Cooking with blossom flowers! 7 recipes & techniques

First of all thank you all so much for your support, because I now have 100.000 subscribers! And we need to celebrate! I’m announcing my giveaway at the end of the video! But first I’m going to show you how to cook with different kinds of blossoms. We’re going to make a Korean style syrup, a vinegar, a blossom oil, a blossom emulsion, some dried blossom galette and a delicious magnolia beurre blanc.

For this video all the blossoms I use are organic and homegrown or picked in the wild with permission. Some vegetable shops also sell delicious blossoms and flowers, so you can always ask. If you pick wild blossoms, make sure you respect the nature and don’t pick everything. Keep it in balance.

The blossom oil and emulsion

First sort some hackberry blossoms from the blanches and leaves. It doesn’t need to be 100% clean, but the cleaner the better. Now transfer it into a bowl and weigh the total amount. I had 150 grams of cleaned blossom. Then transfer it into a preserving jar and add 10 times the amount of neutral oil. So in this case 1500 grams of sunflower oil to 150 grams of the hackberry blossom. Now close the lid, lable the jar and let the oil infuse overnight at room temperature. The next day you need to steam it at 40 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. You can also do this sous-vide. Then let it rest for an hour. After that drain the oil. Let it drain for at least 30 minutes so you don’t waste a single drop. Now clarify it by passing it through a fine sieve that’s lined with a kitchen paper.

40 grams	egg white
25 grams	blossom vinegar
40 grams	ice cubes
4 grams	salt
180 grams	blossom oil

Mix the egg white with the blossom vinegar, the ice cubes, the salt and the blossom oil. Now blend this till it’s completely emulsified. Once thickened transfer it into a piping bottle and let it set in your fridge. It’s great to serve with vegetable dishes or seafood. I love serving it with a beautiful crab salad.

The magnolia beurre blanc

700 grams	white wine
200 grams	white wine vinegar
18	black pepper grains
26	coriander seeds
3 sprigs	tarragon
4	shallots
20	magnolia flowers

First the gastrique. Pour the white wine into a big pan and also add the white wine vinegar, the black pepper grains, the coriander seeds and the tarragon. Then cut the shallots in half and clean them. Now cut them. Add them to the pan and then reduce it for 80%. Meanwhile remove the stem from the magnolia flowers. These have a delicious fresh and aromatic flavor. Once the liquid has reduced enough turn off the heat and add the flowers. Mix it well and then transfer everything into a bowl. Now cover this well with some foil and let it cool down in your fridge. I always leave it overnight. Once it has cooled down pass it through a fine sieve and use a ladle to make it a bit easier.

100 grams	magnolia gastrique
20 grams	cream
5 grams	salt
200 grams	cold cubes of butter

Pour the magnolia gastrique into a saucepan and also add the cream and the salt. Bring this to a boil. Once it’s boiling turn down the heat and slowly while stirring add the cold cubes of butter. Normally there’s no cream in a beurre blanc, but I add it to stabilize the sauce making it more foolproof when you need to reheat it.

The magnolia syrup

Start by removing the magnolia peddles from the flowers. You’ll need quite a lot, but the end result is so good! Once that’s done wash the peddles to remove any bugs. After a couple of minutes drain the water and dry the peddles using a salad spinner. Then let them dry for 30 minutes in your oven or heat draw with just the fan on to remove as must access water as possible. After that weigh the magnolia and add a gram of sugar for every gram of magnolia paddles. First add a layer of sugar on the bottom of a preserving jar and then add a layer of magnolia. Now continue till you end up with a thick layer of sugar on top. Then press it down using a glass weight or just a regular glass. Now close it up and keep it in your fridge for two weeks! After the two weeks all the sugar has dissolved, and it turned into a beautiful thick and rich syrup. When that has happened drain the syrup and use a spoon to press out all the syrup so you don’t waste a single drop. Now you can keep it in your fridge for many weeks.

The rhubarb broth

300 grams	frozen rhubarb
30 grams	sugar
	The magnolia syrup

First mix the frozen rhubarb with the sugar and cover it as tight as possible with plastic wrap. Now heat it on a double boiler on a low heat for 4 hours. After that remove the wrap and let the liquid drain on a sieve that’s lined with a kitchen paper. Do this in your fridge for a couple of hours so you don’t waste a single drop. Once that’s done season the broth with the magnolia syrup. It’s really a combination made it heaven! I do this on taste and not on recipe because the flavor of the syrup depends on how flavorful your magnolia flower is.

The blossom white chocolate galettes & vinegar

I use cherry blossom. First remove the blossoms from the stems and weigh the total amount. Then add 15% of salt and gently mix it not to bruise the flowers. Now press it down with a bowl and let it brine in your fridge for two days. After that submerge the blossoms with cold water and gently mix it for a couple of seconds. Then drain as much water as possible. Once that’s done submerge it with some sushi vinegar. Now cover it, press it down and let it pickle in your fridge for two days as well. After the two days the vinegar has turned beautifully pink and you can drain it by passing it through a fine sieve. It’s great for vinaigrettes, seasoning and much more. Then gently pick the blossoms apart from each other and transfer them on some kitchen paper. Now put another layer on top and press it down to dry them. Then lay them on a silicon sheet and dry them at 40 degrees Celsius till completely crispy. The blossoms have a beautiful flavor and it’s great for a garnish.

Now take some melted chocolate that’s 45 degrees Celsius and add a ¼ of chocolate nibs. Then mix it well to cool down the chocolate and temper it. In the end the chocolate needs to be 30 degrees Celsius. Once that’s done pour some on a plastic sheet and spread it. Then directly lay the dried blossoms on top. You’ll need to work fast, because the chocolate will set and then the blossoms won’t stick. Now cover it with another sheet of foil and add a flat board or a tray. Then let it set for at least 30 minutes. Once it’s set remove the top layer and portion it with the desired cutter. These are perfect to decorate desserts and bring them to the next level!