Cooking with flowers

BrusselsLife has opened its "Larousse of plants & flowers" to offer something new in your plate. Keep in mind, it is not just about decorating your plates with 2-3 petals to make them more visually attractive ... No, the flowers we have selected can be eaten! They are tasty and add flavor to your dishes! You've probably already tasted these in herbal tea form: chamomile, lime, orange blossom ... However, there are many other ways to satisfy yourself with flowers!

Flowers as a salad

Flowers bring beautiful colors and unusual seasoning to your salads. Test, for example, the purple flowers of chives. They have a similar taste to the strands of the plant, but in addition, give a colorful touch to your preparation! The peppery taste and orange color of the nasturtium will add zest to your salad. You can also decorate your plates with begonias. Their texture is crisp and juicy. With their slightly acid and lemon taste, no more need for lemons ... The flowers from wild garlic will be a perfect substitute for classic garlic ! You can further enhance your salads with many other flowers such as violets, very fragrant, poppies, fresh and spring-like, daisies and their slightly nutty flavor, dandelions, borage flowers, chrysanthemums, etc..

Flowers to cook

How about a cream of primroses, some mashed daisies or a wisteria flowers donut ? Cooked, flowers offer even more surprises ... Do not hesitate to enhance your soups with a few petals from dandelions, primroses, white nettles, or begonias ... Whiten chrysanthemum petals and add them to a cream of chestnuts or mushrooms. Decorate your soups with Dalhia. Their parsley and tarragon flavours are delicious in soups but also as a sauce. Zucchini flowers, in turn, can be cooked without limits: as fritters, risotto, omelette, stuffing, gratin ...

Dessert flowers

The fruit salad takes the appearance of spring when you add pansies, violets, lavender or other poppies ... The dandelion honey or jam from rose petals spread on bread will give color to your breakfasts! To transform your desserts into artwork, try crystallizing the petals! Take a violet, a dahlia or a rose. Lather some egg white and spread it on the petals, evenly but not too excessively ... Then present it all on a tray of fine sugar so that it adheres to the flower. Lastly, let it all dry it freely or in the oven (thermostat 1).

A few pointers

Be sure of the edibility of the plant that you add to your dish. For novices, closely follow your recipe and leave improvisation to those who know plants like the back of their hand. Check carefully to ensure the flower you picked is the one you need. Some plants are NOT edible ... Grow them in your garden or pluck them during a walk in the fields. The most important thing is to only use products that you are sure of the origin: without pesticides that have grown away from sources of pollution, in particular roads or balconies in town ... The ideal time to pick a flower is early morning or late afternoon. Regout Olivia

Looking for more advice and flower recipes ? Check out this book "La cuisine des fleurs" de Alice Caron Lambert et Jacques Denarnaud.