Here in Philly it is glorious outside. The cherry blossoms are blooming, my seedlings are measurable in inches rather than centimeters and my neighbors have once again set up their lawn chairs on our tiny street, glaring at cars that dare to drive past; all sure signs that spring is truly, finally upon us.
Now normally, when I think spring, I admit I am not the first to think flowers. I’m just not an aesthetics person, and despite my best efforts, I doubt I ever will be. Also, living in the city and having a garden compromised solely of containers mean that real eastate is at a premium. If you give me the choice of using my limited space for fermentables or prettifiers, I will always choose the former. At least I would have. Reading Gayla Trail’s books and discovering just how many flowers I could grow and then eat, I got more excited. Then I heard about a cookbook that is centered around cooking with flowers (it’s actually called Cooking With Flowers, written by Miche Bacher) and I decided to spend a decent portion of this year’s seed budget on edible flowers.
Nothing is really flowering yet, except for the pansies that I planted in my four-seasons container last fall, which survived the winter and came back looking beautifully prolific. Lucky for me, Cooking With Flowers has a whole pansy chapter for me to explore before my dianthus, calendula, lavender, violets and other edible blooms start growing faces. The first recipe that caught my eye there were Bacher’s pansy pancakes. They are actually crêpes and I’ve been looking for an occasion to give you guys my sourdough almost-crêpe recipe, so you can find my take on flower crêpes below.
I think this book is fabulous. It is gorgeously photographed by Brooklyn photographer Miana Jun. I am prone to hyperbolic adjectives, but it is no exaggeration to call this book beautiful (make sure you take off the book jacket for an unexpected eyeful of pretty). The instructions are very clear and the breakdown of info on each type of flower and the ways to use it are very useful. I think you’ll be surprised and excited by all the flowers you never knew you could eat. If you’re looking to impress your friends at a dinner party, I promise you’ll find some serious stunners in this book (lavender ice cream served in a tulip cup, anyone?). There are also great resources for finding seeds to plant your own flowers or fresh flowers suitable for eating. I got my flower seeds here and here. Be aware that many you’ll find at the florist are sprayed with pesticides that render them unsuitable for consumption. Generally speaking, you want organic flowers.
The first time I cracked the spine of this book, I found myself looking at a ferment recipe (more on that soon) so it’s basically fate for me to have this one in my hands. You, too, could have this one in your hands, since the publisher Quirk Books kindly gave me two copies of this book: one for me and one for you. All you have to do to get flower and flour on your hands is to leave a comment, telling me what you’ve planted in your garden this year or what you want to plant.
Recipe – Whole Wheat Flowerdough Crêpes
Adapted from the Pansy Petal Pancakes in Miche Bacher’s Cooking With Flowers
All you sourdough makers know that inevitably you are left with extra starter. I usually keep mine in the fridge until I have enough to make a double or triple batch of these or my cardamom waffles. Crêpe batter is typically made the night before and given time to rest (a very brief fridge fermentation which is less necessary when you’re using starter), and mine are no exception. Yes, they work perfectly fine when made immediately, if you prefer to do it that way. I like to rest the batter because then I can wake up to a clean kitchen and start pouring right into the pan for those times when guests might be giving my kitchen the white glove test (aka Mother’s Day). Also, note that I am using dormant starter. You can use active starter if you prefer, but I find this to be a great way to use up excess, dormant starter.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/4 cups milk (I use unsweetened almond, you can use whatever you like, from dairy to soy)
- 3 tablespoons melted butter (you can sub oil)
- 3 large eggs
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup of sugar (optional)
- 20 pansy flowers, divided. Your best bet is to harvest these in the morning when they’ll be at their dewy peak.
- Oil or butter for cooking
- Thoroughly whisk together all ingredients except flowers, until smooth. If you still have lumps, stick your batter in the blender. Your batter should be very thin
- Refrigerate overnight (optional)
- Remove your batter from the fridge and stir lightly, making sure your batter is well-combined before heating up your skillet to medium heat. You want your skillet totally heated before you start, and you want your batter as close to room temp as possible
- Add a teaspoon of oil or a small pat of butter to skillet. Once it’s heated/melted, pour scant 1/2 cup of batter into the center of the skillet (I use a 12 inch skillet. If you use a 9 or 10 inch, start with a quarter cup of batter and see how it works.
- Tip the skillet in different directions in such a way that the batter is spread thinly over the entire bottom of the skillet. You have to do this quickly or else your batter will cook before spreading
- Immediately put the skillet back over the heat and carefully press your pansy petals around the surface of the crêpe. ( I would skip this step with your first crêpe. The first crepe is always a failure. A delicious, delicious failure)
- After a minute, give your skillet a little shake to see if it the crêpe is loose, then use a spatula to loosen the edges and flip it. I do it pizzaiola style and toss them in the air to flip. I’m crazy, though
- Allow it to cook on the other side for 30 seconds and then upend it onto a plate so the petals or blooms are facing upwards.
- Do it all over again until all your batter is used up and you have the most beautiful breakfast plate one could ever hope for
- Garnish plates with fresh pansy petals
I freeze these between sheets of wax paper, then stick them in a plastic ziploc bag or large, flat pyrex. They keep very well for up to 3 months and are always appreciated by my husband when he can toss one in the toaster oven just before leaving the house.
Quirk Books kindly provided me with two books. One for me and one for the winner of this contest. Although I got these for free, the opinions are my own!
- Contest is open to residents of the continental United States.
- To enter, leave a comment with what you’re growing or what you want to grow in your garden this year.
- Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.
- One comment per person, please.
- For an additional entry, tweet a link to this post (with your own comment) and the hash tag #phickleflowers
Ann says
I’ve lately been a bit obsessed with a couple different flowers for my comestibles. Mainly hibiscus and elderflower. (I’m planning jams, jellies, and wines) I would love a bit more guidance on how I can best use flowers in my food!
This summer we are planting okra, pole beans, yellow squash, and not sure what else yet. Sadly, we acquired a wilt disease in our soil, so we must abstain from tomatoes for 6 years, according to our local ag extension agent. I’m hoping to have generous friends for the next few years.
I usually pickle a whole lot of okra each year, but this year I plan to ferment some as well.
Always enjoy and learn from your posts!
Ann
Amanda says
Oooh! That sounds fantastic, Ann! I cut back on tomatoes this year, too. Not because of soil issue (although I ALWAYS get tomato hornworms) but because I wanted to focus a little more on less labor intensive plants. Here’s hoping my new flowers and medicinal herbs are as easy to care for as I think they’ll be!
Sherri says
We do not have a garden this year but I would love to be lemon cucumbers and nasturtiums.
Amanda says
There are lots and lots of nasturtium recipes in the book. Good luck!
Maggie Drake says
I am growing, in Albion CA, calendula, borage, pansies, and more…for edible and for natural dyes. Nasturtiums grow wild here on the Coast, so I am always looking for ways to use them.
Aimee G says
On the edible floral front so far just roses, jasmine and nasturtiums. And lots of scented geranium types too.
Amanda says
Sounds lovely! It must smell nice where you are!
Susan says
Love growing everything and anything! But always have to grow a rose scented geranium. Had belonged to herb groups many years ago in PA and learned how to make the most lovely pound cake with whole leaves of the rose scented geranium baked onto the top. The dreamy rose flavor would be all through the cake and the presentation was so sweet and elegant. Everytime I baked this treat, always had the most pleasing responses
Amanda says
Sounds fantastic! There are definitely some excellent flower/cake recipes in Cooking With Flowers!
Shreela says
Hi, I recently pinned flower tortillas, but mine are always so thick. Earlier today, my Dutch cousins posted about making blintzes (they call it something else that I can’t spell LOL), which look SO much easier than making tortillas, then I see this awesome post come through Pinterest, yay!
Currently growing: Dianthus, Purple Coneflower, Pentas, Penstemon, Tropical Milkweed, Pomegranate, Cherry & Reg tomatoes, ichiban eggplant, Egyptian walking onions, 3-in-1 peach, a plum that doesn’t look very happy, Mexican Mint Marigold that also looks unhappy – I’m going to transfer the last one since I won’t have to dig much.
Amanda says
Your garden sounds like a dream! I’m also growing Mexican Marigold (if it’s the same variety as mine, it’s also called Huacatay)! I got obsessed with it on our Peru trip and I’m really crossing my fingers for a successful harvest!
Good luck with your garden!
Katie J. says
I love to garden. This year we are growing cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers. I also have planted some roses.
Becky says
New to my garden this year are Mexican Sour Gerkins along with the usual tomato & pepper experiments. New flowers I’m trying this year are dahlias. I’m hoping my hibicus, planted last year, takes off and gives more blooms this year. And then there will be the usual nasturtiums, marigolds, bee balm, daisies, coneflowers (I have three types), black eye susans, peonies and more.
andrea says
i’m growing vegetables this year (collards, lettuce, and tomatoes mostly) but the idea of cooking with flowers is incredible! how inspiring and beautiful.
Amy Schmelzer says
I have most of my vegetables in the ground. Yesterday I dug out my asparagus (it was beetle infested and beyond saving) and bought more strawberry plants. I went to the greenhouse with my daughter. I wanted 8 cell packs of strawberries, but it was cheaper to buy a full flat of 12 cell packs, so I needed a filler. I am not much for planting annual flowers, but my daughter wanted color. I got some marigolds and squeezed them into the garden.