Bouquet on the plate

An edible flower is beautiful in a bouquet or on the plant, but displayed on a bed of greens, an unforgettable sensation awaits the eater.

“Floral salads are traditionally used as celebratory food for anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, and holidays” says Don Splain, a Naples organic chef. “These flowers infuse the dish with life energy by adding a subconscious component of the ‘Oh wow’ into the food.”

The “Oh wow” factor hit home for this journalist after tasting a floral feast prepared by Splain. Splain has made floral-topped salads for over 12 years and knows his work. He has cooked all around the world for diplomats, artists, and politicians since his graduation, working for J.W. Marriott in Orlando before moving to Naples, where he is a personal chef for a local family. Recently, Splain prepared meals for Jane Goodall during her visit to Naples.

He does not mind sharing his culinary wisdom, so you want to listen closely or you may miss good ideas in his questions, such as, “Did you ever try chamomile flowers dipped in honey? How about lavender flowers in fresh-squeezed lemonade?”

“Add the vinaigrette to the greens and always use your hands to mix the greens” is another Splain dictum. Forget those salad tongs.

“Always work with clean hands,” he adds emphatically. Mom was right!

Splain cautions his students to be careful “not to destroy the aspects of the flowers by adding too much of a contrast in texture to your delicate salad.” For example, mixing green peppers to a light and airy floral salad would ruin the harmony of all the ingredients, he explains.

Of course, it’s important to know what flowers you are using and that they are safe for consumption. Some of Splain’s favorites include violets and pansies, which are slightly sweet and very delicate; borage, which has a slightly bitter cucumber flavor; nasturtium flowers and leaves, which are pungent like radish or watercress; and roses, which are wonderfully aromatic. There are many other edible flowers and some good resources that Splain recommends. (See the side story on “Blossoming Cuisine.”)

It’s difficult to be around Splain and not walk away with a reverence for all we eat and cook. An everyday task becomes a holy experience around this 6-foot 10-inch man.

“The Hindu believe that singing while cooking infuses the food with a loving energy,” he says. When asked if he sings while he cooks, he chuckles. “As a matter of fact I whistle while I work in the kitchen all the time.”

Splain also does consulting and educational outreach regarding cooking, nutrition, food ethics and food anthropology through his business, Baucis & Philemon Concepts in Food. He can be reached via email at floridaorganicchef@earthlink.net.

Splain knew he would be a chef as early as 10 years old, after watching a PBS program on the Culinary Institute of America. Now 32, he is still strong in his passion for organic cooking and sharing his love with others, especially his two girls, Echo, 5, and Saffron, 4. Splain occasionally offers a cooking program for preschoolers out of his home in association with the Naples Waldorf Initiative.

As he prepared this regal floral salad, his girls nagged the chef.

“What are the flowers for?” “What are the flowers for?” “What are the flowers for?”

“For the salad,” said their father as he concentrated on his masterpiece at hand. Splain laid out the ingredients on his cutting board like an artist selecting paints. His two preschoolers watched him closely.

Splain graduated from high school in Lancaster, Pa., with an advanced placement in culinary arts. He was given community service awards for working with moms and kids in Head Start. He went on to earn an associate degree from the Culinary Institute of America, with the distinction of being team leader every semester and president of the student chapter of Chef’s Collaborative. In 2000, he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America.

He occasionally offers a cooking program for preschoolers out of his home in association with the Naples Waldorf Initiative Edible flowers can be grown in local gardens and added to celebratory salads whether it’s the 4th of July or just a Sunday afternoon family gathering.

Add these flowers to your personal garden so a floral salad can be shared any time of year. Sing while making it — and who knows what the outcome will be? Here is Splain’s recipe for a delicate, light and easy-to-chew floral summer salad.

A final word of instruction from Splain: “Use the flowers as confetti and be sure to add them just after you have mixed the greens with the vinagerette. Not before, as the delicate flowers will wilt.”

DON SPLAIN’S FESTIVE FLORAL SALAD

Preparation time, including finding the ingredients, is around 30 to 45 minutes.

Floral vinaigrette:

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fine diced white onion

½ clove garlic graded on a fine grater

¼ slice and freshly squeezed Mexican lime

2 tbs. rosewater*

½ tsp orange blossom water (can be made the same way as rose water or purchased at Indian foods stores)

1 organic tomato

1 pinch of sea salt

Salad ingredients:

5 to 6 cups of spring mix

1 finely sliced organic tomato to adorn the salad greens

Floral confetti: 10 Nasturtium leaves (leaves are spicy); Rose petals — ‘Mrs. B.R. Cant’ or ‘Louise Philippe’ rose petals taken from one rose; 10 Perennial Peanut flowers, including stems

Tools:

Wire whisk

Aluminum bowl

Small bowl for the dressing

First, cut one of the tomatoes in half and squeeze the juice into the small bowl. Save the rest of the tomato. Juice the lime into the small bowl by cutting it into thirds lengthwise and sqeezing. This will release the most juice. Add the vinegar, onion, garlic and a little salt and set aside for a few minutes. While that is resting, dice up the two tomatoes. Put the spring mix into the metal bowl. Tear the nasturtium leaves into bite sized pieces and remove any tough stems or veins.

Add the nasturtiums and set that bowl aside. Go back to the vinaigrette and add the two floral waters. Slowly drizzle in the Extra virgin olive oil, whisking constantly to emulsify. Toss the diced tomatoes lightly into the greens. Now, dress the salad — and technique here is important. You don’t want to just dump the dressing in. Drizzle the vinaigrette around where the greens touch the metal bowl, all the way around. This will coat the sides of the bowl so that when you toss the greens gently with your hands they will be all lightly and evenly coated, but not drowned.

Finally, add the flowers. Use the flowers as confetti and be sure to add them just after you have mixed the greens with the vinagerette. They should not be added before because the delicate flowers will wilt.

Season to taste and serve the salad immediately.

*Rosewater recipe: Collect highly scented blooms from old roses, such as Chinas, Teas, Noisettes, Hybrid musks. Pour boiling water over them and let the pot cool. Then strain. This recipe was taken from “The Organic Rose Garden,” by Liz Druitt (Taylor Publishing Company, 1996) Rosewater can also be purchased at Indian food stores)

Finding flowers for your salad

Nasturtiums can be easily grown from seed or purchased at local garden centers in 4-inch containers.

Highly scented old roses well adapted to Zone 10 growing conditions can be purchased in 3 gallon containers from RoseGlen Gardens or ordered on line at Antique Rose Emporium or Heirloom Roses.

Marigolds, grown from seed or purchased at local garden centers.

Borage, with blue flowers that are another good confetti ingredient, may be ordered by mail.

Violas can grown from seed or purchased in flats at garden centers.

Perennial peanut flowers can be purchased in 1-gallon containers at local garden centers.

Blossoming cuisine

Here are resources for bring flowers into your cooking:

“Flowers in the Kitchen”; Belsinger, Susan (Interweave Press, 1991)

“Edible Flowers: Desserts and Drinks”; Cathy Wilkinson Barash (Fulcrum Publishing, 1997)

“Edible Flowers From Garden to Palate”; Cathy Wilkinson Barash (Fulcrum Publishing, 1993)

“The Food Lover’s Companion, 2nd edition”; Sharon Tyler Herst (Barrons Educational Service, Inc.)

“Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs”; Claire Kowalchik and William H. Hylton, editors (Rodale Press, Inc., 1987)

“Edible Wild Plants”; Peterson, Lee Allen (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977)

“Herbal Treasures”; Shaudys, Phyllis V. (Garden Way Publishing, 1990)