Flowers are no longer just for vases!
Edible flowers are fast becoming the new favorite of chefs and home cooks, turning ordinary dishes into floral culinary trends. They brighten up salads, flavor syrups, and add magic to all your food and drinks. Let’s dive into exploring 15 creative ways of using edible flowers for elevating meals.
Before we start preparing these recipes, let us first understand these botanical treasures. Edible flowers can be understood as edible blossoms, not the kind purchased at the local florist to be arranged in your beautiful vase, but pansies, nasturtiums, marigolds, or violets.
There are those flowers that could add beautiful colors to presentations but could also contribute remarkable flavors.
Safety first! First of all, the flowers need to be food-grade, free of pesticides, etc. You can look online for "edible flowers near me," which may bring you some trustworthy sources like local farms or specialty markets. Locally sourced, such as flowers grown by Michigan's Planted Detroit, is safe, too, and supports your environment with freshness on top of deliciousness.
Floral-Infused Ice Cubes for Cocktails
Want to elevate your drinks?
Floral-infused ice cubes are a wonderful way to add beauty to the drink and flavor. So pick some edible flowers with bright colors and subtle taste such as pansies, nasturtiums, and violets. Insert them in an ice cube tray, pour distilled water for crystal clear ice, and freeze.
They are perfect for summer cocktails or a casual glass of lemonade served over sparkling water.
Edible Flower Garnishes for Desserts
Garnish edible flowers onto desserts, creating dramatic masterpieces.
For instance, violets and marigolds are stunning yet add the slightest sweetness; rose petals also complement the flavors of sweetness. Press these onto buttercream-frosted cakes or scatter over a chocolate ganache.
It makes for a rather unique dessert: candied flowers! Dip them in egg white, sprinkle with sugar, and let dry. This provides an added crunchy texture and a classy touch for the tops of cupcakes or a crunchy top on a dish like panna cotta.
Adding Edible Flowers to Salads for a Pop of Color and Flavor
Salads offer an excellent canvas to create art with edible flowers not just on a visual level but also taste-wise. Consider presenting a platter of fresh greens, bright colors of vegetables, and soft, colorful petals which right away give gourmet flavor to the dish.
Natural splashes of edible flowers, like nasturtium, pansies, and marigolds add their subtle, particular flavors which can transform an ordinary salad into a delightful dining experience.
Flavor Pairings to Try
Each flower has its unique flavor profile:
- Viola: Sweet and mild, violas complement a mix of greens well, and light honey-mustard dressings.
- Borage: Like a cucumber flavor, borage pairs very well with fresh tomatoes or cool yogurt-based dressing.
- Snapdragon: A bit bitter and citrusy, snapdragons are good with crisp apples or citrus vinaigrettes.
- Zinnias: The flowers have a light floral and bitter flavor, adding depth to berry-based fruit salads and creamy dressings.
- Nasturtium: Peppery and spicy, nasturtiums add a bold kick to arugula or rocket salads.
- Dianthus: A sweet, clove-like note that works well when paired with roasted vegetables and balsamic glazes.
Infusing Floral Syrups for Beverages and Cocktails
Floral syrups are a lovely way of infusing your drinks to include a subtle aroma and gentle sweetness in everything from a refreshing cocktail to a coziest tea. Making your floral syrup at home is easy enough, and the magical concoction is as beautiful as it is and delicious too.
How to use your floral syrup:
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In cocktails: Add a splash of nasturtium syrup to get a spicy-sweet twist to your margarita.
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In teas: Sweeten your herbal teas with lavender syrup or dianthus syrup for a floral yet spicy note
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In coffee: For a subtle floral essence with a hint of sweetness, add viola syrup to a latte.
Edible flowers come in so many different varieties and create so many interesting flavor combinations. For example, lavender and vanilla go hand-in-hand with citrus; rose syrup complements berry flavors in desserts and drinks.
Flavoring Butters and Spreads with Edible Flowers
Infused butter and spreads are subtle ways of adding floral flavors to your food. Imagine lavender butter on warm bread or rose petal jam on scones.
Lavender Butter
Lavender is a great choice to use for flavoring butter because of its subtle, sweet floral notes and calming aroma. You can even add a touch of honey or lemon zest for added sweetness and tang. That lavender butter can be spread on the warm bread, and pancakes, or even used as the topping for roasted vegetables.
Rose Petal Jam
Rose petal jam is the most perfect floral spread for those who love this fragrant, slightly tart flavor of rose. It is so subtly sweet and scented that it seems to be an ideal accompaniment with scones, croissants, or even yogurt topping.
From serving brunches to enjoying alone, using flowers in spreads shall bring life to your creativity on the kitchen counter!
Baking with Edible Flowers in Muffins and Cakes
Baking with edible flowers is a fantastic way of bringing elegance to baked items with a natural burst of flavors. Some of the most popular ways to make edible flowers in baked items are by putting them inside muffins, cakes, or cookies.
Lemon Lavender Muffins
Lavender is sweetly floral with a hint of wood, complementing citrus or honey beautifully in muffins and cakes. Chamomile is soft, sweet, and soothing. It blends well in shortbread cookies and light cakes. For those who are looking for a more dramatic choice, rose petals add that touch of romance and give a subtle floral flavor in a cake's flavor profile.
Flavoring Cocktails with Edible Flowers
Cocktails can be elevated to more than just a spirit with some mixers. Of all the favorite flowers used for cocktails, there are three that people favor the most: hibiscus, elderflower, and jasmine.
- Hibiscus: Hibiscus flowers possess a tart cranberry-type flavor that works well combined with rum or tequila. Enjoy it as a floral margarita or a hibiscus mojito for that refreshing twist.
- Elderflower: Elderflower is delicate and aromatic in flavor, and this is why the gin is quite ideal for an elderflower gin and tonic which feels nearly like a celebration-a delicate perfumed drink.
- Jasmine: Jasmine, on the other hand, gives a very sweet floral note that works quite well in a champagne cocktail or a gin martini.
Creating Floral Jams and Jellies
If you've never tasted floral jams or jellies, then you haven't experienced something as magical as enjoying these edible flowers. Whether rose petals, lavender or even dandelions, there's almost nothing that can turn these blooms into a wonderful spread you'll love with your next meal.
It may be infused with jam and turned into an enjoyable pastry or pancake spread. It is highly satisfying to make your own floral jams and jellies as one gets to keep a very evanescent beauty alive on a piece of edible flowers.
Floral Ice Cream and Sorbets
Nothing is as refreshing as a floral-infused dessert. Lavender ice cream, hibiscus sorbet, or chamomile gelato can give your summer treats an unexpected twist.
Quick Recipe:
Steep edible flowers in warm milk or cream.
Strain, add sugar, and chum in an ice cream maker.
Serve with candied flowers for an elegant touch.
Using Edible Flowers in Smoothies and Juices
If you like nothing better than a smoothie for breakfast or an energy-boosting snack after your workout, these interesting smoothie recipes are, in a word, ideal for you. Edible flowers, roots, and leaves hold vitamins, minerals, and fiber and usually brim with antioxidants. All this makes for the best day starter.
Flowers like hibiscus, lavender, and rose petals can be added to smoothies for a refreshing and healthy beverage full of floral flavor and antioxidants.
Edible Flower Buttercream for Cake Decorating
Another stunning combination is buttercream flavored by adding floral flavors. Add flower colors to the frosting by mashing crushed flowers such as lavender or violets inside it.
Double floral happiness: pair with edible-flower cupcakes! Check out this tutorial for creative ideas.
GROWWILD! How to use Real Edible Flowers to Decorate your Cakes | Cupcake Jemma
Using Edible Flowers in Soup Garnishes
Edible flowers, such as nasturtiums or pansies, make soups pretty and delicious. Think mint flowers in pea soup or marigolds in butternut squash soup.
The blooms round out the richness of various microgreen soups.
Conclusion
Edible flowers offer endless possibilities for culinary creativity. Whether you’re whipping up a cocktail, decorating a cake, or simply garnishing a salad, these blooms can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
For those looking to explore locally grown edible flowers, Planted Detroit is your go-to. As Michigan’s largest vertical farm, they provide fresh, sustainable options that bring both beauty and flavor to your table.
Discover our range of locally grown edible flowers and elevate your meals today! Explore Planted Detroit’s offerings for fresh, farm-to-table floral options.
