Have you thought about serving crystallized edible flowers at your next dinner party? Edible flowers are flowers that can be ingested safely. Edible flower petals are part of many regional cuisines such as European, Middle Eastern, East Indian, and Asian cuisines. For chefs, crystallized edible flowers offer interesting textures, flavors, and colors to be creatively combined to enhance dishes. Crystallized edible flowers are also added to foods in order to supply aroma, color, and taste.
These crystallized edible flowers can be part of a a salad, a main dish, or a dessert. They can also be added as a garnish on the plate. Some flowers can be integrated into beverages as flavorings, such as adding lavender to tea, and also used to make wines. Crystallized edible flowers are added to spreads such as fruit preserves and butter, as well as dressings, vinegars, and marinades. Some edible flowers are dried and used as culinary herbs. Another fact that many people may not be aware of is that edible flowers are quite nutritious. But what are some edible flowers? You will always want to double check a reference book to be sure that a flower is edible but many types are:
* Water Lily
* Water Hyacinth
* Fuchsia
* Peony
* Black Locust
* Geranium
* Squash Blossoms
* English Daisy
* Rose of Sharon
Microgreens are a tiny vegetable green that are used both as a visual and flavor component or primarily in fine dining restaurants. Fine dining chefs utilize microgreens to enhance the freshness, taste, and beauty of their dishes with their delicate textures and distinctive flavors. Microgreens can offer a variety of leaf flavors, such as spicy and sweet. They are known for their various colors and textures as well. Microgreens are now regarded a specialty genre of greens that are excellent for garnishing soups, salads plates, and sandwiches. Microgreens are not the same as sprouts so be sure not to mix them up. Some forms of microgreens include Arugula, Beets, Chard, Cress, Parsley, and Sorrel to name a few.
