2006. június 2., péntek

The perfumed garden

This time I would like to show you (together with dozens of foodbloggers) what can man do with flowers - not only to place them into the dining table in  vase - but to use them a different way. We all know that original  frangrances are made of extracts of petal, or some kind of teas also consits of flower - for example my favourite, the tea made of  egyptian hibiscus. But Barbara, the  owner of Tigers and Strawberries has invited us to combine edible flowers with spices in a recipe. For the first sight I was anxious: what can be made of flowers??? But then I realized, one of my favourite plant in sping is the elderberry with its lovely creamy-white blossoms and I regularly use them to make a juice or a syrup.

The Elder is a small tree native throuhout Europe, western and central Asia, north Africa, naturalized in the United States. It is one of Germany's more important medicinal plant crops, it's collected from the wild. It's tea is used as a diaphoretic for feverish common colds, rheumatic probems, ear infections and it boosts the immun system.

As it's latin name shows (Sambucus), the famous italien liqueur, Sambuca is made of elder berries and anise.

But before using the elder flowers, make sure that you've collected them far from crowded roads, and if you have an allergy of pollens be careful, the lovely white blossoms are full of them! Safety warning: the leaves and raw berries contain toxic compounds and are poisonous - do not eat them!!

On my way to work I drive by flowery fields every day. When I have more free time in afternoons I can't resist to stop for a walk and collect flowers to decorate the house, and to make an easy long drink for the sunny days from elder blossoms. 

But for the shake of this event I've tried something new: coated elder blossoms with cinnamon dust.

The recipe

Make a soft dough using the followings: 1 egg, 100ml milk, 100 ml soda water, 100gr flour, 1 tbs brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon lime zest, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dip the flowers into the dough and fry in medium hot oil. Serve immediately with a slice of lime - the lime juice goes well to the flavour of the blossoms.

Easy to make but is a real specialty. I've loved it. The flower keeps it incredible mellifluous but sourish flavour and tastes sooo delicious. With a bottle of semi-sweet white wine is a complete dessert. Or you can use the flowers to garnish a big dose of vanilla or chocolate ice-cream replacing the cinnamon with vanilla in the dough.

And do not forget to taste the elder wine! (kind of fortified white wine with all the advantages of elderberry) Beautiful!

14:07| Mindenmás | Aubergine

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