Flower recipes

Stunning edible flower recipes from new book, Cooking with Flowers

May 13, 2013

Flower recipes to make your mouth water!

Cooking with edible flowers is a fun way to inject colour, add flavour and decorate desserts, confectionary and bakes.

Herbalist and chef, Miche Bacher co-founded Mali B Sweets (opens in new tab). The innovative flower recipes she serves up in her waterfront bakery-come-flower-shop in Greenport, New York are breathtaking and taste divine - from pretty pansy petal lollipops to a warming hibiscus chutney or colourful passionfruit orchid tartlet.

Miche forages for many of the flowers and herbs she uses. She has a bit of advice for those wanting to experiment with flower recipes - know your flowers (buy a reputable plant guide - many plants are poisonous), buy organic flowers for the best flavour, colour and nutrients, avoid anything growing by the road, be cautious if you have allergies or asthma, clean and debug them, store them well, wash them thoroughly and prep as necessary.

Here she shares a few of her favourite flower recipes from new book, Cooking with Flowers (opens in new tab) (£16.99, Quirk) with w&h. Be warned: They taste as good as they look!

Pansy lollipops recipe

'Every time we make these at Mali B, they elicit oohs and ahhs from our clients and customers. I like to make them free-form (without a mold), but you can use hard-candy molds if you prefer perfectly formed lollipops. Go for refined sugar if you want clarity.'

Make Miche's pansy lollipops (opens in new tab)

Pansy Petal Pancakes recipe

'Spring, summer and autumn, pansies decorate my pancake plates. These pancakes are really crepes, so the batter can be made the night before ? give it a gentle shake in the morning, and it's ready to go. Served with a floral syrup, it's a great way to wake up!' Make Miche's pansy petal pancakes (opens in new tab) Taken from Cooking with Flowers (opens in new tab) by Miche Bacher

Coconut Lilac Tapioca recipe

'When I began thinking of uses for lilac, the creaminess of tapioca kept springing to mind. This dish has just enough texture from the tapioca and lilac flowers, and the coconut and lilac flowers provide a nice balance.' Make Miche's coconut lilac tapioca Taken from Cooking with Flowers (opens in new tab) by Miche Bacher

Hibiscus Chutney recipe

'Warm, spicy and rarely sweet ? even when it's made with sweet ingredients ? chutney is altogether satisfying as a condiment but versatile enough to be used on proteins or even a cheese plate.' Make Miche's hibiscus chutney (opens in new tab) Taken from Cooking with Flowers (opens in new tab) by Miche Bacher

Cooking With Flowers

Buy Cooking with Flowers (opens in new tab) (£16.99, Quirk)