Cooking with Flowers: Compound Flower Butter

Making Flower Compound Butter is easy and beautiful with edible flowers, and adds a ‘wow’ factor for a shower, garden club lunch or treat at the breakfast table!

 I discovered this simple and beautiful idea, last year in Cooking with Flowers, a delicious mix of food and flowers and possibly the most beautiful cookbook I have ever seen!

This book would make a wonderful gift for the gardener who will want to harvest and cook with Roses, Tulips, Hollyhocks, Daylilies, Dianthus and cook rather than curse Dandelions :)

When I first saw this cookbook on Jain’s beautiful blog, my pulse quickened and my heart skipped a beat~ you’ll want to take the time to stop and taste the roses in Jain’s garden!

Feast your eyes

 and your taste buds. . .

From Cooking with Flowers:

“Here are more than 100 recipes that will bring beautiful flower-filled dishes to your kitchen table! This easy-to-use cookbook is brimming with scrumptious botanical treats, from sweet violet cupcakes, pansy petal pancakes, daylily cheesecake, and rosemary flower margaritas to savory sunflower chickpea salad, chive blossom vinaigrette, herb flower pesto, and mango orchid sticky rice.”

“Alongside every recipe are tips and tricks for finding, cleaning, and preparing edible blossoms. You’ll also learn how to infuse vinegars, vodkas, sugars, frostings, jellies and jams, ice creams, and more with the color and flavor of your favorite flowers. Fresh from the farmers’ market or plucked from your very own garden, a world of delectable flowers awaits!”

The simplest way to use edible flowers besides a garnish or tossing them in a salad is to make a compound butter. Add 1/4 to 1 cup edible flowers to one cup of room temperature butter, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and any other herbs or desired seasoning.

As with any edible flower, only use ones that are pesticide and chemical free.

Pick your edible flowers in the morning when they are fresh, avoiding older bruised blooms. Rinse gently to “debug” them and pat dry. Remove each pansy or viola from its sepals (green base).

Chop flowers and blend to incorporate with your softened butter. Roll into a log shape in plastic wrap and twist the ends of each log tightly.

Cover and refrigerate butters up to 2 weeks

or freeze up to 6 months.

For Pansy/Viola Butter:  Use 1/4 cup violas for 2 cups (1 pound) of butter.

Nasturtium Butter:  1 cup nasturtiums per pound butter.

Rose Butter:  1/2 cup rose petals, add 1 teaspoon rose water (optional) per pound butter.

Lavender Butter:  Up to 2 tablespoons lavender buds per pound butter.

 When ready to use cut butter into ‘coins’. You can garnish each individual ‘coin’ with a viola at each place setting for an additional floral touch!

 Use compound flower butter at the breakfast table

on pancakes, waffles, muffins,

or  add a pat on top of grilled fish, chicken or steak.

For a recipe for Viola Crepes with Pansy Syrup,

you can find a taste here.

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch