san jose mercury news: edible petals (article by culinary fellow kitty greenwald)

8/14/2019 San Jose Mercury News: Edible Petals (Article by Culinary Fellow Kitty Greenwald)

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somewhatussy.How do es-taurant chefsuse hesedeli-cateofferings?I didn't need o look far:Manresa,ust down the roadin Los Gatos,egularly ncor-poratesedibleflowers in itsseasonalmenus. ts sisnaturedishInto the VegetableGar-den s a striking compositionof flowers; herbs andgreensthat payshomage o the im-peccableproduceof its sup-piier, Love Apple Farms. Inaddition o a vast and exoticarray offruits andvegetables,Love Applepayscloseatten-tion to .flavorflrl lowers. Af-ter all, asproprietorCyrrthiaSandberg xplains,ManresaChefDavidKinch oves hem.T\rcked into the SantaCruz Mountains,Love Appleis meticulously well kept,with patchesof herbs and ofwildflowers. To satisfy therestaurant's floral appetite,they also harvest from thevegetablecropson occasion.Noprecious etais safe.guided given

Lieber said, 'theseare verypopularwith the cooks."Next up, mild calendulapetals,prized or their scentand bright orange color.Then herewas borage, ndtheirs wasdifferent henanyI'd had.A gorgeousuchsia,it initiallytastedof cucumberbut endedwith a spearmintnote.There wereviolas, io-Iets,pansies nd oses,oo.was n sensory verload ndeager o getcooking.Returning to Montalvo,I was determined o createa thr'ee-courseloral feast.With scents and flavorsfresh n mind, let fancy akehold and beganwith laven-der, a favorite but pungentherb. t's an easyadditibn opoachedruits or syrups, utI'd neverused t asarub andwonderedhow t wouldpairwith meat. Nicely, t turnsout, especiallywith gamyduck and dried anricots. 'velearned o use avender au-tiously,but the apricot anclduck met lavender'semonynotesat a balanced alfwaypoint.

Lavender uckwith apricotsServes

2 tablespoonsresh avenderblossorns,leanedY,.tablespoonhyme2% easpoons altl cupwhitewineLcupwater2 tablespoons oneyAbout15whole avender

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KAREN .BORCHERS MERCURYEW SKittyGreenwaldicks ome asturtiumsn heMontalvoarden.Thisdish s also oodat room emperature. ervewithfreshgreens r witli-a rne-texturedrain, ikecouscous.


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1cup resh avabeans,shelledpeasmaybesubstituted,f desired)4 tablespoonsightoliveorgrapeseedil2 tablespoonshampagnevinegar

8 lightlypacked upsofmixed lowers, erbsand. greens seenote,above)73 up ricottasalata,crumbled preferablysheep'smilk icotta)Salt

Somesuggestionsor the saladmix nastuttium greensand flowers,borage lowers, snowpea lowers,pea endrils,chervil,mint, parsley,chives, arragon and frisee.Mixed lowersaladwith ricotta andfavasServes

Jasmine otsdecrdme;Some ypes of asmineare toxic, but Arabian asmine- the tvne used o flavor tea- is safe.

ServesL?zupscrearn1. upmilkLcup asminelowers,washed ndcleaned

Preheatoven o 325deerees.In a small saucepan, ring cream,milk and asmine ust toa boil. Remove rom heat, cover and setaside or at least30minutes,allowing he asmineto infuse he mixture.In a bowl, beat theyolks,sugar and salt on medium-highspeeduntil paleandvoluminous.Brins the infused cream mixture backto a boil andremovefrom heat.Pass he creamthroush a fine sieveset overa smalibowl.Using the back of a spoon,pushon the flowersto extractanv retained icruid."Sior,vlyadd the hot crearn o the egg mlxture whiie whisk-ing constantly. Becarefulhere:Do not addcreamtoo quickiyor the eggs n'illcurdle.)Place6 ramekins n a deep oastingpan and distribute theegg-creammirture eveniyamong hem.Add enoughboiling

waler to the roastingpan so t comeshalfivay up the cups'sides.Coverwith fbil and carefully ransfer the pan to theoven.Bake until the centers arejust set, about40 minutes.Remove he pofisde cremefrom the oven and set on a wirerack to cool.Cover eachwith plasticwrap and chill in therefrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.Servewell chilled.No garnish is required,but lightlysweetenedwhipped cream or fresh strawberries are a nicecomplement.5l"".::5y'l;?f,iflj:(iid;i;:H!?il 3'.b',$1';ss uae at4sKitty Greenwald,or theMercuryNews

Prepare n ce-waterbathandset t next o the stove.Bringapot of water o a boilandblanchhe avabeansfor minute. singa siotted poon,ransfer hebeanso theice-waterbath.Squeezehe beansrom skins.Store hebeansn the ridgetokeen ool.Foi dressing, ix the oilandvinegar ogether.Season ithsalt o aste.Filla wash asinwith waterandgentlywashall salad- flowers ndgreens.Dry inbatches ndspreadhepetais ndgreens verpaper owels n a single ayer.In a argebowl, oss he saladwith the dressing ntil ustlightiycoated. asteandseason ith salt;arrange na selry-ingplate.Toss he avasnthe argebowl,so heypickup anyiingering ressing, ndseason ith salt.Scatter hebeans ndricotta over he saiad.Servewith bread.Eachserving:195calories 37 percentrom at);8 g fat;1g saturatedat ;7gprote in; 0g carbohydrates;mgcholesteroi;5mg sodium: g dietaryiber.Kitty Greenwald,or theMercuryNews

san jose mercury news: edible petals (article by culinary fellow kitty greenwald)

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