No need to live in the countryside to bring the colors and flavors of flowers and buds to the dishes: two vases on the balcony are enough, as Sandra Longinotti teaches in her book Home Kitchen Garden. Here are some tips and two recipes
Rose petals to perfume a sweet, rosemary sprigs to be spread here and there as placeholders, lavender flowers to flavor a sugar: know and know how to use edible flowers in the kitchenNot only to decorate the table, it is a way to personalize and make each dish even more special. Recovering them is easy, just two jars on the windowsill, a little patience and a lot of imagination.
Violets, roses and nasturtiums
That of flowers on the plate is a trend that is very fashionable: there are many chefs who like to experiment with flavors and colors of known and unknown plants, combined with their creations. Sometimes the results can be surprising. But choosing which flowers to use is not simple: not all species are edible and, above all, once the gender has been identified, it must be ensured that it has not been treated with chemical agents. Finally, one must not overdo it, to avoid arousing allergic reactions.
A garden on the balcony
Password: don't lose heart. Even those who believe they have a black thumb. Set up your own garden from which to "steal" flowers and buds to color and perfume a vegetable cream or fish fillet is easier than you think. A few pots, a little bit of earth, the right seeds or seedlings, in addition to the suggestions of the book Home Kitchen Garden by Sandra Longirotti (Nomos Edizioni), where, for each type of plant, the best time for sowing is explained, the type of soil to be used, the most correct exposure and the right time to collect leaves and flowers. And then recipes, easy and quick, for a result that will surprise you. In the book also many tips for make the table more beautiful, customize the placeholders with leaves or flowers, or flavor drinks, to be served between lavender or nasturtium-scented vases.
Here are two recipes from the book Home Kitchen Garden
Asparagus and violet flan
Ingredients for 4 people: 8 asparagus tips, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, 20 g of butter, 2 perine thought-provoking food, sea salt, salt, white pepper.
Boil the asparagus tips, in the meantime beat the eggs with the cream, add the cheese, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into 4 molds with a 10 mm diameter buttered and cook the flans in a bain-marie in a preheated oven at 150 ° for 20 minutes. Two minutes before removing from the oven, cook the asparagus tips over medium heat in the butter. Turn out the flans into individual saucers, place two asparagus tips on each and a pansy flower delicately broken in half.
Crème caramel with finochietto and ginger chips
Ingredients for 6 people: 150 g of sugar, 1/2 dl of milk, 4 egg yolks and 1 egg, 1 flowered fennel umbel for food use, 1 tablespoon of chestnut pollen, 6 cm of fresh ginger root, extra virgin olive oil olive.
Boil the milk with the fennel omelette, turn off the heat and let it steep for half an hour, then bring it back to the boil. Prepare a caramel by dissolving 50 g of sugar, then pour it into 6 molds with high edges 8 cm in diameter. Mix the egg and egg yolks with the remaining sugar, add the hot filtered milk and pour the mixture into the molds. Cook in a bain-marie in a preheated oven at 150 ° for 50 minutes, then remove the molds from the water, let them cool and put them in the fridge for at least half an hour or until ready to serve. Peel the ginger, slice it very thin and fry it in the boiling oil. Turn out the crème caramel, sprinkle with pollen and serve with ginger chips.
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