Wednesday, April 29, 2009

A Floral Appetizer

Inspiration seems to be found everywhere this spring. I found some dried Asian hibiscus flowers at Trader Joe's last week and bought them without even knowing what they tasted like. They just looked so exotic as they appeared to be dancing in the bag. I also grabbed some dried apricots and dried candied ginger. I opened the bag in the car out of curiosity and was surprised that they tasted really good...kind of tart, sweet and fruity. With their outreaching arms, it was like eating a fruity calamari. When I got home, I experimented and added a dried apricot in the bottom of the hibiscus flower. It was good, but a little bare. I chopped some of the candied ginger and added some on top. Not leaving well enough alone, I then mixed equal parts of cream cheese and goat cheese together and tossed in some of the sweet and peppery chopped ginger. It looked so good as I piped it onto the apricot in the center of the hibiscus flower. A green Pepita on top added the perfect touch.Yum...it was a visual and tasty delight. As they reach toward the sun, these floral buds can enliven a cheese board, salad or stand on their own as an appetizer as they transition us into the glory of summer. Bon appetit!


Some gentle thoughts on spring.....


The sea of spring,
Rising and falling,
All the day long.


Buson



In the intervals
Of rough wind and rain,
The first cherry-blossoms.

Chora

Silent flowers
Speak also
To that obedient ear within.

Onitsura

Written and photographed by Diane.

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7 comments:

La Table De Nana said...

how cute are those? I did buy some hibiscus flowers in syrup..for champagne..I have yet to try..I am waiting for a special occasion!

I have never seen these! Trust Trader Joe's:)

Very beautiful!

Pearl said...

wow! what a creative appetizer! so pretty, too!

Lori (All That Splatters) said...

I love how creative you are! I've never seen dried hibiscus flowers (and we don't have TJ's in Texas yet...) I'll have to have my daughter send me some. :) I love the looks of this. You've got my creative juices in gear! ;)

Karen @ Mignardise said...

Beautiful! What a great outcome for a total experiment.
I wish I had some of those for the salad I'm bringing to Book Group tonight.

Dragon said...

What pretty, pretty plate. :)

a quiet life said...

oh how beautiful... food and flowers, can it get much better? gorgeous pics, what a treat to be back here!

Rettabug said...

It looks like a tiny feast for a fairy princess! How utterly divine! I can't imagine how it tastes but I ♥ your photos of it as well as the fiddleheads shot too. :D