On The GHRI Blog: The Ultimate Guide To Edible Flowers, Plus Recipes!

Good morning, lovely friends! By now you know that I'm not one for overly fussy cooking at home. That said, I picked up a bunch of edible flowers for a piece on the Good Housekeeping blog, "Edible Flowers: How To Use Them and Where To Get 'Em," and my mind has been changed regarding the precious little buds (which I always thought were too stuffy for every-day eating). Turns out: Edible flowers—especially the fruit, herb and vegetable blossoms—add a subtle hint of a well-known ingredient to a dish but in a whole new way. For example, I used arugula blossoms (above) to give a peppery bite to this "egg salad" (get it?) crostini. It couldn't be easier to pull together and how darn pretty does it look!? Here's how you make it...

EGG SALAD CROSTINI

SERVES: 4

1 shallot, finely minced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar 

4 large eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup dijon mustard

4 sliced toasted whole-grain or sour-dough bread

1 cup arugula flowers

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling 

Flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Stir together the shallot and red wine vinegar in a small bowl; set aside 15 minutes (this will soften the bite of the shallot).

2. Meanwhile, put the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from the heat and let sit 8 minutes (for soft-medium cooked eggs pictured). Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool. Peel and halve the eggs. 

3. Mix the mayonnaise and mustard until combined. Drain the shallots; discard the vinegar. 

4. Spread the mayonnaise-mustard mixture on the toasted bread sliced. Top with the arugula flowers, shallots and egg halves. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Check out the full story, plus 2 more recipes (including this Johnny-Jump-Up Angel Food Cake with Sour Cream Glaze!) on the Good Housekeeping Blog! I'm curious: Have you ever eaten or cooked with edible flowers? What did you think of 'em?