10 Best Edible Flowers that Taste Good, Look Great!
#FlowerPower, edible flowers are a trend that are sweeping the globe. Not only do they make your plate look Instagram worthy, they are also high in antioxidants and potassium. However, when purchasing edible flowers, tread with caution. Make sure the buds look fresh, do not appear to be covered with pesticides and are most definitely safe for consumption. Before consuming flowers of any sort, ensure that they are safe to eat and are not poisonous or harmful to the body in any way. Pick up your laptop, grab a notepad and dive into edible flower heaven! Here are some pointers to look out for: google poisonous plant lists, research the advantages and disadvantages to consuming edible flowers, the soil edible flowers should be grown in and perhaps, steps to grow your own edible flowers! Here are a few recipes and edible flowers to get you started.
- Too pretty to eat : Edible and elderflower popsicles
Makes 10
4 cups water
Various edible flowers (petals retained)
1 tablespoon elderflower cordial
Place petals inside the popsicle moulds being sure to layer them on top of each other and not compact them.
Mix water and elderflower cordial in a large jug and stir well to combine.
Gently pour the cordial mixture into the popsicle moulds trying not to unseat the petals too much. Insert popsicle sticks and place in the freezer until frozen solid.
To remove from the moulds gently place bottom of moulds in warm water until the popsicles pull free.
2. Fusion of two culinary superheroes: Zucchini noodles with tomato sauce and edible flowers
Makes 2 Servings | Prep Time: 8 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
3 medium zucchini, spiralized
1 medium yellow squash, spiralized
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 can (14.5 ounces) whole, peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
optional — edible flowers, micro greens
Instructions
Coat spiralized zucchini and squash in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt. Toss to combine and let marinate.
Heat a small stockpot over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and let warm.
Add garlic. Let sauté for 30 seconds. Add onions and let sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
Add the tomatoes, basil, and oregano. Stir to combine and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the sauce from the heat, add the zucchini noodles, toss to combine and then split between two bowls.
Garnish with cherry tomatoes and other optional toppings.
3. Traditional beauty: Lentil salad with microgreens and marigold
Ingredients for the Lentil Salad
1 cup black lentils
2 small beets
6 to 12 baby turnips or radishes or 3 regular sized ones
2 eggs, soft boiled
your favorite sourdough bread torn into small pieces
a few generous handfuls of your favorite microgreens + edible flowers (I used mustard frill, micro marigolds, heart leaves, micro dianthus + sorrel)
two tablespoons butter for browning the turnips
two tablespoons of butter for the browning the sourdough bits
olive oil for roasting the beets
a pinch of cayenne and a drizzle of honey for roasting the beets
salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for the Beet Dressing
1 small beet (roasted with the beets above)
3 garlic cloves (roasted with the beets above)
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch of cayenne
drizzle of honey
salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for the Light Citrus Dressing
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon honey
pinch of fine sea salt
Directions
Cook the lentils per directions. While the lentils cook, quarter the 3 small beets, toss them with a bit of olive oil, s&p and roast at 400F for 15 minutes until tender. Reserve one quarter piece for the dressing after roasting. Place sourdough bread pieces on a baking sheet — roast along with the beets, checking for toasty crispiness after 5 to 8 minutes. Boil the eggs to your liking — I just cooked them for 4 minutes here. Make the beat dressing — combine all ingredients in your food processor or blender, taste for salt and pepper. Make the citrus dressing — combine all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk with a fork. Heat up 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan, let this get nice and light brown and fragrant. Toss the sourdough bits into the butter to coat. Set them aside. Heat another 2 tablespoons of butter and let this also get nice and foamy and fragrant. Sauté the baby turnips — cut the bigger ones in half beforehand but you can keep the tiny ones whole. Cook for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Toss beet dressing with the cooked and drained lentils. Toss citrus dressing with the baby greens.
4. Lusciously pink: Coconut Rose semifreddo
ROSE COCONUT SEMIFREDDO
1 1/2 cup cold heavy whipping cream (35%)
1/4 cup rose syrup
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.)
5. Shot of heaven: Edible flower lemon jello shot
- Makes 24 glass:
- 4 envelopes gelatin (1 ounce)
- 4 large freshly squeezed lemons
- 2 1/2 Cups water
- 1 1/2 Cups sugar (or stevia for a low calorie version)
- 1 1/2 Cups vodka and 1/2 cup of Cointreau (only add if you’re making an alcoholic version, obviously. otherwise replace with the equivalent amount of water)
- Edible flowers for garnishing
Heat the gelatin, water, lemon juice, and sugar over the stove as you traditionally would for about 5–10 minutes or until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Remove from heat and add in the liquor at the very end or it will evaporate.
Pour the mixture into individual shot glasses and add a few edible flower petals to each glass just before placing into the refrigerator, and let it set overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours.
6. Crunch and bang : Granola with Lemon Yoghurt and edible flowers
- juice from ½ lemon
- zest from 1 lemon
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp butter cut into small (30g)
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
You will also need:
- ½ cup toasted almonds
- ½ cup blueberries
- ½ cup granola
- edible flowers (pansies, nasturtiums and carnations)
In a small pot place lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and egg yolk. Cook it on a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it gets thick (about 10 minutes). When ready, put it on side and add butter cut in small pieces. Stir it until butter melts and leave to cool. When it’s cold add yogurt and mix it in.
Toast almonds on a frying pan on one teaspoon of oil. When all ingredients are ready start to layer all ingredients. Start with granola, than half of nuts, yogurt-lemon mix, berries, the rest of nuts, cover with the rest of yogurt mix and garnish with edible flowers.
