Incredible Edible Flowers

About author / Lauren Braun Costello

The competent cook; food stylist; cooking instructor; graduate French Culinary Institute. To die for dish? Maple glazed bacon wrapped roast turkey. Yep, bacon wrapped.

April showers do bring May flowers. Thankfully, there are many flowers safe for consumption. Nothing could be more seasonal or elegant than a cake bedecked with fragrant blossoms or a salad tossed with colorful petals.

What to Eat
You probably already eat plenty of edible flowers without even realizing it. Have you ever seen a thyme sprig with a white flower amongst the leaves? These are absolutely edible and fragrant. Squash blossoms are an Italian delicacy, the flowers of the zucchini fruit. Rose petals have been used for thousands of years in cooking, dating back to the ancient world. Rose water is a perfumed liquid that is added to anything from rice pilaf to ice cream. Candied rose petals are an epicurean delight. The French even make beautiful pink colored cookies flavored with roses.

There are literally dozens of varieties of edible flowers. Mint flowers add a stronger, more pungent mint flavor to dishes than just the leaves. Lemon verbena, though a somewhat temperamental plant, is the most refreshing addition to fruit salad, teas, cakes and custards. Along those lines, chamomile and lavender add both scent and taste to foods. Jasmine has a lovely floral perfume that is often used in teas. Honeysuckle flowers bear the taste of their name, though the honeysuckle berries are poisonous. Daisies, dandelions and even tulip petals are used in salads for a burst of color and bite.

The most important thing to remember when cooking with flowers is that not all flowers are edible, of course. In fact, eating some flowers will make you quite ill. In some cases this has to do with the flower itself, while in other instances pesticides and chemicals will be the cause of toxicity. Ask your local gourmet grocer what edible flowers can be procured. Never venture a guess on your own.

What to Make
There are so many things you can do with edible flowers. When Central Park hosted 150 dinners in one night in honor of its 150th anniversary in 2003, I cooked one of the dinners on Fifth Avenue. The digestive salad course was named after a lovely spot in Central Park called Shakespeare's Garden. I made a salad entirely of herbs (a very British thing), and then garnished it with edible flowers from the local farmer's market in Union Square. Not only was it palate-cleansing and crisp, but the flowers made the visual of an English garden come alive on the plate.

Decorating cakes, cupcakes, tea breads and tartlets with flowers is an obvious choice. Feminine, delicate and natural, this is always a winning look, especially in May and June when spring weather is at its best. Making teas steeped with herbs is refreshing and flavorful. Since ice cream season will be in full swing in a short while, try a basic ice cream recipe with dried lavender or rose petals. It will give a sophisticated flavor to an otherwise sweet and simple treat.

Cooking with edible flowers can segue into strict garnishing or presentation. Make ice cubes with edible flowers, and add to a pitcher of iced tea for a dramatic and refined change of pace from the citrus slice mélange. Place some water and edible flowers in a large bowl. Top with a slightly smaller bowl and freeze. Once frozen, run the two bowls under hot water quickly to loosen from the ice and flower mixture between them. You will have just made an exquisite serving piece for ice cream sure to impress any dinner guest.

Be bold, but be safe. You are only limited by imagination. Your dishes will become vibrant, fragrant and perfumed when you use edible flowers.