Please DO Eat The Flowers

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by Sonya Oppenheimer

Gorgeous isn’t sufficient for the original multi–tasker, Nature; she also makes many of her flowers incredibly edible. Take hibiscus. Michael Thoms, Nordstrom regional restaurant manager, uses the mild citrus flavor of the petals for Sun Tea.

HIBISCUS SUN TEA
1/2 cup hibiscus petals
15 cups water
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup Simple Syrup (Boil 1 cup water & 1/2 cup sugar until dissolved)

Combine all ingredients in 1 gallon jug; set out in sun for a day. Refrigerate.

What does in those winged, uninvited dinner guests can also do us in. Never use flowers from the florist, gathered along the roadside, or any flower that is not grown under food–safe conditions — without toxic pesticides or herbicides.

Please do eat the daisies but do not graze with abandon even if your flowerbed is organic. Bite into some research before nibbling on the unknown.

The Ryland Inn, Whitehouse, NJ, grows a bouquet of edible flowers, many mixed with greens to power up salads, on their three–acre organic garden. To insure continuing availability of favorites like chive flowers and Johnny–jump–ups, Chip Shepherd, organic garden manager, sews seeds in succession.

Taste and presentation are also served by another of Chip’s recommendations: harvest cucumbers when the fruit is only about half–an–inch long and the flower is still attached. Then, top with a light dressing.

Lavender’s sweet flavor is the secret ingredient in Ryland pastry chef, Denise Scanlon’s infused honey and Crème Angles.

LAVENDER INFUSED HONEY
Place lavender in a jar.Pour warmed honey over; close lid.Let stand for several days.Taste. When honey flavor is as desired, remove lavender.

CRÈME ANGLES
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
lavender flowers
1/2cup sugar
1/2 cup egg yolks

Combine milk and cream in pot; bring almost to boil (when bubbles begin to form at center). Add lavender; remove from heat; cover with plastic. Allow to stand for a while; then taste. Do not add more lavender but allow to stand until desired taste is achieved. Wisk in sugar and egg yolks; return to heat; bring to boil to form custard. Turn custard into ice cream maker and process.

Aria Ristorante, Fairfield, NJ, chef/owner, Claudio Beltrami, savors the dramatic appearance and taste of zucchini blossoms. He enhances salads with pan fried zucchini blossoms and uses them as the special ingredient in risotto with lobster:

PAN FRIED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS
16 zucchini blossoms
5 oz. flour
2 egg yolks
salt & pepper to taste
12 oz. beer
frying oil as needed

Combine flour, salt, pepper and egg yolks to form batter. Coat blossoms with batter. Place them in a single layer in hot, oiled pan. Pan–fry blossoms on each side for one minute. Remove blossoms from pan and blot briefly on paper towel. Serve the blossoms over a mixed salad seasoned with balsamic vinaigrette and garnished with sliced lemon.

RISOTTO WITH LOBSTER AND ZUCCHINI BLOSSOM
1 oz. garlic
1 oz. onion, diced
1 oz. butter
1 oz. olive oil
1 pint vegetable stock, hot
7 oz. Arborio rice
4 fl. oz. dry white wine
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1 lb. lobster meat
15 zucchini blossom, julienne

Sweat onion in butter. Add rice; mix thoroughly until hot. Pour in wine; heat until it evaporates. Stir stock into rice, 1/3 at a time. Continue stirring until stock is absorbed by rice (approx. 15-18 minutes). Leave rice cooking over medium heat. Brown garlic in olive oil in a sautÃƒÂ© pan until golden. Combine lobster meat, salt and pepper in the pan; cook for 2 minutes. Rice should now be close to finished. Add in lobster, zucchini blossoms and finish cooking the rice. Season the risotto with olive oil and parsley prior to serving.

Please do eat the daisies but do not graze with abandon even if your flowerbed is organic. Bite into some research before nibbling on the unknown.