23/4/12
Flower Recipe: Dandelion Chips
A great alternative to potato chips, your kids will love this light and healthy snack any time of day!
*A note from the author: As you might expect, Dandelion Chips are more delicate than the hardy and curly Kale, and the taste can be more bitter (a nice break from the too sweet and processed bagged chips.)
Ingredients:
- Dandelion Greens
- Sea Salt
- Olive Oil
1) Wash, dry and break dandelion greens into large pieces. Discard any thick ribs.
2) Drizzle a bit of Olive oil on the greens and toss with your hands to lightly coat all the leaves.
3) Place in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 8-12 minutes. Keep an eye on them so not to burn.
4) Remove pan from the oven, sprinkle the leaves with seasonings (I used Sea Salt) and allow to cool.
There you go, a super easy recipe you can have your kids help you with that doubles as a healthy snack!
Love,
16/4/12
Flower Recipe: Easy Lavender Crème Brulee
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Ok, we know Crème Brulee sounds really complicated and fancy, but we are telling you right now it’s not. Seriously! Less than 5 ingredients, 20 min tops prep time, why haven’t we made this sooner? Try and prove us wrong with this awesome recipe fromWhat’s Cooking America:
Ingredients:
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers
- 8 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter (6-ounce) custard cups and set them into a glass baking dish. 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. Place custard cups in a shallow ovenproof roasting or baking pan.
- In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, add cream and the lavender flowers; heat just to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow lavender flowers to infuse with the cream for 5 minutes. Strain cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove lavender flowers.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 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 the water for the water bath to a light simmer on top of the stove; carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come half-way up the sides of the custard cups. NOTE: The most common mistake people make in baking a custard is not putting enough water in the hot-water bath. The water should come up to the level of the custard inside the cups. You must protect your custard from the heat.
- Baked 60 minutes or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. The cooking time will depend largely on the size of the custard cups you are using, but 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.
- Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle approximately 2 teaspoons of remaining sugar over each crème brulee. For best results, use a small hand-held torch. Hold the torch 4 to 5 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 flame has been removed.
- If you don’t have a torch, place crème brulees 6 inches below the broiler for 4 to 6 minutes or until sugar bubbles and turns golden brown. Refrigerate crème brulees at least 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 to 8 servings (depending on size of custard cups).
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
9/4/12
Flower Recipe: Almond Orange Flower Teacake
Want to make something different for breakfast or snack-on-the-go other than muffins or scones? This teacake recipe from Baking and Books offers you a different delish treat great for any time of day:
Almond Orange Flower Teacake
Based on this recipe from Epicurious.com
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup finely ground organic almonds
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange flower water
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Confectioners sugar, for dusting
1. Position your rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Generously spray your pan with butter spray (I used PAM butter spray in a standard sized loaf pan).
2. Place the almonds in a food processor and process until you have a very fine mixture resembling cornmeal in texture, about 4 minutes.
3. While the almonds are processing, in a large bowl combine the yogurt, sugar, eggs, orange flower water and almond extract. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and ground almonds. Gradually whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, fold in the olive oil. Transfer the batter to your prepared pan.
4. Place a baking sheet beneath the loaf pan, then place both into the oven. Bake until the teacake begins to pull away from the sides of pan and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool the teacake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Cut around the pan sides to loosen the teacake, then turn out onto the rack. Turn the cake upright and allow to cool completely.
5. Dust with confectioners sugar, cut crosswise into slices and serve with coffee or tea. If you’d like to dress up your slices you can serve them with berries, whipped cream, or ice cream.
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
4/3/12
Flower Recipe: Easter Flower Cupcakes
Easter is a time of rejoicing and bringing together the family for a celebration and food! Here’s an adorable recipe for festive flower cupcakes from My Sweet and Saucy us Flowerbloggers feel are the perfect dessert for Easter for all ages:
Items:
- plastic disposable pastry bag
- scissors
- food colouring
Ingredients for Martha Stewart’s Icing:
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 10 large egg whites
- 4 cups (8 sticks or 2 pounds) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
- Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
- Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don’t worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
- Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Decoration instructions:
1. Cut the pastry bag straight across. The higher up you cut the bag the wider the petal will be, so just play around and try cutting it at different heights. I would roughly recommend cutting it about 1″-1 1/2″ up.
2. Then you need to cut a triangle or bird’s beak shape out of the bag. Start at one end and cut up to the center of the bag…about 1/2″ up. Then make the same cut on the opposite side of the bag. Now you have created a bird’s beak.
3. Fill the pastry bag with the buttercream icing that you have colored to the shade you want your petals.
4. Cover the base of the cupcake with frosting. You can color it green if you want it to look like the grass the flower is sitting on…completely your preference.
5. Once the base is covered, you need to position you pastry bag on the cupcake so that the tip is like an open bird’s beak (the seam line should be up and down, not side to side when piping). Pipe the petals by putting pressure to the bag while slowly pulling away.
6. When you get to the end of the petal stop giving pressure and pull the bag away quickly…this will give you the pointed tip at the tip of the petal. Now remember, practice makes perfect so don’t expect perfect petals your first time around! You can pipe as many petals as you want around the base.
7. Now you pipe on a second layer of petals on top of your first layer.
8. Use a contrasting color buttercream icing for the center of the flowers. You can use a small round tip for this or just cut off a small tip of the plastic pastry bag…both will work.
PETAL TIP #1: to achieve a smooth petal that doesn’t have tons of air pockets you need to make sure and mix the buttercream well before using. You don’t want to whip it to make more air bubbles, but rather smooth it out with a spatula or spoon.
9. To make the ladybug you just color the buttercream red and black and fill pastry bags with #2 tips. Pipe a red dot or body first. Then pipe a smaller black dot at the top of the larger dot to make the head. Next, pipe a line of black from the head to the bottom of the body. Lastly, pipe on some small dots of black for the ladybug spots.
10. Serve and enjoy!
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
27/3/12
Flower Recipe: Fondant Roses
This recipe from A Spicy Perspective teaches you how to make fondant, a malleable sugary treat that provides you with edible Play-Doh (we at Flowerblog do not recommend eating actual Play-Doh) perfect for decorating desserts. We’ve also included some classy fondant flower pics from Lulu’s Sweet Secrets to show you the limitless possibilities fondant has to offer:
Ingredients
- 16 oz. mini marshmallows
- 3-6 Tb. water
- ½ tsp. extract flavoring of choice (optional)
- 2 lbs. powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup Shortening
- (Cornstarch for rolling)
Instructions
- Place the shortening in a small bowl, you’ll need to dip into throughout the entire process.
- Grease a microwave-safe bowl, the electric mixer bowl, the paddle attachment and a spatula with shortening.
- Pour the marshmallows, 3 Tb. of water and the extract in the microwave-safe bowl.
- Melt the marshmallows in the microwave in 30 second increments. Stir with the greased spatula in between. Continue until the marshmallows are completely smooth—2-3 minutes.
- Pour the marshmallows into the greased mixer bowl. Start the mixer on low and slowly add the entire bag of powdered sugar. Mix until the mixer starts to struggle. There will still be plenty of dried clumps in the bowl.
- Grease a clean work surface and your hands. Dump the mixture out on the surface, clumps and all. Start kneading and re-grease hands as needed.
- Knead for several minutes until the mixture is clump free. At this point, if it seems to be dry and rips when you pull it, add a little more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the fondant is soft, pliable and can stretch a little ways when you pull on it. *When you add the water, it is going to seem like a mistake for a moment, but re-grease your hands and keep kneading. The water will absorb into the fondant.
- Now, grease the whole ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Place the wrapped ball in a large zip bag and squeeze out all the air before sealing. Let it sit overnight to improve the texture and elasticity. *You can use it immediately in a “cake emergency” but it’s better to wait.
- *It’s best color fondant right before using so the color doesn’t fade. Drop a few drops of food coloring on the fondant and knead in.
- Once it has sat over night, sprinkle a clean work surface, and your hands, with cornstarch. *Some people use more powdered sugar for this, but they risk adding clumps to their perfectly smooth fondant. Cornstarch doesn’t clump.
- If rolling out for a cake, rub cornstarch on the rolling pin and roll until just over 1/8 inch thick. Make sure to measure the cake and sides accordingly. Drape over a frosted cake and gently smooth any bumps or creases. Carefully cut the excess fondant around the bottom.
- If using for molding, HAVE FUN! It molds just like play dough.
- If wrapped well, it will keep at room temperature for a long, long time.
With fondant, your tasty treat options are endless!
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
20/3/12
Flower Recipe: Lavender Lemonade
Technically a cordial, this lovely Lavender Lemonade recipe fromInn Brooklyn is delicious beyond words!
Lavender Lemonade (makes 4-5 pints)
Ingredients:
- 6 cup sugar
- Zest of 6 citrus, in large pieces of peel
- 4 cups fresh citrus juice
- 2 cup water
- 2 cups lavender buds
Method:
- In a large pot bring sugar, zest, juice, and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add the lavender and let the syrup infuse for at least 15 minutes.
- Meantime prepare your canning jars.
- Strain syrup through a fine sieve, squeezing out as much syrup as possible from the herb leaves before discarding them.
- Boiling water process for 10 minutes.
Serve with vodka and a splash of soda water, or just soda water if you prefer!
This recipe looks refreshing and delicious, a great bev for the beginning of spring!
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
8/3/12
Flower Recipe: Dandelions, a Twofer!
We found these two recipes that use dandelions from The Daily Spud. Now we know that eating a weed that grows haphazardly in your backyard sounds kinda weird, but we can assure you there’s some great benefits to eating dandelions. And dandelions are also used as a diuretic!
Fried Dandelion Flowers
The trick here is to remove as much green material from the dandelion flower head as possible, while keeping the flower head intact. The green parts lend bitterness, so you want to minimise that, while the yellow flowers are mild-tasting and faintly sweet.
Before frying, you can dredge the dandelion flowers in seasoned flour or dip in batter. Personally, I like the combination of dipping, first in beaten egg, then in some seasoned polenta, which is what I’ve described below. The quantities are approximate and the seasonings can, of course, be changed as suits your mood and taste.
You’ll need:
- approx. 20 dandelion flower heads, stalks and extraneous green parts removed
- olive oil for frying
- 2 tblsp polenta (cornmeal)
- pinch of salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of dried thyme
- pinch of dried oregano
- 1 egg, beaten
The Steps:
- Rinse your dandelion flowers and gently pat dry using some kitchen paper.
- Place a frying pan over a medium heat and, when hot, add a thin layer of oil to the pan.
- Mix the polenta with the salt, black pepper,dried thyme and dried oregano.
- Dip the flowers first in the beaten egg and then in the seasoned polenta.
- Fry in batches, stalk side up, for around 3 minutes or until golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
- Eat as a snack or use to surprise, and maybe even delight, unsuspecting family and friends.
The Variations:
- You can vary the herbs to suit your taste or go all out by dipping the flowers in an eggy batter and deep fryingthem.
Dandelion Tea
As dandelions are known to be a diuretic, this is probably something that you will want to avoid drinking in extremely large quantities.
You’ll need:
- small dandelion leaves – 10 small leaves should make around 1 tsp of dried, crumbled leaves, enough for one cup of tea
You’ll also need:
- A baking tray to hold the leaves in a single layer.
The Steps:
- Preheat your oven to 90C.
- Wash your dandelion leaves, then place in a single layer on a baking tray and into the oven until the leaves are dry and crispy, around 7-10 minutes.
- Remove the dandelion leaves and crumble them, discarding the midribs.
- In a mug or cup, pour boiling water over about a tsp of crumbled dandelion leaves and leave to infuse for about 5 minutes, before straining and drinking.
The Variations:
- You can vary the strength as you wish – I found that this amount made a light tea that was not too bitter, but you may wish to experiment to find a strength that suits your taste.
Delicious and (somewhat) nutritious, these dandelion recipes are a win-win!
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
3/1/12
Flower Recipe: Flower Pot Cookies
Though (admittedly) you need to be dedicated to delicious treats to complete this recipe, the end results are totally worth it! Help Spring get a move on with these adorable Flower Pot Cookies! Images and content compliments of Sweet Tooth:
So cute, so delicious!
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
23/2/12
Flower Recipe: Lemon Basil Flower Shortbread Cookies
The name may be long, but these cookies look oh-so-delicious! And totally worth it! We love this recipe from Cherry Tea Cakes, we hope you do too!
16/2/12
Flower Recipe: Lavender Shortbread Cookies
This week roses can take a back seat–we’re celebrating our love for lavender! Images and content compliments of With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart:
The recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons finely chopped lavender. I read on another site that ‘a little goes a long way’, and too much will make your food taste like perfume and bitter. I scaled back to 1 Tablespoon and thought it was just right.
One other note: the dough was a bit too sticky to roll out and cut with cutters. I even tried to put it through a cookie press. I decided to roll the dough into a log, then into colored sugar and slice into 1/4-inch rounds. It worked well.
I could notice the lemon flavor but the mint was undetectable so maybe I’ll add more next time.
And there will be a next time…
they were disappearing off of the cooling rack right before my eyes!
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lavender
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Simply delish looking!
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
9/2/12
Flower Recipe: Fried Yucca Flowers
Images and content compliments of Hunter Angler Gardener Cook:
FRIED YUCCA FLOWERS
This recipe may sound weird, and, well, maybe it is, but the structure of it is easy: It’s a tempura batter over a flower petal, fried for a couple minutes in hot oil. You can serve it with hot sauce, or by itself. The closest flavor substitute for a yucca flower would be the inner layer of leaves on an artichoke — the yellow leaves you can eat whole. You can also use squash blossoms here, too. If you cannot get mesquite flour, which is available online or at Whole Foods, you can skip it and use regular flour instead.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 4 as an appetizer.
- Petals from 12-15 yucca flowers
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or rice flour
- 1/4 cup mesquite flour
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1 cup sparkling water, ice cold
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Oil for frying
- A chopstick or wooden skewer
- Set out a large wire rack with some paper towels underneath to drain the finished yucca petals.
- Pull the petals from the yucca flowers and snip off any part of the green base of the petal that might still be attached.
- Heat your oil in a fryer or a large, heavy pot to 360 degrees.
- Mix all the dry ingredients for the batter together in a large bowl. When you are ready to fry, mix in the egg yolk and then the ice cold sparkling water. Mix only enough to combine the ingredients; a few lumps are fine.
- Grab three yucca petals together in a stack, and dip them into the batter. Drop them into the hot oil one at a time, maybe 4-5 stacks per batch. Do not crowd the pot. Once they are all in the oil, use the chopstick to dislodge them from the bottom of the pot if the flowers have stuck there. Fry for 2-3 minutes, flipping once with the chopstick.
- Drain on the rack and finish with the rest of the flowers. Serve immediately with hot sauce.
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
2/2/12
Flower Recipe: Violet Syrup
- *Image compliments of Intoxicated Zodiac
In conjunction with February’s flower, we’ve discovered this lovely recipe for Violet Syrup compliments of herban lifestyle:
I love the deep purple hues of violets. These beautiful little flowers grow in abundance this time of year, so I took the opportunity to try out one of the recipes from Gibbons’ book, “Stalking the Healthful Herb.” According to Euell Gibbons, violets are “nature’s vitamin pill” containing 150mg of vitamin C per 100g of blossoms, three times the amount of that in oranges weight for weight.
1. Place 1 cup florets in a canning jar.
2. Cover the florets in 1 cup boiling water.
3. Let the mixture steep for 24 hours.
4. Strain out the violet blossoms.
5. Put the strained liquid into a sauce pan and add the juice of half a lemon, and 2 cups of sugar. Bring this to a boil, and cook it at a low boil for about 10 minutes.
6. Pour the syrup into a sterilized canning jar, and place it in the refrigerator.
According to Gibbons, ancient herbalists used violet syrup to cure epilepsy, pleurisy, jaundice, consumption, insomnia and more. He found that it had demulcent and expectorant properties, making it a tasty cough syrup. However, he recommends enjoying just for the pure pleasure of the taste, putting on pancakes, making drinks from it, or pouring some over shaved ice.
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
1/27/12
Flower Recipe: Candied Hibiscus Flowers
Enjoy this great recipe walkthrough compliments of the Cupcake Project:
Rather than throw away the hibiscus flowers
How to Make Candied Hibiscus Flowers
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| Hibiscus flower prior to candying. |
- Fresh edible hibiscus flowers (not hibiscus from the florist that could have pesticides all over it) or dried hibiscus flowers that have been steeped to make hibiscus tea
- Enough egg white to coat the flowers (about 1 egg white for every 2 C of flowers)
- Enough sugar to coat the flowers (about 1/2 C for every 2 C of flowers)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brush flowers with a thin layer of egg white (You can dunk the flowers instead of brushing if you find that to be easier.)
- Place the sugar in a small bowl and gently roll the flowers in the sugar.
- Spread the flowers on the parchment paper. The flowers can be really close together – just make sure that they aren’t touching.
- Bake at the lowest temperature your oven can be set at (mine is 170 F) for about 7 hours or until crispy.
- Store in an airtight container.
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
1/19/12
Flower Recipe: Chicken with Herbes de Provence
- *Image compliments of cookingontheweekends.com
We love love love the scent of lavender here at Flowerblog, but did you know you can cook with it too? Well butter my butt can call me biscuit, we just happened to find a great lavender recipe the whole family can enjoy every day of the week! Just look for herbs de province at your local grocer and give this simple and delish recipe a go! Content compliments of What’s Cooking America:
Herbes de Provence – An assortment of dried herbs said to reflect those most commonly used in southern France. The mixture commonly contains basil, fennel seed, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, summer savory, and thyme.
Recipe Type: Chicken
Yields: 4 servings
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients:
4 chicken boneless breast halves (with skin)*
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence**
* Do not remove skin until after baking, as the skin helps to retain moisture in the meat.
Preparation:
1. Place chicken breasts, single layer, into an ungreased 13×9-inch baking dish.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine olive oil and the herbes de Provence together. Pour marinade over chicken breasts. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes or refrigerate to marinate longer (turning meat over several times).
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake, uncovered, 25 to 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (juices will run clear when cut with the tip of a knife); baste several times during cooking.
4. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Love,
Your flower-crazy friends at Flowerblog
1/12/12
Flower Recipe: Romano Basil Flower Crackers
I’ve seen packages of crackers made entirely out of parmesan in the grocery stores and simply loved the idea! But they were always a little pricy for my liking (6 bucks for 12 crackers? Pass.) Luckily I found this awesome recipe to make my OWN delectable cheese crackers and since I’m such a giving person, I thought I’d share with my friends at Flowerblog! Images and content compliments of cherry tea cakes.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups finely grated Romano cheese or Parmesan Romano blend
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon basil buds
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons water
1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor or blender. Pulse until it forms a coarse meal.
2. On a work surface, knead the dough until it is just combined. Form into a log about one inch in diameter. Chill the dough, wrapped in the wax paper, for 1 hour, or until it is firm enough to slice.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the dough into rather thin slices, arrange the slices 1 inch apart on wax paper. Cover with a second sheet of wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece until very thin.
4. Carefully move to parchment-lined baking sheets, and bake them in batches in the middle of the oven for 8 minutes, or until they are golden around the edges. Remove from heat and allow to cool long enough to be flipped over carefully.
5. Put the trays back in to the oven for another 5-7 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Transfer the crackers carefully with a spatula to a rack, let them cool fully.
Love,
Your crazy-dedicated friends at Flowerblog
**If you have a tutorial you would like to see featured on our website, please email Flowerblog here**
1/5/12
Flower Recipe: Flowering Vidalia Onion
- *Image compliments of Instructables
Happy New Year everyone! Ready to break those New Year’s resolutions to eat better with a great dish for your Super Bowl party (not that we really watch football, but who doesn’t love those commercials!)? Check out this awesome recipe from allrecipes.com for a Flowering Vidalia Onion. Trust us: it’s ok to cheat just this once.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, peeled
- 1/2 cup creamy salad dressing (such as Miracle Whip™)
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
Directions
- Whisk together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and thyme in a bowl, and set aside. Whisk together the egg and milk in a separate small bowl, and set aside.
- “Flower” the onion by cutting 1 inch off of the top of the onion, leaving the root intact. Make slices in the onion from top to bottom, 1/2 inch apart, making sure not to cut the roots. Gently separate the pieces of the onion making it look like a blossom. Dip the onion flower into the milk mixture, making sure to moisten all of the “petals”. Coat the flower with the seasoned flour, and gently shake off any excess flour. Place the onion onto a plate, and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
- Stir together the creamy salad dressing, horseradish, ketchup, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to make the dipping sauce for the onion.
- Heat the frying oil in deep-fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Fry the onion in the hot oil until the onion is tender on the inside, and crispy golden brown on the outside, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain upside down on a paper towel-lined plate for several minutes before serving with the sauce.
- *Image compliments of stayseekim.tumblr.com
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
**If you have a tutorial you would like to see featured on our website, please email Flowerblog here**
12/29/11
Flower Recipe: Peppered Lavender Tenderloin Roast
Looking for a great meal for your family for the holidays or just because? We’ve got you covered with this great beef tenderloin recipe from What’s Cooking America! With this step-by-step entrée recipe, you’ll have the kids and the spouse asking for seconds!
Peppered Lavender Tenderloin Roast Recipe
Recipe Type: Entree
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
Prep time: 15 min
Bake time: 40 min
Ingredients:
1 (3- to 4-pound) beef tenderloin roast
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoons whole white peppercorns
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender flowers
Trimming the tenderloin roast:
Bring the tenderloin roast to room temperature before cooking.
1. Trim the tenderloin of fat and silverskin.
Note: Silverskin is a silvery-white connective tissue. It doesn’t dissolve when the tenderloin is cooked, so it needs to be trimmed away. If the silverskin is not trimmed off, it will cause the tenderloin to curl up into the shape of a quarter moon. If you ask, your butcher will do this for you.
Trussing the tenderloin roast:
2. Once the tenderloin roast is trimmed, it no longer has any structure and will start to flatten out. As you want the meat as round as possible for even cooking and also for presentation, trussing is the key.
Use individual pieces of kitchen twine/string to truss the roast. Tie the kitchen string around the tenderloin roast with equal spacing between each truss. Tie the meat firmly, but not too tight. NOTE: I usually have my butcher do this for me.
3. Pat the beef dry with paper towels (this is important as surface moisture will interfere with good browning). Lightly oil outside of the roast.
4. In a coffee grinder, blender or food processor, coarsely grind the black peppercorns, white peppercorns, fennel seeds, thyme, and lavender flowers; rub mixture all over the meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight (preferably).
Searing the tenderloin roast:
5. Heat a large cast-iron frying pan over high heat. Without adding any cooking fat, sear the roast on all sides (about 3 rotations, approximately 1 minutes each).NOTE: Resist the temptation to constantly turn the beef from side to side and you’ll be rewarded with a beautifully browned crust. When browned, immediately remove from heat.
By browning the meat’s proteins and sugars, you are enhancing the meat’s flavor even more. NOTE: The tenderloin roast that I cooked was approximately 5 pounds and wouldn’t fit in my fry pan. I used my large cast-iron griddle to sear it. It worked great!
Roasting the tenderloin roast:
6. Preheat oven to 450°F.
Tenderloin, like other lean cuts of meat, are best roasted at a high heat rather than baked at lower temperatures. Flavor comes from the browning, not from fat slowly melting into the meat.
7. Place the seared roast in a large baking pan or roasting pan and bake, uncovered. Roast in oven approximately 20 to 40 minutes (depending on size of your roast) until a meat thermometer registers desired temperature (see below). NOTE: Turn tenderloin over halfway through cooking for even browning.
Rare – 120°F
Medium Rare – 125°F
Medium – 130°F
When ready to serve:
9. Cut the roast into 1/2-inch slices. Transfer onto a serving platter and serve immediately with any accumulated juices. Enjoy!
Love,
Your passionate petal fans at Flowerblog
**If you have a tutorial you would like to see featured on our website, please email Flowerblog here**
12/22/11
Strawberry Broco-Flower Salad
Prepare to have your mind blown Flower Fans: broccoli is in fact a flower! And a delicious one of you ask the staff at Flowerblog.
Got a holiday party or potluck coming up and you’ve been asked to bring a salad? Move over Iceberg lettuce, we’ve got a tasty and easy-peasy alternative to the traditional salad: the Strawberry Broco-Flower Salad compliments of All Recipes!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
- 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cauliflower
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 5 fresh strawberries, sliced
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup raspberry vinaigrette
Directions
- Combine the broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, strawberries, almonds, and vinaigrette in a large bowl; toss to coat evenly.
- Serve immediately with delight!
Love,
Your flower-crazy friends at Flowerblog
**If you have a tutorial you would like to see featured on our website, please email Flowerblog here**
12/15/11
Sausage Flowers
The perfect hors d'oeuvre for your holiday party!
The holidays are a time of festivity, where friends and family come together to enjoy each other’s company. And eat delicious foodstuffs (let’s not kid ourselves here). So impress even stuffy Uncle Marty with this awesome recipe for Sausage Flowers (images and content compliments of allrecipes)!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Colby cheese
- 1 cup salsa
- 24 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers
- 3/4 (16 ounce) container sour cream
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a miniature muffin pan.
- Place ground Italian sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and remove from heat.
- Stir Monterey Jack cheese and Colby cheese into the warm sausage to melt. Stir in salsa.
- Gently press wonton wrappers into the prepared miniature muffin pan so that the edges are extending. Place a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each wonton wrapper.
- Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until wonton edges begin to brown.
- Transfer baked filled wontons to a serving platter. Dollop each with approximately 1 tablespoon sour cream. Sprinkle with green onions and enjoy!
Love,
Your crazy-dedicated friends at Flowerblog
**If you have a tutorial you would like to see featured on our website, please email Flowerblog here**
12/8/11
Candied Flowers: Carnations
Candied flowers are great for topping baked goods like cupcakes, pies, and of course cakes! Carnations are often used in dessert recipes because they are surprisingly sweet.
To prepare the carnations for eating, cut the bloom off of the white base of the flower—the base of the carnation tastes bitter, making it less appealing for yummy treats. Dianthus (mini Carnations) has a light clove-like or nutmeg scent and is also a great addition to recipes. Make sure you thoroughly (but delicately) wash your carnation blooms to remove pesticides before cooking.
Here’s a great and easy recipe for making your own Candied Flowers (images and recipe compliments of Our Italian Kitchen):
Sugared Flowers
Ingredients:
- Egg whites from 1 large egg or 2 medium eggs
- 10 Carnation flower buds
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- Caster sugar (if you don’t have caster sugar, put granulated sugar into a food processor to acquire finer granules)
1. Combine egg white(s) with vanilla.
2. Clean and prep carnations.
3. Thoroughly brush each bud with the egg white mixture.
4. Sprinkle with sugar until well-covered and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
5. Shake off excess sugar and let dry for at least 2 hours.
6. Top off your tasty treats with your candied carnations! Delish!
Got a great flower recipe? Send us some of your own flower recipes and we will post them on our site for everyone to enjoy! Until next week flower fans!
Sincerely,
Your friends from Flowerblog
**If you have a tutorial you would like to see featured on our website, please email Flowerblog here**
11/30/11
Flower Recipe: Ricotta Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with Tomato Sauce (images and recipe compliments of cook-eat-love)
For the filling:
- 1-1/2 cups of Ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp Ground pepper
- 1 tsp Seasoning salt
- 3 tbs Minced fresh basil or 1 tsp -dried basil
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 clove of minced garlic
Mix Ricotta with Parmesan, basil, garlic, and lemon zest. Season to taste. Fill a zip lock bag with cheese mixture.
Cut a tip off the bag large enough to squeeze out the cheese mixture. Being very careful not to tear the flower, gently squeeze the cheese mixture into each zucchini flower.
Put these in the refrigerator and let them cool.
For the batter:
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
Pour about 3 inches of oil in a deep pan and heat to 375 degrees F.
Beat the egg yolks and pour in the cold water; mix to combine. Add the flour and mix until the batter is like a thick pancake batter. Dip 2 or 3 zucchini flowers (depending on the size) at a time in the batter to coat completely. Fry the flowers in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes until crisp and a nice golden brown. Drain the fried flowers on a plate or cookie sheet with paper towels, season with salt and pepper while they are still hot. Keep on doing this until they are all done.
Once you are done place them 2 or 3 on a place and gently pour some really nice tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle with some finely grated Parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Love,
Your friends at Flowerblog
**If you have a tutorial you would like to see featured on our website, please email Flowerblog here**
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