Go Eat a Flower: Full Circle Cooking Episode Two

It’s springtime, and Antler River is a mosaic of bright, beautiful flowers. If you’re anything like me, your first thought is: “How can I get a free meal out of this?”

In fact, many common flowers in Southern Ontario are edible and I’m going to show you two simple ways I like to eat them. 

First is a simple preparation that can be used to make most edible flowers (or anything in your fridge) delicious. Most of all, I like to use it for dandelions, whose flesh turns tender and jammy once fried. It’s a beautiful thing I look forward to every spring. When they’re out of season, try this with unopened tiger lily pods or marigolds! 

Dandelion Tempura

Tempura is a wonderful expression of the simplicity and elegance which defines Japanese cuisine. My recipe will violate that philosophy quite thoroughly. 

First, we need beer. Or sparkling water if alcohol is a no-go. Beer just creates more depth of flavour (chefs LOVE to say “depth of flavour”). We use carbonated liquid because it works air into our batter and helps us achieve a lighter, crispier result. Think of the difference between biting into a regular chocolate bar vs an aero bar (and then stop thinking about that because we’re boycotting Nestlé). 

The other trick to a crispier batter is to keep it super duper cold, so my chef-mentor taught us to add an ice cube into the bowl after everything else is mixed. 

Traditional tempura isn’t seasoned, so the pure flavour of the vegetable or meat can shine through, untainted. But dandelions really benefit from some spices. This is a great time to bust out that Cajun spice mix you bought ages ago and used one (1) time. Otherwise, we can make our own. 

Cajun seasoning is usually paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. For my taste, I’ve got a few additions and substitutions:

Cajun seasoning is usually paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper. For my taste, I’ve got a few additions and substitutions:

1. Smoked paprika is just plain better than paprika in every situation. It’s not a debate. I don’t even own the regular stuff.
2. Replacing the salt with celery salt is great in this context – that’s a tip from Emeril Lagasse, probably the most famous Cajun chef of all time. 
3. I’ll use white pepper instead of black pepper here because it’s more umami, making it a nice foil for the vegetal flavour of the dandelions. It also doesn’t put black specks in your batter, so it can at least look like a real tempura. 
4. If you don’t have cayenne, any kind of chili powder will be just as nice. I love chipotle powder if you want to double down on the smokiness, or kashmiri chili powder for aroma, colour and pure heat. 
5. Finally, I add some mustard powder and onion powder just because. 

Before we get to work, it’s good to soak your flowers in water with a bit of vinegar for about 20 minutes, jostling them occasionally. This will deal with any bugs who might’ve tagged along, as well as bringing some welcome acidity to the dish.

Eve’s Dandelion Tempura

     30-40 dandelions, picked without the stem

     3 cups water

     1 cup apple cider vinegar

     1 tsp kosher salt 

Cajun spice “Tempura” batter

     2 cups all purpose flour 

     300 mL cheap, drinkable beer or sparkling water. 

     A dash of hot sauce

     A dash of worcestershire sauce or fish sauce (optional) 

     One ice cube

     Seasonings to taste:

     Garlic powder

     Onion powder

     Mustard powder 

     Smoked paprika

     Cayenne or chili powder

     Dried oregano

     Salt or celery salt 

     White pepper

1. Combine the salt, water and vinegar. Mix until the salt is dissolved. 
2. Rinse the dandelions well, then plunge into the above mixture. Let sit for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. Add half the flour into a large bowl along with the dry seasonings. Whisk until evenly dispersed. 
4. Add the beer, hot sauce and worcestershire sauce or fish sauce, if using. Whisk until just combined. 
5. Whisk in more flour until you reach a runny consistency which still coats the back of a spoon, being careful not to overwork the batter as this will make it dense and chewy. If you’ve ever made crêpe batter, we want that kind of consistency.
6. Add an ice cube to the batter.
7. Begin heating a pot filled halfway with neutral oil to about 350°F. 
8. Drain the dandelions and squeeze out any excess moisture. Add to the batter and toss to coat on all sides. 
9. Line a plate with a paper towel, then test the oil by adding a drop of batter. If it rises immediately to the surface and bubbles rapidly, the oil is hot enough. 
10.  Fry the dandelions in small batches so you don’t crowd the pot. Fry about a minute on one side until lightly golden, then flip using a slotted spoon. 
11. When the dandelions are finished, use a slotted spoon or spider to remove from the pot. Shake off excess oil droplets and rest them on the paper towel-lined plate. Immediately salt them lightly because salt will only stick when they’re still hot. 

I like to garnish these with fresh dill and/or parsley and serve them a lemon wedge. Dip in tartar sauce, sriracha sauce, chipotle mayo, or whatever you’ve got. You really can’t go wrong. That being said, if you’re gonna dip them in ketchup do me a favour and keep that to yourself. 

Lilac Shortbread Cookies

I hope you saved room for dessert, because today’s article is a double feature and you’re not going to want to miss out on these lilac shortbread cookies with a crunchy lilac-lemon sugar topping.

This all-purpose shortbread recipe is my favourite. It’s super straightforward and gives you the perfectly dense, yet light, rich and melt in your mouth cookie. It’s going to pair perfectly with the heavenly aroma of spring lilacs – one of the greatest gifts Mama Earth gives us every year.

The Cookies

     250g unsalted butter

     2 cups all-purpose flour

     ¾ cup powdered sugar 

     Pinch of kosher salt 

     2 tbsp lilac flowers

Lilac-lemon sugar

     1 cup demerara or turbinado sugar

     ½  cup lilac flowers

     Zest of ½ lemon

1. Let the butter come up to room temperature or soften it in the microwave without letting it melt. Add 227g to the bowl of a stand mixer along with 2 tablespoons of lilac flowers (you can do this recipe by hand with a rubber spatula, although it will take longer and you will be sore). Use the rest of the butter to grease the bottom and sides of an 8-9 inch square or rectangular metal baking pan. 
2. Whip the 227g butter on high speed with a paddle attachment for a few minutes until its colour has noticeably lightened. 
3. Turn the speed to low and slowly add the icing sugar. Gradually increase speed to high and whip until light and fluffy.
4. Stop mixing and add the flour and salt. Beat on low speed until just combined. It should still be crumbly.
5. Transfer the dough to your baking pan and pat it down evenly. This is easier if you wet your hands slightly to prevent the dough from sticking to them. Smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Preheat your oven to 300°F.
6. Add the demerara or turbinado sugar to the bowl of a food processor along with the lilac flowers and lemon zest. Pulse to combine, stirring by hand occasionally.
7. Before putting the shortbread in the oven, use a fine mesh sieve to dust half of the lilac-lemon sugar evenly over the surface of the dough. 
8. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the colour just starts to change but well before you reach golden brown. 
9. Once out of the oven but still warm, sprinkle the rest of the lilac-lemon sugar over top.
10. Let it cool down completely before cutting into bars. Move to a serving container and garnish with a few more lilac flowers.

See Episode 1 of Full Circle Cooking here! https://antlerrivermedia.ca/full-circle-cooking/