Tag Archive | flower recipes

Worth Reading – Cooking with Flowers: Sweet and Savory Recipes


"Cooking with Flowers: Sweet and Savory Recipes with Rose Petals, Lilacs, Lavender, and Other Edible Flowers"When I was reading BIG CHEF Online, one of my favorite blogs for Party Planning and Cooking, I stumbled across this great book Cooking with Flowers: Sweet and Savory Recipes with Rose Petals, Lilacs, Lavender, and Other Edible Flowers by Miche Bacher and thought it would be the perfect book to recommend to our blog readers for the end of 2013.

In it you will find more than 100 recipes that will bring beautiful flower-filled dishes to your kitchen table! This easy-to-use cookbook is brimming with scrumptious botanical treats, from sweet violet cupcakes, pansy petal pancakes, daylily cheesecake, and rosemary flower margaritas to savory sunflower chickpea salad, chive blossom vinaigrette, herb flower pesto, and mango orchid sticky rice.

Alongside every recipe are tips and tricks for finding, cleaning, and preparing edible blossoms. You’ll also learn how to infuse vinegars, vodkas, sugars, frostings, jellies and jams, ice creams, and more with the color and flavor of your favorite flowers. Fresh from the farmers’ market or plucked from your very own garden, a world of delectable flowers awaits!

You can get a copy on Amazon for only $17.32. Cooking with Flowers: Sweet and Savory Recipes with Rose Petals, Lilacs, Lavender, and Other Edible Flowers is sure to be one of my new favorite cookbooks and maybe it will also be yours!

Lavender Beef with Peppercorns


It’s amazing all the herbs and flowers you can cook with.  Here ia a recipe I found for beef tenderloin with lavender and peppercorns. Try it. It is really good.

1 (3- to 4-pound) beef tenderloin roast
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoons whole white peppercorns
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender flowers

Bring roast to room temperature before cooking. Trim the tenderloin of fat and silverskin.  Note: Silverskin is the silvery-white connective tissue. It doesn’t dissolve when the tenderloin is cooked, so it needs to be trimmed away.

Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Lightly oil outside of roast.

In a small spice or coffee grinder, coarsely grind the black peppercorns, white peppercorns, fennel seeds, thyme, and lavender flowers; rub mixture all over the meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight (preferably).

Preheat oven to 425°F. Unwrap roast and place onto a rack in a shallow baking pan, tucking the thin end under to make it as thick as the rest of the roast. Place roast onto a rack in a shallow baking pan, tucking the thin end under to make it as thick as the rest of the roast. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and continue to roast until the internal temperature reaches desired temperature on a meat thermometer (see below).
Rare – 120°F
Medium Rare – 125°F
Medium – 130°F

Remove from oven and transfer onto a cutting board; let stand 15 minutes before carving (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven).

Transfer onto a serving platter and serve immediately with any accumulated juices.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Source: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beef/lavenderbeef.htm

For a complete list of edible flowers, Check out the Edible Flower Chart at Eden Florist.

Dandelion Salad


How to make Dandelion Salad

 

4 slices bacon, cut in small pieces

approximately 2 c. chopped new dandelion leaves

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced or chopped

2 Tbsp. chopped onion

¼ c. butter

½ c. cream or milk

1 egg, beaten

½ tsp. Salt

dash of pepper

¼ c. cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. flour

 

Toss together chopped dandelion, chopped onion and fried bacon pieces. Set aside. In skillet warm butter and cream until butter melts. Beat egg and then add salt, pepper, vinegar, sugar and flour. Blend the egg mixture into the slightly warm cream mixture. Increase heat and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Pour hot dressing over the greens and toss gently. Add eggs before tossing. Serve at once.

 

Gather the dandelion leaves early in the spring before the plants flower or they will be bitter.

 

 

 

Thanks to Donna Godfrey for sharing this!

Yarrow For Beautiful Skin


"Yarrow - Protection Against Evil" People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us. Iris Murdoch

Yarrow – For Beautiful Skin  Yarrow is a wonderful herb with many uses, and it’s so easy to grow.  Just check out your local garden center for the seeds.  In this issue you will find some simple skin and hair care products you can make at home from yarrow.

Cleanser For Oily Skin:

Place a tablespoon of yarrow in a bowl and fill the bowl half full with boiling water. Lean over the bowl, and cover your head with a towel so that no steam escapes. You should be 12-18 inches from the water. After steaming, splash your face with cool water and pat dry.

For added benefit, you could add one or more of the following herbs:

Stimulating Herbs: Rosemary, Sage, Mint
Healing Herbs: Comfrey, Thyme
Soothing Herbs: Lavender, Chamomile

Yarrow and Chamomile Compress:

1 teaspoon of dried yarrow flowers
1 teaspoon of dried chamomile flowers
1 cup of boiling water

Pour the boiling water over the herbs and steep for 20 minutes. Strain out the herbs and discard. Cool the liquid to a comfortable temperature. Dip a tea towel into the liquid and squeeze out the excess.

Rinse your face in lukewarm water. Place the towel over your face and relax for 15-20 minutes. Pat your face dry. If you want to apply a moisturizer afterwards, choose one that doesn’t contain alcohol.

Tip: You can also use this compress to soothe rough, red, or cracked hands.  If your hands are dry, coat with almond oil before applying compress.