comes together. Flatten it out on the bottom of an 8-inch non-stick spring form. Store in the fridge while you make the filling. Clean blender or food processor well.

Making the filling: Warm coconut oil and honey in a small saucepan on low heat until liquid. Whisk to combine. Place soaked cashews, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, coconut oil, honey and rosehip in blender or food processor and blend on high until very smooth (this make take a couple minutes so be patient). Pour the filling over the crust and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until set. Clean blender or food processor well.

Making the topping: Place pomegranate seeds, raspberries and lime juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the topping on top of the cashew filling, place the cake back in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Serving the cake: Remove from freezer 30 minutes before eating. Decorate the cake with fresh organic flowers. Run a smooth, sharp knife under hot water and cut into slices.

Edible flowers: Viola-type flowers, Calendula, Roses, Rosehip, Dandelions, Carnations, Lavender, Cornflowers, Pea flowers, Day Lilies, Chamomile and many more.
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Alura Noel
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Re: Flower Recipes

Post by Alura Noel »

Roasted Peach and Lavender Ice Cream With Lemon Salt Shortbread Cookies:

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I went for white peaches for no other reason that they were the most ripe ones at the market one morning and I did not want to wait any longer to make ice cream. Use any stone fruit you like best. Do not worry if you can remove the pits before you put them in the oven, both skins and pits will yield under your fingers once the fruits are roasted. Cook, peel, mash and throw in with the ice cream base which is nothing more complicated than milk and cream and a little sugar or honey.
Best is to prepare the fruit and ice cream base the day before you plan on churning it.

Ingredients:
For the ice cream:
6 peaches
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dried edible lavender buds
1 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup whole coconut milk
1/3 cup honey

For the shortbread cookies (makes about twenty 2-inch round cookies)
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
2 egg yolks
1 cup millet flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup milk (optional)
Lemon salt (optional)(or make your own by added lemon zest to coarse sea salt)

Instructions:
Prepare the ice cream:
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits.
Place in large roasting pan, cut side up. Drizzle with the honey and lavender. Roast until golden brown and soft, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely and peel the skins off the peaches (you can roast them the day before if you want). Reserve.
In a large saucepan set over medium heat, cook together the cream, milk coconut milk and honey until they barely come to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Refrigerate until cold.
When both fruit and ice cream based are chilled sufficiently, mash the peaches with a potato masher or a fork (no need to puree fine), add them to the base and process the ice cream according to your ice cream maker manufacturer's instruction.
Freeze until set.

Prepare the cookies:
In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter, sugar and egg yolks together on medium speed until creamy looking. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds with the back of a knife and add to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix for 10 seconds. Add the millet and sweet rice flour with the mixer still on low speed. If the mixture feels too crumbly add a little bit of milk to obtain a smooth but not too wet dough. Start with one tablespoon at a time.
Gather the dough into a bowl and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
When ready to bake, turn the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.
Roll the dough in between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll to about 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick. Cut cookies out in the dough and place them on a parchment lined baing sheet. Sprinkle with lemon salt.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
Serve with the ice cream.





Brown Wild Rice & Feta Stuffed Squash Blossoms:

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Serve 4 as an appetizer

1 cup brown and wild rice blend, cooked and cooled
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
zest of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
12-16 squash blossoms, washed and patted dry (some I get come with a squash attached which I cut close to the stem and stir fry separately)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Combine the rice, feta, herbs, garlic, lemon zest together in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
In a large saute pan, heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
Delicately fill the inside of the squash blossom with about 1-2 teaspoons of the filling. When all the blossoms are filled, place half in the sautee pan and cook about 2 minutes per sides until golden brown.
Remove from the pan and keep warm under a piece of tin foil. Heat the other tablespoons of oil and sautee the second batch of stuffed blossoms.
Serve warm.




Crispy Fried Squash Blossoms:

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Serves 4 as an appetizer

1/3 cup millet flour
1/3 cup flour superfine rice flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg white
3/4 cup beer or club soda
12 to 16 squash blossoms, washed and patted dry
canola oil for frying

In a medium bowl, combine the flours, salt and pepper. Add the egg white and beer (or club soda) and whisk until smooth.
Heat canola oil in a medium deep pan (I use a 9-inch round, 2-inch tall cast iron skillet) until it reaches 375F.
Dip the blossoms in the batter and fry 2 or 3 blossoms at a time in the hot oil. Do not overcrowd them or it drops the oil temperature down which makes them cook longer, soak in more oil and get soggy.
Heat at once!




Squash Blossom Quiche With Feta And Basil:


Serves 6 to 8 (I used a 9.5-inch round Le Creuset pie pan and had plenty for 8)

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (or same amount of Jeanne's gluten free flour mix)
generous pinch sea salt or kosher salt
1 stick (115gr) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup ice cold water, or enough to just hold together the pastry
1 egg wash - yolk, pinch salt, splash water, blended together


For the filling:
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
8 to 10 squash blossoms


Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a plastic blade, pulse together the flour and salt. Add the cold butter all at once. Pulse until the flour is the size of tiny peas. Drizzle the ice water through the mouth of the food processor, while pulsing. Stop just when the pastry begins to come together. Empty the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and form into a disk using your hands. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This can be done up to 2-3 days in advance. You can of course, do the whole thing by hand.

Once the pastry has rested, preheat the oven to 350F. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface, to about 1/4" thickness. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.


In a food processor, pulse together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and basil leaves until the basil gives the filling a light green color. By hand, nutmeg and feta. Do not pulse but stir them in with a spoon. Pour at the bottom of the refrigerated pie crust and top with the squash blossoms in a circle all around the filling.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the quiche is golden brown. Let cool slightly before eating.




Berries Sorbet and Lavender Cookies:

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Makes 4 cups (sorbet) and about 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
zest and juice of one lemon

Directions:
In a medium saucepan set over medium high heat, place the berries and the rest of the ingredients and bring to a quick boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Puree until smooth in a blender or food processor and then strain through a fine mesh chinois (strainer). Process in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.
You can also let the mixture cool completely and churn without pureeing it smooth. It will give you a chunkier sorbet.

Lavender Shortbread Cookies:

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Makes 12 cookies for sandwiches

1& 3/4 cups all-purpose flour or Jeanne's Gluten Free All Purpose Mix
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons fresh edible lavender
3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Position a rack in the middle.
In a bowl stir together flour, sugar, and cornmeal. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in lavender. Add milk. Stir with fork to combine and form into ball. Knead until smooth and divide in half.
On lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time to 1/4-inch thickness. Using 2-inch square cookie cutter, cut out dough.
Place cutouts 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire rack. Cool.
To store: Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature up to 3 days. Or freeze unfilled cookies up to 3 months.

To make sorbet sandwiches:
Spread about 2 cups of the sorbet in a 8x8 square pan and freeze until firm. With the same cookie cutter used for the lavender shortbread, cut out square of sorbet. Sandwich between two lavender cookies and freeze again until firm.
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Alura Noel
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Re: Flower Recipes

Post by Alura Noel »

White Gazpacho (inspired by Dovetail Restaurant)

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Yield: 6 portions
¼ cup whites of leeks, sliced thin and washed

1-2 cloves garlic, mashed (optional)
3 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
 then crumbled and soaked in water
10 green grapes, washed

¼ cup blanched almond slivers

1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 cups chopped cucumbers
 (if you want the soup to be creamy colored get rid of the peel - I kept it)
½ tablespoon cream or sour cream
 (optional)
¼ cup good quality olive oil

1 ½ cups cold water

salt to taste –– 2 or so tsp.
Garnish:
a few green grapes sliced
Green oil
Lavender almonds
Borage flowers and/or nasturtiums (optional)
Herbs (borage flowers, chervil or dill)

Green Oil
¼ c oil (a bland oil is best, canola or safflower or grapseed)
2-5 borage leaves, depending on size (or ¼ c loosely packed chervil or dill)
pinch of salt

Lavender Almonds
¼ c sliced almonds
1 T oil
tiny drop of Aftelier’s Lavender chef Essence or a good pinch of ground lavender
1 T of salt

Cook leeks and garlic in a medium-size sauté pan over low heat until translucent and tender (you don't want them to brown), then chill in refrigerator.


Combine leeks, almonds and bread (squeeze the water out) and put in a blender. Start the motor and blend. Add the oil, vinegar, grapes, cream and cucumbers, blending between each addition and adding water as needed and purée until smooth (if you dump everything in at once the nuts will not grind properly). Add the water as needed till the soup is the thickness you would like.

Season with salt, adjusting amount as needed.

Pass through a fine-mesh sieve and scrape the sieve to extract as much as you can of the soup solids.

For herb oil, Process herbs and salt in oil and let sit for an hour then strain, pressing on the solids

For lavender almonds, Sauté the almonds gently in the oil and add the lavender essence or ground lavender to the salt and toss with the almonds. OR combine the oil with the lavender essence or ground lavender. Toast the almonds using low flame till slightly browned, then toss in the oil with a pinch of salt. You will have some salt/oil left over... make more almonds!!

Ladle the soup into bowls or into 1 serving bowl and garnish with oil, grapes, almonds and herbs and serve cold.






For Recipes using the metric system you will need to convert measuring amounts and OVEN TEMP to F

Violet cake:

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Genoese sponge cake -
80 g of wheat flour,
2 tablespoons cornstarch,
4 eggs,
100 g caster sugar
1 teaspoon sugar with real vanilla,
20 g of molten butter
pinch of salt

ratio and decoration -
jam jar with petals of violets,
500 ml cream cream 30%
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
cup fresh or candied violets

Egg yolks separated from the protein. Proteins mash with salt on the foam at the end of grinding adding powdered sugar mixed with vanilla sugar. When the foam is stiff, add one egg mass grating on the low speed mixer. Both Mix and sift flour, then add the egg and mix gently with a spoon or spatula whole. Finally add the melted and cooled down butter and mix gently again.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. The bottom of the springform pan with a diameter of 19 cm smear with butter and fill the ground biscuits. Bake for about 30 minutes, until dough is elastic, and a stick stuck in the middle dry. Remove the baked sponge cake in the box and let cool.

Whip the cream chilled cream with powdered sugar on the cream (you can add more sugar for taste, but the cream should be delicate in flavor, not to kill the taste and smell of violets).
Cooled down Cut the sponge cake horizontally into three slices. Each disc soaked in, for example, a few tablespoons of boiled water, mixed with vanilla sugar and lemon juice, because there is nothing worse than a dry cake;) lower shelf sponge cake spread with 2-3 tablespoons of jam violet and one third of the whipped cream. Cover the top and another just spread jam first, then 1/3 of the whipped cream. Cover with a final top. The top and sides of cake to cover the remaining cream and cool. Before serving, sprinkle with violets.





Cheesecake violet:

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bottom -
100 g of biscuits,
3 tablespoons melted butter

weight cheesecakes -
700 g of cream cheese,
4 large eggs,
1/2 cup of sugar,
2 tablespoons cornstarch,
1 cup sweet white wine,
1/2 cup of petals of violets

topping -
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
a handful of fresh, whole violets to decorate

In a small saucepan mix the wine and petals of violets. Bring to a boil, then cook over a small saucepan until the liquid reduces to (at least half) and get the consistency of marmalade. Allow to cool.

Biscuits grind and mix with melted butter. The bottom of the springform pan with a diameter of 21 cm put parchment paper and place the bottom of the biscuits. Cool.

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
Blend cream cheese with sugar. Add one egg each time while mixing. Finally, add the cornstarch and wine, broth with violet petals. Stir everything together again. Mass is poured into chilled cheesecakes bottom of biscuits. Bake one hour. Remove from the oven for 30 minutes (cheesecake is not growing, so do not worry that falls :)). At that time, mix sour cream with sugar and spread on cheesecake. Put into the oven preheated to 180 degrees for 5 minutes to pour stiffened. After baking and cooling, cool in the refrigerator a few hours. Before serving, decorate with fresh flowers violet.




Rosewater Turkish Delight

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12 fl oz/ 350 ml water
4 fl oz/ 100 ml orange juice
Juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon agar agar or vegetarian jelly crystals
1 lb/ 450 g sugar
A few drops of pink or yellow food colouring (optional)
1 oz/ 25g pistachios, skinned and finely chopped (optional)
1 oz/ 25g almonds, skinned and finely chopped (optional)
Icing sugar for dusting

1. Heat the water, orange and lemon juices in a heavy, non-stick saucepan.
2. Add the agar agar or vegetarian jelly crystals, and stir on a gentle heat until they have dissolved.
3. Add the sugar and food colouring, if using, and increase the heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the nuts, if using.
4. Remove from the heat and cool the mixture, stirring from time to time until it comes to room temperature.
5. Pour the mixture into a square or rectangular dish, and place the dish in a basin of ice-cold water. Cover the dish with a cloth, and leave it in the fridge until the Turkish delight has set.
6. Remove from the fridge and bring it back to room temperature. Cut into 24 squares using a greased knife, and dust with icing sugar. Store in an airtight container, or wrap in cellophane, tie with a colourful ribbon, and give to someone you love as a gift.
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Alura Noel
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Re: Flower Recipes

Post by Alura Noel »

CHAMOMILE PORK CHOPS WITH LEMON

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Ingredients
3/4 lb thin-cut pork chops
2 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers, ground
1/2 cup flour
Light olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges
Procedures
1
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper.

2
Use a clean coffee grinder to make chamomile powder of the dry flowers. Then, mix it into the flour.

3
Dredge the pork chops in the flour-chamomile mixture, shaking off any excess.

4
To a sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat, add enough light-tasting olive oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. Sear the dredged, thin pork chops until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes total. You do want to make sure you cook the pork all the way through.

5
Serve on a plate with lemon wedges, and a fresh salad of green shoots tossed with olive oil, sea salt, and a splash of lemon juice of verjus.





Violet Custard

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Ingredients:

Servings:
6-8

3/4 cup violets (petals only)
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:

1
Preheat oven to 350°F.
2
Divide the violet petals between 8 individual ramekins.
3
Beat together the eggs, yolks, and sugar. Blend in the milk, vanilla, and sugar.
4
Divide the custard among the ramekins and place them into a large baking dish.
5
Add enough boiling water to the large baking dish to reach half way up the sides of the ramekins.
6
Place the baking dish with ramekins in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.
7
The custard is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean.




Dandelion Fritters

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makes about 30 fritters

Ingredients

30 dandelion flower heads
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup almond milk or other non-dairy milk
1 flaxegg *
some oil for frying
1/2 tsp sea salt
Directions

First -make sure you harvest your dandelions from a patch of land free from all those yicky pesticides that people sometimes have sprayed on their lawns. You do NOT want to eat that stuff, this I am sure. After you have chosen a safe spot… just get on the ground and start plucking off the little yellow flowers from the dandelions.

Do this on a sunny day, so that the flower heads are wide open. For the amount of batter given, you will need about 30.

dandelion

Once you have picked all the flowers, bring them inside and get ready to fry em up. You don’t want to wait too long after your harvest to fry these guys, or the flowers will close up on you. Still tasty, just not as beautiful.

Rinse off the flowers and pat dry. I skipped this step because I am a rebel.

* Next prepare your flaxegg by microwaving one tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 2 tbsps of water for 18 seconds. Stir and repeat.

Combine your almond milk, salt, flaxegg and cornmeal to make a thick batter. Set aside.

Prepare your cooking oil by placing enough oil in pan to make a depth of bout 1/4 inch. Over medium high heat, let your oil get hot. If you aren’t sure if it’s hot enough… just drop a dab of water in the pan, it will sizzle up when it’s ready to go.

Grab the little green stem on the flower and dip the flower head into the batter, turning to coat thoroughly. I had to sort of scoop the batter up onto the flower head rather than “dip” them to make it stick well.

dandelion fritter process

Place the flowers into hot oil- flower side down- and fry until you can easily flip them with a spatula. Don’t force these things into turning over, when they are ready, they will be very easy to get a spatula underneath them. When they are not ready, they will fall apart.

dandelion fritters frying

Flip over and cook until the other side is nice and golden. Remove from the oil with a spatula and place on a surface covered with a paper towel to absorb the extra oil. Keep frying them up until you are either out of batter or dandelions.

Enjoy with a nice dipping sauce, or eat plain.

Here is my favorite sauce to use:

1/4 cup Vegenaise
1 tsp maple syrup
dash of black pepper





Citrus Dip for Begonia Blossoms


Ingredients:

Yield:
0.5
cup Units: US | Metric
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
4 large tuberous begonia fresh edible flowers
Directions:

1
In a small bowl, combine the honey, orange juice concentrate, and orange and lemon zest.
2
Add the yogurt and mix well.
3
Pour the yogurt mixture into a small decorative bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4
Just before serving, gently wash the begonia blossoms and remove each of the petals at its base.
5
Place the bowl of flavored yogurt on a platter and arrange the petals around the bowl.
6
Serve the appetizer within the hour to prevent the petals from wilting.




Stuffed Nasturtium Blooms

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Ingredients:
10 – 15 fresh nasturtium flowers, pesticide free and organically grown
1 8 0z package of cream cheese, softened at room temperate
1 can of pink salmon, drained and shredded
1 tbs capers
1 tbs lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
nasturtium leaves for serving
Directions:
In a bowl, combine cream cheese, salmon and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and season with salt and pepper. Add capers.
Place about half a teaspoon cream cheese mixture (more or less, depending on the size of the flowers) inside the throat of each nasturtium bloom.
Fold each petal over the cheese and press. Place one caper on top for decoration.
Serve on nasturtium leaves.



Lavender Ricotta Cheesecake with Violet

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Adapted from a sicilian style cheesecake from allrecipes.com, this version flavors with lavender buds and then bake cheesecake crustless. The cake was then drizzled with lavender honey and decorated with crystallized violets.
Ingredients:
2 lbs ricotta cheese (you can use homemade ricotta cheese)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp dried lavender buds
1/3 cup amaretto
1/3 cup all purpose flour
5 eggs
a pinch of salt
1 tbs lavender honey or lavender syrup
crystallized violets for garnishing
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300F . Set rack in the middle of the oven. Butter and flour a 9 1/2 inch springform pan, and
tap out excess flour.
Place sugar and dried lavender buds in spice grinder and process until fine.
In a mixer, place ricotta cheese and add lavender sugar and flour. Mix on medium speed. Continue mixing and add eggs one at a time. Add amaretto and continue mixing until smooth.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, until top is firm and light golden color. Test center with a skewer, making sure it comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack. It will sink slightly as it cools. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Pour 1 tbs lavender honey (or lavender syrup) and garnish with crystallized violets.




Nasturtium Leaves Dolma

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Ingredients:
at least 15 pieces fresh nasturtium leaves
1 lb ground lamb
1 cup long grain rice
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbs finely chopped parsley
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 – 5 cloves garlic
1 tsp sugar
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
Directions:
Wash rice in boiling water, then rinse in cold water. Drain. In a large bowl, mix with ground lamb, tomato, onion, parsley, cinnamon, salt and pepper.
Stuff nasturtium leaves with the mixture. Place each leaf on a plate, vein side up. Put one heaping teaspoon (more or less depending on size of leaves) of filling in the center of the leaf near the stem. Fold the stem end up over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle and roll up like spring rolls. Continue with the rest of the leaves.
Line bottom of sauce pan with extra leaves (or a piece of lamb breast if available) or tomato slices to prevent leaves from sticking to the pan and burning. Pack the stuffed leaves in tight layers, pushing pieces of garlic in between. Sprinkle with lemon juice and add about 2/3 cup water. (Picture below shows grape leaves version at the bottom and the light green ones on top are the nasturtium leaves version.)

4. Put a small plate or saucer over the rolled leaves to prevent them from coming undone. Cover and cook over medium low heat for about 1 hour, or until tender, adding water gradually as it becomes absorbed.
5. Turn out onto serving dish and serve hot.






Hibiscus Coulis

The hibiscus used in this recipe (and all other recipes using hibiscus in this blog, unless stated otherwise) is the Hibiscus Sabdariffa. It has many names and is commonly found in Mexican stores where it is called flor de jamaica or jamaica flower. Ironically, it is called sorelle in the Caribbean. In the Philippines this is commonly called roselle and rosella in Australia. In some African countries, it is called bissap. Whatever is the name, it is widely used in cooking, mainly in drinks. It has been said that it is the main ingredient in the Red Zinger tea. They actually do not look like the hibiscus you see in gardens or in Hawaii. This hibiscus look more like a bud and that’s how they’re harvested and dried. It has a sour taste and deep maroon/red color. I have not tried it but it probably will work well as a food coloring substitute for red velvet cake!
Ingredients:
2 ounces dried hibiscus flowers
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 30 minutes, or until the flowers have softened (they won’t get entirely soft). Take the mixture off of the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Place the mixture in a blender or food processor and purée. Strain through a sieve.
Serve chilled. It will be much thicker when it is cold than it is hot.




MANGO RICOTTA MOUSSE WITH HIBISCUS COULIS

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The homemade ricotta cheese is perfect with the ripe mangoes I have sitting in my refrigerator. With just a bit of whipped cream (you can use store-bought fat free if you want) and a squirt of my hibiscus coulis, I am all set for a nice snack before dinner!
Ingredients:
1 cup mango puree (about 2 mangoes pureed)
1/2 cup homemade ricotta cheese (of course store-bought is fine! )
1/3 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup hibiscus coulis
Directions:
Fill saucepan with cold water. Sprinkle gelatin and let sit for 5 minutes.
In a food processor or blender, mix mango puree, sugar and cheese until smooth.
Heat gelatin in low heat until completely dissolved, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Add to mango mixture until combined. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold in mango mixture until thoroughly combined.
In a dessert glass (or something similar), spoon hibiscus coulis and mango mousse, alternating layers and ending with the hibiscus coulis as topping.
Chill at least 2 hours before serving.
User avatar
Alura Noel
Posts: 404
Joined: Wed May 22, 2013 4:33 am
Gender: Female
Location: Florida
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Re: Flower Recipes

Post by Alura Noel »

Watermelon, Strawberry Rose Cake
Recipe Adapted from Christopher Thé

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Makes one 20x30cm rectangular cake

For the Almond Dacquoise
150 grams ground almonds
150 grams icing sugar
5 egg whites
135 grams caster sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C. Process the almonds and icing sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks (around 3 to 4 minutes) then add the caster sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form (around 1 to 2 minutes). Gently fold through almond mixture, spread on a 30 cm by 40 cm oven tray lined with baking paper and bake around 10 to 15 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool on a tray, then cut in half, lengthways.


For the Rose Scented Cream
450 ml thickened cream
40 grams caster sugar
30 ml rosewater

1. Whisk the cream and sugar in an electric mixer until soft peaks form, gradually add the rosewater and whisk until stiff peaks form (do not overwhisk).

To Assemble
250 grams seedless watermelon, thinly sliced
60 ml rose water
4 tbsp caster sugar
40 grams almond meal
500 grams strawberries, halved or quartered
10 seedless grapes, halved
1 tbsp shelled and chopped pistachios
1 tbs dried rose petals


1. Arrange the watermelon slices in a single layer on a wire rack. Sprinkle with 20 ml rosewater then scatter 2 tbsp sugar. Stand to macerate around 30 minutes then pat dry with absorbent paper.


2. Spread 1/3 of the rose cream evenly over the half dacquoise, scatter half the almond meal (20 grams), then layer the watermelon, the remaining almond meal (20 grams) then spread over half the remaining cream. Top with the remaining dacquoise, spread over the remaining cream and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours until firm.


3. Combine the strawberries, remaining rosewater and remaining sugar in a bowl, toss to combine and set aside to macerate (around 15 minutes). Carefully arrange on top of the cake, gently pushing into the cream. Trim the edges of the cake, scatter over the grapes, pistachios and dried rose petals and serve.





Spring Rolls

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I used pansies growing outside my back door to make these. Pansies are edible flowers, as are nasturtiums, borage, violets, roses, calendula and lavender. I always see spring rolls made with shrimp showing through the last layer of rice paper, so I figured I’d get all fancy and put flowers in there. I like the way it looks. This would be a fun dish to serve at a shower or May Day party.

For the rolls, soak bean thread noodles in hot water for 20 minutes till soft.

Use a mandolin (or incredible patience and a knife) slice cucumbers and carrots into matchsticks, or just grate them on a box grater.

Heat peanut oil in a skillet. Cut a block of organic tofu into 4 long rectangles and dredge in rice flour. Fry the tofu in the peanut oil till crisp and set aside.

In a frying pan, heat some water and then turn off the heat. Soak a rice paper wrapper till it softens a little bit then remove it to a plate so it can continue to soak up the water.

Once the rice wrapper is soft, place lettuce, cilantro, some of the carrots, cucumbers and a few crushed peanuts, some bean thread noodles, chopped mango, and roll 2/3 of the way. At the final roll, tuck the pansies in, face down and roll the rest of the way.

Serve with spicy peanut dipping sauce: In a bowl combine the juice of 1 lime, 1 tblsp white vinegar, 1 tblsp palm sugar, 1 tblsp warm water, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger, some crushed peanuts, and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp chili paste.




Seared tuna with lavender and pepper crust

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds centre-cut Ahi tuna or 4 steaks
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons dried culinary Lavender flowers
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups savoury mixed fresh greens and herbs
Mustard seed dressing

If using the centre-cut Ahi tuna, trim and cut the tuna into a block approximately 2 inches across; then cut into 1-inch steaks. Crush the salt, peppercorns, fennel seeds, and lavender with a mortar and pestle. Lightly oil the tuna with 2 teaspoons of olive oil; evenly coat the tuna with the lavender-pepper mixture, patting off any excess. In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan or a cast-iron pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Increase the heat to high and place the tuna in the pan. Sear for 1 minute, then turn over carefully, reducing the heat to medium. Sear the other side for 1 more minute until medium rare. Remove from heat and immediately refrigerate the tuna for at least 1 hour (don’t exceed the 3 hours). Serves 8. Pair with a Chardonnay.





Stuffed Baby Peppers with Yogurt and Floral Honey

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Ingredients

20 small sweet peppers, such as baby bell peppers
1 cup(s) plain low-fat yogurt
1 clove(s) garlic, minced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
10 Kalamata olives, thinly sliced
2 small jalapeños, very thinly sliced crosswise
Lavender-Rose Honey, for drizzling

Directions

Light a grill. Grill the peppers over moderately high heat, turning, until lightly charred and crisp-tender, 3 minutes. Peel off any charred parts and halve the peppers lengthwise. Cut out the cores and scrape the seeds. Arrange the peppers cut sides up on plates.
In a bowl, mix the yogurt with the garlic; season with salt and black pepper. Fill each pepper half with the yogurt. Scatter the olives and jalapeños on top. Drizzle each plate with 2 teaspoons of the honey and serve.


Lavender-rose honey

Ingredients

1 quart(s) mild raw honey
3/4 cup(s) dried organic rose petals
1/2 cup(s) dried lavender flowers

Directions

In a large glass jar, mix the honey with the rose petals and lavender flowers. Close the jar and let stand in a sunny window for 2 weeks, turning every few days. Warm the jar in a microwave or under hot water until the honey is runny. Strain the honey through a fine sieve into a clean jar. Discard the flowers. Store the honey in a cool, dark place for several months.





Lavender Tea Cake with Vanilla Icing
Perfect for Beltane

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Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
5 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh lavender leaves, or 1 Tbsp. finely chopped dried lavender
cooking spray

Glaze:
1/3 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. water
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, and set aside.

For the cake: Beat sugar, butter and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla at medium speed with a mixer until well-blended, about five minutes. Add the egg and egg white, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in lavender. Pour into 8-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Glaze:
Combine the powdered sugar and remaining ingredients. Spread on the warm cake. Cool in pan.
To serve, slice cooled cake thinly, dust with confectioners sugar, add a dollop of clotted cream and a candied violet.


Tip Look for dried lavender flowers in spice shops, Tea Shops, Pagan and Wiccan shops Sell it, Organic Section of Supermarkets,
Best Results always Buy Organic

If using from a Garden make sure it has not been sprayed with Pesticides or Herbicides

Tip this Goes Perfect with Lavender Lemonade





Strawberry Mousse in Tulip Cups

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Fresh tulip flowers make a stunning container for a light strawberry mousse, perfect for a party. Be sure to read up on edible flowers before you buy your tulips for this dessert.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup cold water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
6 cups (three 1-pint baskets) fresh strawberries
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup orange juice
8 large pesticide-free red or other color tulips, rinsed and drained
2 Tablespoons meringue powder
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preparation:
In medium-size heatproof bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and the boiling water until sugar dissolves; set sugar syrup aside to cool.

In cup, combine cold water and gelatin. Set aside 5 minutes to soften gelatin. Meanwhile, hull and finely dice enough strawberries to measure 4 cups. Refrigerate remaining strawberries.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat diced strawberries and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer berries until very soft -- about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

Prepare orange-berry sauce: In food processor fitted with chopping blade or blender, process or blend cooked berries until smooth puree forms. Pour 1-1/3 cups strawberry puree into 2-cup measuring cup and stir in orange juice; cover and refrigerate until cold.

Pour remaining strawberry puree into same 2-quart saucepan and stir in softened gelatin; heat over low heat just until gelatin dissolves. Refrigerate strawberry gelatin, stirring often, until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from spoon -- about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare tulip cups: Cut off stems and remove the pistils and stamens from the tulips. Place each tulip cup in a custard cup or muffin-pan cup to keep them upright; set aside.

Add meringue powder to syrup in bowl. With electric mixer on high speed, beat until soft peaks form. Add vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold cooled strawberry gelatin mixture into meringue until well mixed. In small bowl, with electric mixer on high speed and same (no need to wash) beaters, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into strawberry gelatin mixture. Gently spoon strawberry mixture, or mousse, into tulip cups, dividing evenly. Refrigerate until set -- 2 hours or overnight.

Just before serving, sort remaining strawberries and reserve 16 small ones for garnish. Hull and slice remaining berries; divide equally and place in center of each of 8 serving plates. With large spoon, transfer tulip cups onto bed of sliced berries, moving slices around tulip to support cup upright. Pour a thin layer of orange-berry sauce around tulip cup on each plate. Garnish each with 2 berries. Pass remaining sauce. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8 servings





ROSE COCONUT SEMIFREDDO

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Semifreddo (pronounced [semiˈfredːo], Italian: half cold) is a class of semi-frozen desserts, typically ice-cream cakes, semi-frozen custards, and certain fruit tarts. It has the texture of frozen mousse because it is usually produced by uniting two equal parts of ice cream and whipped cream. Such a dessert's Spanish counterpart is called semifrío.[citation needed] In Italian cuisine, the semifreddo is commonly made with gelato as a primary ingredient.

1 1/2 cup cold heavy whipping cream (35%)
1/4 cup rose syrup (see above)
1 cup fresh chemical-free rose petals
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup coconut cream (skim the top of a 13.5 oz / 400 ml can of full-fat coconut milk)
3/4 cup unsulfured, unsweetened coconut

Crispy topping (optional)
1/2 cup roughly chopped pistachios
1/2 cup unsulfured, unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp honey

Line an 8 x 4 inch (1 litre) loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides. (I cut 2 strips according the length and width of the pan and then criss-crossed them over each other, to avoid crumpling the paper).

Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a medium-sized metal bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water. Keep whisking constantly until the yolks turn pale yellow ribbony (this can take about 4 minutes). Transfer bowl to sit on top of a larger pan filled with ice cold water and whisk vigorously until the mixture is very thick and cooled down. Separate this mixture equally, placing half into another large bowl.

Whip the cream until peaks form. Add one third of the whipped cream to one of the bowls containing half of the egg mixture. Whisk until smooth. Add the remaining whipped cream and the rose syrup and fold gently. Add half of the fresh roses and fold in very gently. Put this aside.

Remove the cream that rises to the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk. From a 13.5 oz / 400 ml can, you should be able to get 1 full cup of thick cream. Whip this until thick. Gradually incorporate it into the second half of the egg yolk mixture. Fold in the 3/4 cup dried coconut and mix well.

Pour the rose cream mixture into the loaf pan. Then scatter the remaining half of the rose petals on top of this. Pour the coconut cream mixture on top of the roses. Freeze this for 6 hours.

If you wish to make a crispy topping for your semifreddo, in a large skillet, melt the 2 tbsp. butter and add the coconut and pistachios. Brown them in the butter until golden, then mix in the honey. Remove from heat and let this cool. Add this topping to the top of your frozen semifreddo and press it down well. Return to freezer for another hour or two. (Note: I struggled a bit with my topping because I did not freeze the semifreddo first so I couldn't press it down. As you can see from the photos, it was quite crumbly... I believe freezing the semifreddo first will remedy the problem.)

To serve your semifreddo, quickly dip your loaf pan in hot water and invert onto a serving platter. Dip a knife in hot water and wipe dry to slice the semifreddo. Enjoy!




Peach Shortcakes with Basil and Lavender

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Ingredients

5 Peaches
¼ C basil, loosely packed
½ tsp fresh lavender, minced
1¼ C Sugar, divided
2 C Flour, plus extra
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
6 Tbsp Butter, unsalted and very cold
1 C Buttermilk
1 C Whipping Cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450º F and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
Cut the basil into strips and combine it with 1 C sugar and 1 C water in a small pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir it until the sugar has completely dissolved to make a basil simple syrup. Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside to cool.
Whisk together the flour, salt, remaining ¼ C sugar, baking powder, baking soda and minced lavender. Cut the butter into small pieces and then cut the butter into the dry ingredients until you get that nice sandy texture. Try to keep everything as cold as possible while you do this.
Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour in the buttermilk. Use a spatula to fold in the buttermilk, but be very gently and do not over mix. The dough does not need to be completely smooth or mixed together.
Turn the dough out onto a very well floured surface. It will be very sticky and you may want to coat your hands in flour as well. Gently pat the dough out into a rectangle and then fold the sides in on each other like a tri-fold wallet. Fold the dough in half again, this time with the top and bottom touching rather than the sides. Pat the dough out again and repeat the folding process.
Now pat out the dough until it is about ¾ – 1 inch thick and use a 2 inch cookie cutter to cut out the biscuits. You should 6 out of this first go. Gently pat the scraps together to cut out 2 more biscuits and pat the remaining dough together to form the 9th.
Place them on the baking sheet, just barely touching. Brush some of the basil simply syrup over the tops of the biscuits and bake in the oven for 12 – 14 minutes. When the biscuits are finished baking, remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool. Try to keep them connected until cooled.
While the biscuits are baking, peel, pit and slice up your peaches. Put them in a bowl and pour ½ C of the basil simple syrup over them. Give them a good stir every few minutes to make sure that all the peaches are getting a good coating.
Right before you are ready to serve the dessert, remove ⅓ cup of the simple syrup in which the peaches have been soaking. It should now taste like both basil and peaches. Whip up the cup of cream, pouring in the syrup when the cream is about half-way whipped. Finish whipping the cream and prepare to assemble the shortcakes.
Cut the biscuits in half and pile some peach slices on the bottom half. Dollop or pipe whipped cream over the peaches. You can also garnish the shortcake with a sprig of lavender, if you have any left.
If you are looking for something to do with the remaining syrup, the peachy stuff or just the basil, it’s lovely and refreshing when mixed with some sparkling water. It would probably also be good in cocktails of some variety.





Divine Fig, Lavender & Pecan Brownies

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Yields: About 16 brownies, or more if you cut smaller portions (which you won't want to do)
Preparation time: About 15 minutes
Cooking time: About 25 minutes

Ingredients & Source

5 ounces seme-sweet chocolate chips or bar (Greenstar Coop, Bulk Section)
2 sticks butter, softened (Greenstar Coop, Organic Valley)
1 3/4 cups cane sugar (Greenstar Coop)
5 eggs (Greenstar Coop, Bulk Section, Meadow Creek Farm)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (Greenstar Coop)
1 teaspoon lavender extract (Gift from Shanshan)
3/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour (Greenstar Coop, Bulk Section, Farmer Ground Flour)
1/2 cup chopped figs (Greenstar Coop, Bulk Section)
1/2 coarsely chopped pecans (Greenstar Coop, Bulk Section)

Preparation

Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350.
Put the chocolate in a small pot, and gently melt over low heat, stirring consistently so the chocolate doesn't burn. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.
In a medium-sized bowl or kitchen aid, use a fork or paddle attachment to cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and lavender extracts.
While stirring or beating the paddle on low, drizzle in the melted chocolate, and beat together thoroughly for a minute or two.
Stir in the flour and mix just until thoroughly blended.
Add the figs and pecans and stir again.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (The less time you cook the brownies, the more gooey and moist they will be).
Allow to cool completely in the pan, and then cut into squares.



Cherries and Rosebud Jam

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Ingredients for 4 or 5 jars of 200 ml:

1 kg cherries, pitted
600 gr sugar
juice of 1 lemon
5 rosebuds dried

Place cherries, sugar, lemon juice and crushed petals of rose buds in the casserole .
Put the casserole over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring. Boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the fruit in the casserole. Once cool put it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rest in refrigerator for at least one night. using a strainer, separate the fruit from the syrup. Putting the latter on the fire and boil on high heat for 15 minutes. In Meanwhile put a saucer in the freezer and sterilize the jars: in my opinion the easiest method is to wash them, and put them sgrondarli briefly in the microwave at full power for 3-5 minutes depending on the amount of jars; come out piping hot and perfectly dry. Returning to the preparation of jam: add fruit in the casserole and simmer another 5 minutes. At this point you have to pass all or in part by some stroke of blender: I prefer to pass very little, so as to meet up with most of the cherries whole. To make the test plate to test the consistency of jam: dropping a drop of jam on the cold saucer, it will take a while to cool down and it will be easy to see if it still requires a few minutes of cooking or not. Potting the hot jam into hot jars, close them well and put them on a shelf, upside down, until they are completely cold




White Peach, Nectarine and Rose Water Creamsicles
Recipe adapted from Sunset Magazine

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Makes 8-9 popsicles
1 1/2 lbs. Ripe Peaches, Nectarines or Apricots, pitted and chopped. Leave all but 2 of the stone fruits peeled.
1/3 C. sugar
Juice from 1 lime
2 tsp. rose water (Find at natural markets or well stocked grocery stores)
1 1/2 C. vanilla yogurt, regular or Greek
1 tsp. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
3 T. honey (optional)

In a large saucepan, add the fruit and sugar. Simmer on low stirring until the fruit is soft and releases it's juices. Add 1-2 T. of water to the fruit if it sticks or has difficulty breaking down. Once soft, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, 10-15 minutes. Using an immersion blender, or a food processor, puree the fruit until is completely smooth and only very small pieces of skin remain.

Add the lime juice and rose water, then refrigerate the puree until completely cool to the touch.
Meanwhile combine the yogurt with the vanilla and honey if using.

When the puree is cool, fill popsicle molds with both it and the yogurt alternatively, swirling slightly with a spoon. Allowing 1/4" headspace as popsicles will expand slightly in the freezer. Place a sheet of tin foil over the top of the molds and add popsicle sticks. Freeze until completely firm, about 6 hours.

To unmold, let popsicles sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then run under lukewarm water very briefly. Popsicles should slip from molds easily.




Jarred Lavender Custard

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makes 12-14, 4-oz. jars

4 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup dried lavender
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place jars in a baking pan and set aside. Set a pot of water on the stove to heat.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk cream, lavender, and vanilla paste or pod and seeds together. Heat the cream, stirring frequently, to the scalding point (about 185 degrees F). Turn off heat and let lavender steep in the cream for 3-5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk yolks and sugar together until combined. Strain the cream to remove all the lavender bits (and vanilla pod if using). Whisking constantly, slowly pour the hot cream into the egg mixture. Divide custard mixture evenly among jars, filling to just above the bottom lip of the jar. Skim off bubbles and foam, if any, from the tops with a spoon. (Failure to skim will result in a strange spongy texture on top of your custard. We don't like that.)

Pull the middle rack of the oven out slightly and place the pan on it. Slowly pour the water that's been heating on the stove into the pan until slightly more than halfway up the sides of the jars. Bake for 40 minutes or until set but still shivering and slightly jiggly in the center. Remove pan from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes or until jars are cool enough to be handled. Remove the jars from the water bath and place in the refrigerator (I usually cover them with a clean, thin kitchen towel).

Once bottom and sides of the jars are cool, use a tablespoon to spoon cooled glaze (recipe follows) overtop. Pick the jar up and swirl around to coat the glaze over the entire top of the custard. Secure jars with lid and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. Custards will hold tightly covered in the refrigerator 4-5 days.

Blackberry Gin Glaze

8 oz. blackberry preserves
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/3 cup gin

In a medium saucepan, whisk preserves, sugar, and gin together until combined. Heat over medium-low heat until reduced and thickened. The glaze has reduced enough when it holds a 1/4 inch long string between two fingers. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool at room temperature.

Leftover glaze may be stored tightly covered in the refrigerate for several weeks. To use glaze out of the refrigerator, simply heat it slightly to loosen.
User avatar
Lillady
Posts: 758
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:24 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Indiana

Re: Flower Recipes

Post by Lillady »

These are all very wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing, I will defintely be trying many of these, I love to bake and cook and getting the kids involved it can be fun. Thanks Alura BB!
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Violet
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Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:41 pm
Gender: Female
Location: Fort Worth, TX
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Re: Flower Recipes

Post by Violet »

Bump for these wonderful-looking recipes.
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