My Flower Recipes
This is a short selection, I'm basically adding my new ones as I do them. I've been collecting flower recipes as long as I can remember. ♥ -- And, if you have any favorites, I'd love to hear about them, just send me an e-mail at
FlowerVibrations@KatherineCHE.com. ♥
*** Be sure to ONLY use organic, chemical-free flowers for these recipes. Best to use flowers you have grown yourself. ***
Sage Flower Butter
Fresh Sage Flowers -- different colors, if you have a variety
Butter
Allow the butter to soften a bit at room temperature. Then, mix the sage flowers in by hand. Best not to use equipment to do the mixing so that you preserve the flowers intact. They are large and beautiful -- and fragile! This butter is great with corn on the cob.
Loster Heaven: Floral Butter for Lobster
1/2 stick of butter
1 TBsp fresh sage flowers
1 tsp orange blossom water
1 tsp fresh lavender flowers
1/2 tsp salt
Melt the butter. Add the flavors. Serve melted with lobster.
Wisteria and Chive Flower Salad2 "bunches" wisteria flowers
8 chive flowers
pinch dried lavender
white balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salad greens
salt and pepper
Dress salad greens with oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. Sprinkle lavender over top.
Break up 6 of the chive flowers and both of the wisteria bunches. Sprinkle flowers on top of salad.
Decorate with remaining two whole chive flowers.
Wisteria Fritters12 "bunches" wisteria flowers
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup white or rose wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 egg
pinch salt
confectioners sugar (optional)
oil for deep frying -- preheat
In a large bowl, whisk together the flower, wine, oil, egg, and salt to make a thin batter. (Adjust by adding more wine if you need it to be thinner.)
Carefully check the wisteria flowers for and remove any insects.
Gently dip each bunch of wisteria flowers in the batter and carefully transfer to the preheated deep fryer, and deep fry them until they are deep light golden brown.
Transfer fritters immediately to a platter covered with paper towels.
Top with sifted confectioners sugar if you desire and serve immediately.
Lavender Tzatziki (Yogurt Dip)
1 pound plain yogurt (whole milk is best but low- and non-fat work fine)
1 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, and grated
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped mint (fresh, if you have it)
1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice (your favorite)
1 tablespoon dried lavender buds (2 tablespoons, if fresh)
salt and pepper to taste
fresh mint and extra lavender for garnish
optional:
1 TBsp edible rose petals
Put yogurt in a coffee filter in a strainer and strain out liquid for a few hours or over night.
Squeeze a little of the liquid from the grated cucumber and mix all the ingredients together by hand. Put in a bowl and sprinkle the top with lavender and mint.
Serve with wedges of pita bread.
Honeysuckle Fruit Salad
Organic, unsprayed Honeysuckle blossoms
Strawberries
Blueberries
Beaujolais, optional
St. Germain, optional
Honey, optional
Combine the cleaned berries in a large bowl. Set aside.
EITHER sprinkle berries with sugar or honey OR a mixture of equal parts Beaujolais wine and St. Germain (elderflower) liqueur well combined with one or two tablespoons of good honey.
Let sit, covered, for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld.
Just before serving, top with honeysuckle blossoms.
Note the red, white, and blue colors -- perfect for patriotic celebrations!
Honeysuckle Cookies
(The combination of the honey and the orange blossom water taste like
honeysuckle nectar)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons good honey (the best you can find)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
Lots of honeysuckle blossoms
Preheat oven to 390 degrees.
Beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add the sugar, beating while you do, keeping it light and fluffy.
Add the honey and salt and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the 1 tablespoon orange blossom water. Set aside.
In a small bowl, sift together the flours and the baking powder. Then, gradually beat the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
Drop by 1/2 teaspoonful onto a greased cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each cookie as they spread while they cook.
Cook for about 10 minutes, until edges begin to brown.
Combine the confectioners sugar, the water and the 1 teaspoon orange blossom water. Mix until you have a consistency of VERY THICK syrup. Spread a little in the center of each cookie and immediately arrange honeysuckle blossoms on the icing so that they will stick.
Lavender and Chive Flower Soup
1 pound potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound yellow or white onions, peeled and quartered
½ pound carrots, with tops discarded
1TBsp salt
6 cups water
¼ cup chive flowers
¼ cup fresh chives
1 TBsp dried lavender
More chive flowers for garnish
Simmer the potatoes, onions, and carrots with the salt in the water for about 30 minutes. Add the chive flowers, chives, and lavender. Simmer 10 minutes more.
Remove from heat and strain off and reserve liquids. Press vegetables through a ricer and back into the liquid. (Or, you may pulse an immersion blender in the soup without straining, just until everything is in small bits – do not puree.) Stir until well combined. Check to see if you need more salt.
Serve warm or cold with at least one whole chive flower on each serving.
Lilac Custard
a whole bunch of clean, organic, unsprayed lilac flowers
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar (Lilac Sugar (see below) is best, if you have some)
a pinch of salt
Scald the milk with 1/3 of your lilac flowers in it.
Briefly beat the egg yolks in the top of a double boiler, beating constantly,
until they begin to change color.
Add the sugar and beat wall until well combined.
Slowly mix the scalded milk into the yolk mixture, still on the top of the
double boiler.
When about half of the milk has been added, put in 1/3 of your lilac flowers
and continue adding the milk.
Continue stirring until the custard thickens to the point that it coats a spoon.
Remove from heat. Remove lilacs and add the remaining lilac flowers to
continue infusing the custard while it cools.
(Even better if you can put an additional bunch of lilac flowers into the milk
the day before you will make the custard to infuse the milk before you even
start cooking. If you do this, discard those lilacs before beginning the recipe
as described.)
Put in refrigerator to cool thoroughly.
This is a drinking custard. You can serve it with whipped cream on top,
or you can sprinkle a FEW fresh lilac florets on top.
Crystallized Violets
(You can also crystallize other edible flowers, like lilacs!)
Violet Flowers
Violet liqueur or violet flavoring, optional
1 egg white
Extra fine sugar
Gather and clean fresh, organically grown, pesticide-free violet flowers. Allow to
dry on fresh paper towels.
If using, add a small amount of violet flavoring or liqueur (amount depends on the
flavor strength of what you are using -- better to put in too little than too much).
Gently mix by hand -- carefully allowing the egg whites to remain clear. If they
start to get cloudy, stop mixing.
Using a clean artist's type paing brush paint the front and back of each violet petal
(one flower at a time). Sprinkle liberally with extra fine sugar to coat. Lay on
clean paper towel dusted with a bit of the extra fine sugar to keep flowers from
sticking. Allow to air dry (an hour or two on a dry day).
You should use these flowers within a few days. Store in an airtight container.
Use in salads or to decorate cakes, cupcakes, chocolates, cookies, trifles, etc.
Violet Brownies
Brownie Mix
Voilet Flavoring
Add Violet Flavoring to brownie mix as you are mixing it. Otherwise, cook as directed.
Violet flavoring is hard to find but you can google it. My favorite supplier disappeared. I'm
trying a new one.
Lavender Brownies
Brownie Mix
1 TBsp dried lavender
Finely chop the lavender and add it to the brownie mix as you are mixing it. Otherwise,
prepare as directed on the mix. Be sure to use cooking-grade lavender.
Lavender Blueberry Pancakes
Your favorite pancake recipe
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
1/2 cup blueberries, cleaned
Add the lavender flowers to the pancake batter as you are mixing it. Pour on hot griddle.
Sprinkle blueberries on the pancakes right away. Let cook until they are golden brown.
Flip. Cook about one minute more.
Lavender Cornbread
Preheat oven to 425.
1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal (not polenta or "grits" style)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
1/4 cup corn oil or melted bacon drippings
1 cup milk
1 cup corn kernels (can be fresh or frozen)
1 egg, beaten
Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and
lavender in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients
and stir just until well combined.
Bake in a greased 9x9-inch pan for about 20-25 minutes.
(OR, and this is my prefered way: pop a large, greased cast-iron
skillet or cornstick molds into the oven as you preheat, and pour the
batter into it hot and bake from there -- you get a nice browning this
way.)
Best served immediately.
Kicki's Meringues Flavored with Almond and Rose
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
1 tablespoon rose water
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Preheat oven to 240 degrees. Place parchment paper on 2-3 cookies sheets, and set aside.
Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together until they are stiff.
Add the sugar one spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in the flavors and vinegar.
Drop the mixture onto the parchment-covered cookies sheets by the tablespoonful.
Bake for approximately an hour -- until the meringues are dry and crispy. Turn off the oven,
and open the oven door to let them cool down slowly.
Floral Bongos (Profiteroles)
(I lived in Florence for two years, and they inexplicably call these yummy treats "bongos"
there. They are a lot like miniature eclairs.)
Fill the pastry puffs with custard filling (either by piping it in with a pastry bag and narrow
piping tip or by cutting each puff in half and spooning the custard between the layers) and top
with melted chocolate topping -- see recipes below.
Rosy Pastry Puffs (Choux Pastry)
1 cup water
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon rose water
Bring the water and butter to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir until the butter has melted.
Add the flour all at once and mix rapidly until it is entirely incorporated.
Put the pan over low heat, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring as you do.
Preheat oven to 370 degrees. Place parchment paper on 2-3 cookie sheets, and set aside.
Transfer the mixture from the pan to a bowl, and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the rose water.
Use a pastry bag to pipe dollops of the mixture onto the parchment-covered cookie sheets. The
dollops should be about 1" to 1 1/2" in diameter.
Bake for about 35 minutes, until they are golden. Turn off the heat, and open the oven door to
let them cool down slowly.
Orange Blossom Custard Filling
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 slice lemon peel
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until they are well combined. Sift the flour into the mix
1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Set aside.
Bring the milk to a boil with the lemon peel in it. Remove from heat. Remove and discard the peel.
Whisk the milk into the egg mixture, a little at a time. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan over
medium-low heat. Bring it to a simmer, stirring, until it thickens.
Remove from heat, and allow to cool before putting in the pastries.
Melted Chocolate Topping
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler. Add the cream, and mix well. Pour over bongos while still
warm and runny.
Lavender Cookies
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 egg whites
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
3 tablespoon finely chopped dried lavender flowers
Whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each.
Whisk in the melted butter, lemon extract and chopped lavender flowers. Cover, and refrigerate for at
least 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spoon cookie batter by the teaspoonful onto a well-greased cookie sheet, leaving lots of space between
each cookie. They spread out flat.
Cook just until the edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and from cookie sheet immediately.
(The temp and cooking times vary a lot. I usually do one or two cookies first to test and adjust from
there.) **Re-grease the cookie sheet before adding more cookie dough.**
And, here's a link to a recipe for Honeysuckle-Infused Honey: http://www.learningherbs.com/news_issue_66.html