Cooking with Flowers by Miche Bacher

This book took me completely by surprise. I expected salads with nasturtiums and candied rose petals — pretty, light-hearted recipes. I did not expect to be plunged deep into a world of vibrant color, flavors running from honey-sweet to spicy-peppery, and recipe ideas so exciting and perfect that I felt the immediate need to “Make. Now.” Thank goodness spring is finally here and the first flowers are ready to be picked…for my dinner.

• Who wrote it: Miche Bacher

• Who published it: Quirk Books

• Number of recipes: Around 100

• Recipes for right now: Calendula Orange Cake, Gouda Cheddar Daylily Biscuits, Elderflower Marshmallows, Herb Flower Pesto, Lilac Sorbet, Spring Tulip and Pea Shoot Salad

• Other highlights: Did you know that lilacs taste the way they smell? “Fresh, heady, and sweet, with slightly bitter lemony undertones,” according to Miche Bacher. To think, I wasted all these years smelling my favorite flower when I could have been eating them.

This kind of discovery is exactly what I’m talking about with this book. Every turn of the page made my eyes grow a little rounder and my stomach a little hungrier. I love that Bacher starts each chapter with a full description of the flower, it’s history, what it tastes like, and exactly how to use it — all this information makes it easier for me to conceive of using them in recipes.

The book is also full of truly beautiful and inspiring photography. If the whole idea of eating your way through the flower bed is still seeming a little farfetched to you, these gorgeous photos will surely do the rest of the convincing.

I’m head over heels for this book, and I’m excited to have it in my proverbial pocket as we head into spring and summer months with all their flowery opportunities.

• Who would enjoy this book? Cooks who love playing with new ingredients, gardeners, bakers (though there are a good number of savory recipes)

Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: Cooking with Flowers by Miche Bacher

• Visit the author’s website: Miche Bacher

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.

(Images: Emma Christensen)