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It’s true. We still can’t go out without a coat, but spring It is a fact and we must do our best to bring about the definitive arrival of the most beautiful season of the year. For example, refusing to eat if there is not at least one flower on the plate. The flowers add color, texture, flavor and, of course, an exotic and exclusive touch to the table.
Today Summum We take a tour of all the places, the products and the tips to savor these natural delicatessen.
Tricks and secrets for cooking with flowers
As flowers They can add to a dish that goes far beyond beauty and color. The first step in cooking with flowers is to know whether or not they are suitable for human consumption. The second is to know the characteristics of each one, taking into account its flavor and aroma. It counts Iker Erauzkin, chef, gastronomic consultant, owner of the Space ONE, in Barcelona, and author of the book El Taste of flowers. “The first and only fundamental criterion for using flowers in the kitchen is the flavor they are going to give the dish,” says Erauzkin.
“To be able to use a flower properly, it is convenient to taste the flower and have notions of the degree of intensity that they will offer to the dish. Take into account whether the flavor will be diluted or will be integrated in conmination of other flavors or if the flower will be used raw on the plate ”. As pretty as it may seem to us, the garlic flower in a dessert is not a good idea! The use of flowers in the kitchen It is already an exquisite choice, but there are flowers that really make a difference. “Ladies at night, jasmine, gardenias have an intense aroma and you have to collect them at the right times to be able to enjoy their intensity. Flowers like the orchid or the electric flower they are highly valued for their rarity and exclusivity ”.
Flower shops
In Barcelona, as recommended Iker Erauzkin, you can buy edible flowers at the Petràs forest fruit stall in the market of La Boqueria. Another option is to directly contact the suppliers and orchards that are dedicated to the cultivation of flowers suitable for human consumption.
In Madrid, both in Mercamadrid and in the beautiful store located in the Chueca neighborhood, we can go to Eloy Fruits, where there is a wide variety of edible flowers, from mini-pansies to garlic flowers through the borage flower. They also accept commissions from private clients. On Ayala street, in the Salamanca neighborhood, we find them in Fruits Vazquez, in a small box of about 15 grams for prices ranging from 6 to 8 euros.
The most authentic and sweet Madrid
The violet It is one of the most emblematic places in Madrid. An old candy store, authentic inside and outside, where for more than a hundred years we have been able to buy sweet candies with the scent of violet. Apparently the favorites of Don Juan Carlos during his childhood and the same ones with whom Alfonso XIII he paid homage to his wife (and his lovers!).
Here we also find an authentic delicatessen like the natural frosted violet petals. The flowers are first dried, then stamens and pistils are removed and finally crystallized into sugar. they cost 120 euros / kilo and they are sold in boxes or in any other container that the client wishes.
Flowers on the table: a stop at La Calendula
Iolanda Bustos is in charge of the restaurant kitchen The Marigold, located in Regencós, Baix Empordà and its specialty is flowers.
Florilegio: collage of sweet floral textures, Borage leaves in rice tempura, with trout caviar and borage cream in flower, Cod brandade under a veil of honey thousand flowers and EVOO with olive land or Cabbage and carrot salad fermented with apple , cumin, flowers and semi-cured mackerel. These are some of the dishes that come out of the kitchen of this establishment, about to launch a new season.
The flowers are collected by the chef herself, in the mountains, in the field or even on the beach. “Currently in The Marigold each dish is contemplating a landscape, be it sea or mountain, with the wild flowers in my environment ”says Iolanda Bustos. “We use them as seasoning for its flavor and aroma, just as if we used spices. We also think dishes from a single flower. First we see what the flower is like, its taste and texture, how it lives, what its habitat is and then we cook it with ingredients from its environment. So we do a very naturalistic kitchen, but not vegetarian, since it includes both flora and fauna ”. A must stop.
Flower Power
Elderflower, White Hibiscus Flower, Red Hibiscus Flower, Lime Flower and Chamomile. Let’s get carried away by the power of flowers with this infusion from the English brand Clipper!
As always, the ingredients come from organic farming and the packaging, which seeks to resurrect the vaguely hippy spirit that we all keep inside, is simply impeccable. For a spring break by far, very much, style. And without caffeine.
Salt flowers
It is probably one of the best gourmet salts on the market. The Salt of Ibiza It is obtained from the thin layer of salt crystal that forms on the surface of seawater in the salt flats of the Parc Natural de Ses Salines d’Eivissa.
The operation is carried out with extreme delicacy at the beginning of September and the salt crystals need almost a year to dry, with the only help of the sun and the wind and always keeping a certain degree of humidity. Thanks to this natural process, these slightly pink crystals and crunchy retain their properties intact, being especially rich in iodine, magnesium, potassium, fluorine, iron and calcium. Apart from jar of salt flower with rose petals (solidarity and limited edition), the Sal de Ibiza brand markets a wide range of gourmet salts enriched with various ingredients, including flowers. This is the case of sea salt with rose, cornflower, orange blossom and calendula petals and that of hibiscus flower, ideal for seasoning meat and fish and a real pleasure for the eyes. 75 grams of this delicatessen exceed 7 euros.
The most exclusive honey: orange and white truffle
It is probably the exact point where the kitchen finds flowers in a totally natural way. We are talking about Honey, the result of a intense labor of worker bees (up to 50.000 “trips” for a single kilo of honey) that are responsible for transforming the nectar into fructose and glucose.
As with wine or cheese, the taste and nuances of honey vary greatly depending on the flowers tasted. There are thousand flower honeys o monofloral honeys, in which the pollen of a single plant is detected in a more or less high percentage. The orange tree belongs to the first category and could be one of the most common, but it all depends on where it comes from.
The Catalan company artMuria, which has been dedicated to honey for six generations and two centuries, produces a very high range of orange honeys whose price is around 14 euros for a 170 gram jar. There are four alternatives: with black truffle, white truffle, saffron and gold leaves. A true luxury.
Sweet and transparent petals
Jasmine, violet, mauve, rose and poppy. Fables is a French company from whose hands some of the best jams on the market come out (they usually use sous-vide cooking and low temperatures).
Companies that flower jellies They are made with natural petals, aromas and cane sugar. They are perfect with some cheeses, with yogurt, Pannacotta, sweet creams, the odd savory dish and, above all, to give an unexpected and very exclusive twist to any breakfast.
Flower nectar under the Adrià label
Søbogaard It is a Danish farm that for more than 40 years has been dedicated to the artisanal delicatessen process, such as juices and natural extracts. Herbs and fruits, of organic farming, they are pressed once they have reached their optimum point of maturation, then they are mixed with cane sugar. Thus, nectars are obtained that can be used both as drinks (with or without mixing them with water), as well as in sweet and liquid cooking.
In Spain, you can find elderflower nectar and hibiscus nectar, under the seal Ferran and Albert Adrià, distributed exclusively by Bid food. A 73 cl bottle fetches 8 euros.
A cafe surrounded by flowers
Sawa Yamada She lives in Fukuoka, Japan, and is the woman behind the next Instagram account that you can’t take your eyes off. And in which, of course, taste marries flowers.
The account is called The Flower Fairy and is a visual compilation of Sawa’s morning coffees (or cappuccinos!) surrounded by dried and fresh flowers. It is not an empty exercise, although visually powerful. It is an invitation to start the day or simply to enjoy it, letting ourselves be carried away by what we like the most and what makes us feel better. Why always we deserve a good coffee and a tribute based on flowers.