One of today’s most important food trends is naturalness. It’s no surprise that consumers are seeking out natural ingredients combined with sophisticated taste sensations. The dining public is looking for local, healthy food choices with more interesting, global flavors and fewer artificial additives. Food and beverage companies are taking inspiration from prod ucts in the cosmetic and fine fragrance industries, as well as designs in home decor and fashion. Floral flavors have sprung up in many different food and beverage categories including sweet and savory appetizers and main dishes, cocktails, soft drinks, confectionary, ice cream and more.
When we look at culinary products on a global scale, this is not a new concept. Lavender is a key ingredient in French Herbes de Provence, and rosewater is a favored flavoring in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. The treasured spice saffron comes from the stamen of the crocus, and vanilla extract is derived from orchids. Foragers and culinary stars have embraced edible petals for years, but floral inspiration is finally in full bloom in America.
The fresh floral trend was highlighted in 2015 and 2016 at the Summer Fancy Food Show, and Whole Foods Market’s global buyers and experts named floral flavors as one of the most anticipated food trends for 2018. From adding whole flowers and petals into dishes, to infusing botanical flavors into drinks and snacks, this top trend makes for a subtly sweet taste and fresh aromatics. Look for flowers used like herbs in things like infused syrups and honey, jams and jellies, seasonings, teas and cocktails. Lavender remains a favorite, as does rose-flavored everything, while elderflower is the new MVP (most valuable petal) of cocktails and bubbly drinks.
Internationally, the most commonly used floral flavors are rose, elderflower, hibiscus and jasmine, although this varies between regions, depending on culinary tradition and native species. According to researchers, China accounted for 16 percent of all new food and drink products with floral accents, followed by Germany, France, India and the United States.
Some floral flavors can be found on the shelves of most grocery stores — Herbes de Provence is a staple in spice sections, and flowery jams, jellies, syrups, honey and flavored drinks are often stocked as well. More and more, culinary blossoms and infusions are available at farmers’ markets and natural food stores. Online sources are plentiful. This spring, as you sit back and watch your garden grow, try a floral recipe and put a trend on your table. Dinner is blooming.
STUFFED DATES
Ingredients:
• 12-24 large Medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2-3/4 cup shredded Manchego cheese
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, lightly crushed into small pieces
• 12-24 slices of pre-cooked bacon, or 1/4-pound Serrano ham (thin slices cut into 2-inch strips)
• Lavender honey/syrup, rose or elderflower syrup
• Fresh or crystalized flower petals
Directions:
Preheat oven to broil. Cover a baking sheet in foil or parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix shredded cheese and toasted walnuts. Open each date along the center line and, using a teaspoon, stuff with cheese/walnut mixture. Pinch edges of date around the filling. Wrap each date with a slice of bacon or ham. Secure with a toothpick. Place dates on the baking sheet and broil for about two minutes or until bacon/ham is crispy and golden brown and filling is melted. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a minute or two. Place dates on a serving platter and lightly drizzle with lavender syrup/honey, rose syrup or elderflower syrup. Garnish with fresh or crystalized flower petals — lavender flowers, rose petals, pansies, violas or hibiscus.
ROASTED CHICKEN PROVENÇAL
Ingredients:
• 1, 4-pound chicken
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup herbes de Provence
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large baking potatoes, skin on, cut into sixths lengthwise
• Lemon wedges and lavender sprigs for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry, inside and out. Remove any excess fat and trim the wings. Set aside. With clean hands, mix garlic, herbes de Provence, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub half of the mixture all over the inside and outside of chicken, including under the skin of the breast. Sprinkle the chicken cavity with salt and pepper. Truss the chicken and place it on the wire rack of a large non-stick roasting pan.
Again, with clean hands, toss the potatoes with the remaining herb-oil mixture in a large bowl. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer around the chicken. Place the pan in the oven, with the legs facing the back, for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and shut the door. Lower the heat to 350 degrees. Turn over each potato wedge using tongs or a metal spatula and return the pan to the oven to roast the chicken for another 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken thigh reaches 170 degrees.
Allow the chicken to rest at least 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve the chicken on a platter with potatoes and garnish with lemon wedges and lavender sprigs.
LEMON LAVENDER BUNDT CAKE
Ingredients:
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried or 2 tablespoons fresh lavender flowers
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• Lavender sprigs and/or fresh or crystalized flower petals
Glaze:
• 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed, two minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add lavender and beat three minutes longer, scraping bowl often. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; stir in lemon juice. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the sour cream, scraping bowl often. Fold in lemon zest. Spoon batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter so the sides are higher than the center. Bake 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan ten minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and cool completely.
For the Glaze:
In a small bowl, combined powdered sugar, honey and lemon juice. Mix well, adding additional lemon juice, if needed, to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake. Garnish with lavender sprigs and/or flower petals.
ELDERFLOWER GIN AND TONIC
A floral twist on a classic cocktail
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 oz. gin (Bombay Sapphire East, made with lemongrass and peppercorns, is an exotic choice.)
• 3/4 oz. elderflower liqueur (St. Germain is particularly good.)
• 4 oz. tonic water or more as needed
• Squeeze of lime
• Lime wedge for garnish
Directions:
Add gin and elderflower liqueur to a tall Collins glass. Add ice to fill about two-thirds of the glass. Add a squeeze of lime. Top off with tonic water. Stir gently. Garnish with a lime wedge.
ROSE HIP COCKTAIL
A rosy outlook for a traditional martini
Ingredients:
• 2 oz. gin
• 3/4 oz. elderflower liqueur
• 1/2 oz. extra-dry vermouth
• 1/4 oz. rose petal liqueur
Directions:
Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass.
LAVENDER CREME BRULEÉ
Ingredients:
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender flowers
• 8 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• Lavender sprigs, fresh or crystalized flower petals for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter six (six-ounce) ramekins or custard cups and set them into a glass baking dish or shallow ovenproof roasting pan. If cooking custards in a metal pan, cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of newspaper to ensure an even temperature on the bottom.
In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, add cream and lavender flowers; heat just to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow lavender flowers to infuse the cream for five minutes. Strain cream mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove lavender flowers. Discard flowers.
In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until light and creamy. Slowly add the strained cream to the egg mixture, blending well. Divide custard mixture among the custard cups. Bring water to a light simmer on top of the stove; carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Bake custard cups for about 60 minutes (but probably less), or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. Cooking time will depend largely on the size of the custard cups and your altitude.
Begin checking at a half-hour and check back regularly. When the center of the custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken. That’s when you can remove it from the oven. If using a digital instant-read thermometer inserted in the centers, the internal temperature should register approximately 170 to 175 degrees. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and refrigerate at least two hours.
Finishing the Creme Bruleé:
Finish the custards right before serving. When ready to serve, sprinkle approximately two teaspoons of the remaining sugar over each creme bruleé. For best results, use a small hand-held propane torch. Hold the torch four to five inches from the sugar, maintaining a slow and even motion. Stop torching just before the desired degree of doneness is reached, as the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds after the flame has been removed.
If you don’t have a torch, place creme bruleés six inches below the broiler for four to six minutes, or until sugar bubbles and turns golden brown. Refrigerate creme bruleés at least ten minutes before serving. Garnish with lavender sprigs and/or flower petals.