Although flowers are usually given as a bouquet or used to decorate the home, these little marvels have another use: cooking. More than a hundred recipes feature different species and varieties of edible flowers. Here are two original recipes to try without further delay: courgette flower fritters and a rose petal jam.
Courgette flower fritters
Ingredients
- 150 g of flour
- 1 dl of cold water
- A good pinch of salt
- Piment d'Espelette or another spice of your choice
- A bath of clean oil brought to 170 °C
Preparation
- Rinse the freshly picked courgette flowers, taking care with the fragile petals.
- Remove the pistils and set the flowers down on kitchen paper.
- Mix the batter ingredients until you obtain a smooth texture, without lumps.
- Delicately dip the courgette flower into this liquid batter.
- Lower it into the frying oil set to 170 °C and let each side cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Once the colour has appeared and the surface has hardened, turn it over using a spider skimmer or a fork.
- Drain and leave to rest on kitchen paper, then salt lightly.
Rose petal jam
Ingredients
- 350 g of edible rose petals
- 25 cl of lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp of citric acid
- 50 cl of water
- 850 g of granulated sugar
Preparation
- Sort the petals to rid them of any trace of pistils, and remove the little white tip to avoid bitterness.
- In a stewpot, put the lemon, the water and the petals, then bring to the boil over a low heat.
- Cover and leave to cook until the liquid has almost entirely evaporated, stirring from time to time and crushing the petals.
- Add the sugar, stir, turn the heat up higher and keep stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Turn off the heat, add the citric acid, mix, then leave to cool in a cold bain-marie.
- Pour into jars and keep in the refrigerator.
Two recipes, two textures: the crispness of the courgette flower fritter, the sweet melting softness of the rose petal jam.
