How to Incorporate Flowers and Plants into Recipes

When you think of flowers, you think of natural beauty. You think home décor. You think happiness. You probably don’t think much about food, but it so happens that there’s a distinct connection between culinary happenings and your favorite blooms. Edible plants in particular can be transformative, lending not only style but color and flavor to your kitchen creations. Whether you’re dressing up a salad or elevating an already tempting dessert, here are a few creative ways to incorporate flowers and plants into your recipes.

Garnish a Salad

You’ll never look at an ordinary garden salad the same way again—because it will never be ordinary after you discover the power of a floral topping. Salads not only look nicer with a sprinkling of rosemary, lavender, or sage but also brim with newfound flavor. Herbs lend some depth to dishes of all kinds, but if your salad could use a little punch you’ll appreciate the way these garden beauties do the job so effectively.

Make a Cocktail

Some floral cocktails are so beautiful that you may not even want to sip them! Give in to temptation, though, and appreciate the way that flowers add a chic touch to your libations. Try a lush jasmine martini, which combines jasmine green tea with vodka, sugar syrup, ice cubes, and jasmine flowers for garnishment. To prepare this beauty, just boil your tea, as usual, add the syrup, then pour it into a cocktail sugar with ice. Add your liquor, shake, strain into a frozen glass, and top with edible jasmine for a refreshing addition to a picnic lunch.

Prep Refreshing Lemonade

When life hands you lavender… make lemonade! Lavender alone offers such a heady, brilliant fragrance. It makes sense to combine it with a crisper, more effervescent note to create an interesting medley that entices your taste buds. Making it couldn’t be easier, especially if you already whip up your own lemonade in the comfort of your own home. Simply add a few sprigs of lavender to the result. Let it rest for a while before you sip so you can enjoy the full effect of the flavor.

Broiled Floral Grapefruit

You don’t typically think of grapefruit as anything more than zesty citrus fruit. It’s crisp and refreshing—but what if you broiled it? Turns out that this can completely transform the quality and tone of the fruit, lending it a more interesting, richer flavor. To create this sweet treat, blend honey with rosewater in a bowl. Then slice your grapefruit in half and gently separate the segments without removing them completely. Use a brush to smooth your rosewater blend over the fruit, ensuring that it seeps in between the slices for deeper flavor. Finish with a sprinkle of ground pistachios or cardamom, depending on your preference. Broil for six minutes or until brown.

Chamomile Ice Cream Topping

You’ve probably sipped a few cups of chamomile tea in your time. It’s warming, soothing, and comforting, and many tout its healing benefits. Did you ever think it could also be an interesting addition to your favorite ice cream? It’s easy to concoct your own sweet chamomile syrup at home. All you need are three bags of chamomile tea, a cup of granulated sugar, and half a cup of water. Warm the sugar and water on medium heat, allowing it to come to a simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove the blend from the heat and add the tea bags. Let them steep for at least 10 minutes before removing. Allow the blend to cool before transferring it to a bottle. Kept in the fridge, this topping will keep for at least two weeks. Pour it over vanilla ice cream or even add a splash to some iced coffee for a unique treat.

Plants and flowers can help you innovate in the most unexpected ways. Whether you just want to dazzle your dinner guests with edible blooms or lend your favorite drinks and food an interesting twist, these natural ingredients can make all the difference.