Foodbuzz 24×24: Hello Summer! A Meal with Edible Flowers in Every Course

summer-table-setting, garden table
Hello Summer!
A Meal with Edible Flowers in Every Course

lemon salad violas

Come stroll though my garden and the gardens of my dear friends Gail and Sally, and my sweet neighbor Grace. We’ll pick edible flowers including lavender, rose, geranium, society garlic blossoms, viola, nasturtium, and pineapple sage to incorporate into a most beautiful four course meal. The soup, salad, entree, and dessert, as well as the table décor, showcase our edible flowers.

Soup
Chilled Rose-Scented Goat Yogurt Soup with Rose Bud Petals
Cucumber, Golden Raisins, Walnuts, Chives, Dill, Mint
Salad
Baby Lettuce and Mache Salad with Meyer Lemon Wheels, Slivered Pistachios, Violas
Meyer Lemon Cream Dressing, Shallot, Thyme
Main
Copper River Sockeye Salmon with Lemon Oil, Society Garlic Blossoms
Spinach Risotto with Nasturtium Petals
Dessert
Blackberry Lavender Mascarpone Sorbet with Sugared Rose Petals and Mint
Beverages

Flowering Thyme-Scented Water
Rosé – Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigar
Red – Le Cigar Volant

summer-table-setting, garden table

The flower decorations are all washed and edible as well.
Help yourself to a nibble between courses:

Bowl of Roses with Lemon Verbena
Individual Bouquets with Geranium and Rose
Tea Glass filled with Pineapple Sage and Lavender

Chilled Rose-Scented Goat Yogurt Soup with Rose Bud Petals

rosebud

Tiny rose bud petals from this Kimberlina Floribunda Rose are carefully separated then rinsed in cool water and used to garnish the soup.

yogurt-soup-rose-petals, persian-chilled-soup The refreshing chilled Persian yogurt soup was adapted from Chef Hoss Zaré. I added 1 t. of fragrant rose water to give it a more powerful perfumey garden scent. I used fresh rose buds instead of dried, and the more heart-healthy non-fat goat yogurt. This fabulous summer soup recipe can be found here.

Baby Lettuce and Mache Salad with Meyer Lemon Wheels, Slivered Pistachios, Violas
Baby Lettuce & Mache Salad with Meyer Lemon Wheels, Slivered Pistachios, Violas

violas

All the flowers are rinsed in cool fresh water then gently dried on paper towels.

lemon salad

Gail’s Meyer Lemon tree luckily produces a bounty of lemons year round. Mixed baby lettuces and mache are tossed in Meyer Lemon Cream Dressing with her fresh thyme added. The salad is served over thinly sliced Meyer Lemon wheels (even the rinds are edible) drizzled with the dressing plus a generous sprinkling of slivered pistachios and a few gorgeous violas donating their mild pea flavor to the salad.

Salmon with Society Garlic Blossoms & Spinach Risotto with Nasturtium Petals
Salmon with Society Garlic Blossoms & Spinach Risotto with Nasturtium Petals

copper river sockeye salmon

Fresh Copper River Sockeye Salmon of this quality needs little adornment. A drizzle of lemon oil, salt and pepper are really all that are necessary to fully enjoy this fish. Society garlic blossoms add a pretty savory garnish. Read more about the special Copper River Sockeye here.

spinach risotto

Green spinach risotto, with its extraordinary color, has been one of our favorites for years. We add some vibrant orange zesty-peppery nasturtium petals to make this green side dish really pop! Recipe here.

salmon-dinner

And as the evening winds down…

Blackberry Lavender Mascarpone Sorbet with Sugared Rose Petals and Mint
Blackberry Lavender Mascarpone Sorbet with Sugared Rose Petals and Mint

The dinner concluded with darling little punch cups filled with a fruity but not-too-sweet mascarpone sorbet.

sugared rose petals

Rose petals and mint leaves were lightly coated with reconstituted egg white and sprinkled with super-fine sugar then left to dry over night. They garnished the sorbet.

dessert is served

Bonny Doon Le Cigar Volant, a complex Rhône-style blend, helped us welcome the setting sun…

summer table setting
This delightful meal would not have been possible without the help of my friends and fellow gardeners. Thank you to Gail, Sally, and Grace for the little snips of beauty from your gardens. And thank you to all the passionate gardeners in San Pedro, our charming corner of Los Angeles, for showering the neighborhood with your breathtaking (and sometimes edible) flowers…

summer table setting

Thank You

 

violas
Grace’s Violas
society garlic
Sally’s Society Garlic Blossoms
meyer lemon tree
Gail’s Meyer Lemon Tree
lavender garden
Lori Lynn’s Lavender
flowering thyme
Gail’s Flowering Thyme
nasturtium
Sally’s Nasturtiums
kimberlina rose
Lori Lynn’s Kimberlina Roses with a Friend

No pesticides!
As always, choose flowers that are certain to be edible, and eat in moderation.

flower basket

Foodbuzz 24X24

Extending a special thank you to the folks at Foodbuzz for choosing Hello Summer! A Meal with Edible Flowers in Every Course as a participant in June’s 24×24 event. Foodbuzz 24×24 showcases posts from 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publisher bloggers, the monthly Foodbuzz 24 highlights unique meals occurring around the globe during a 24-hour period. “From San Francisco, to Sydney, to San Pedro!”

garden frogs

42 thoughts on “Foodbuzz 24×24: Hello Summer! A Meal with Edible Flowers in Every Course”

  1. Wow! I have no words….absolutely beautiful! The table, the dishes, the food – amazing! Not only that…everything looks delicious! Great post!

  2. Lori these are some of the most beautiful dishes I have ever seen! I especially love the yogurt soup with rose petals. The colors are absolutely stunning and I love the combination of creamy yogurt with delicate rose petals. Beautifully done!!

    Jessica

  3. Fantastic elegant post. I am a big fan of edible flowers they add so much to dishes. Perfectly executed menu.

    Bravo!

  4. What a cook 24×24! This is such a beautiful meal. I love that you really gave a bunch of flowers their due; I think most of us never stray beyond lavender, and maybe roses if we’re feeling really adventurous…

  5. Amazing 24×24 concept! The edible flowers adds a dash of sophistication and whimsy to an already elegant meal! I’m awestruck and envious of your guests 🙂 Love your wine pairings – I always make a point of visiting BD’s tasting room when in Santa Cruz and belong to their wine club 🙂

  6. I love flowers. Especially ones you can eat. The entire menu sounds delicious, but that salad is really eye catching.

    I recently visited San Diego’s rose garden where the roses are surprising not too fragrant. During my visit, I passed a young, blooming magnolia tree. I smelled one of the flowers. Pure heaven. Citrus and floral. Not sure if magnolia flowers are edible, but I wanted to take a bite right there in the park!

    Thanks for sharing.
    Brandon

  7. I remember having yogurt soup at a Persian friend in New York and loved the addition of rose petals to the soup, which is not done in the Lebanese kitchen; love the salad, it reminds me that we used to eat lemon slices when younger, dipped in salt. That salmon and risotto is right up my alley too. In short, this is one memorable meal, poetic and creative and just ravishing to the senses.

  8. Who says flowers are only for deco displays?? These look absolutely stunning; what a beautiful idea!! All the dishes look so lovely dolled up and adorned with the flowers; which are edible!!! One word from me…GORGEOUS:)

  9. You are one creative gal! I adore the beauty of the colors, the textures and I’m sure the tastes of the flowers with all the different foods. I have used flowers in cooking too but not for every course. What a great idea. I have a cookbook at home that I’ve had for at least 30 years that is called something like “The Art of Flower Cookery” or something like that. You might be interested in getting it if it’s still in print. (I’m out of town as I write this so can’t remember the title exactly).

  10. Completely stunning – from the beautiful flowers to the filtered sunlight. I’ve always been a bit afraid to play with edible flowers, but seeing what you’ve done here makes me want to bring a little of that beauty to the table.

  11. What a beautiful job you did!! When I was a kid I always thought it was odd to eat flowers, and to be honest, I’ve not really cooked with them myself very often. However, I will never forget the lavender scones I had at the Farmer’s Market in Hawaii that had me sold.
    Lovely photos!

  12. i can’t even read what you wrote b/c the image are all so lovely! I recently went to Brookgreen Gardens in Myrtle Beach, SC and had a blast enjoying all of the flowers, edible and otherwise. I then did a lemon linguine dish with a lot of those beauties for D&D but I think I’m going to try something different. You’re entire setting is stunning!

  13. Your gorgeous photos capture what must have been an incredibly beautiful event! I love the way you made the food look even more appealing with all of the eye catching settings. Have a great 4th!

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