Edible flowers are taking America’s baking world by storm — all kinds — including lavender; pansies; sunflower petals; and dahlia to name a few. Seasoned, innovative dough punchers have found that comestible flowers, added to baked goods, impart a heavenly fragrance and distinctive flavor to the quality of their “sweet” concoctions, making them unique and pretty, to boot! 

In Mexico, however, edible flowers are nothing new since they have been a part of their cuisine since pre-Hispanic times. These flowers, like bougainvillea, hibiscus, and Rosita de cacao, were fried, sauteed, stuffed, and used in sauces, quesadillas, and tacos. The Spaniards, when they arrived, used flowers instead of meat for Easter celebrations due to the Catholic Church’s religious restrictions. Then Mexicans determined that flowers could enhance the aroma, taste, and “look” of desserts and drinks. 

Josué Barona is the man who now fuels the country’s edible flower scene from his booth in Mercado San Juan in Mexico City, where he has sold edible varieties of flowers for the past 10 years. He said he became interested when he noticed chefs shopping for flowers to add to their cuisines and he sourced them from suppliers who would normally toss them. He now stocks flowers from all over Mexico (interesting since about 80% of the world’s 186 known edible-flower species originate here) and sells them to high-end restaurants. Not to be outdone, he invented his now famous “rose chocolate mousse,” that he serves in a red rose, accentuated by various, beautiful blooms. 

Although I couldn’t find Barona’s chocolate mousse recipe, I do have one that’s very enticing, a white chocolate mousse made with rose syrup (from rose petals) and pistachio paste. Elegant, aromatic and scrumptious. Disfruta!

White chocolate mousse with rose and pistachio

Rose Syrup:

• ½ Cup (10 g) rose petals,* unsprayed (pétalos de rosa)
  • NOTE: If you’re unsure your petals are sprayed, soak in 1 tsp. baking soda with every 2 Cups of cold water. Soak for one minute then rinse. (This can remove up to 80% of certain pesticides.)
• ¾ Cup (150 g) sugar (azúcar estándar)
• ¾ Cup (185 ml) water (agua)
• 1 drop red or pink food coloring, if desired (colorante alimentario rojo o rosa)

Instructions:

• In a small saucepan, over low heat, place sugar and water and stir until the sugar has dissolved. 
• Add the unsprayed rose petals and leave pan uncovered, barely simmering, for around 30 minutes. 
• Mix in food coloring, if desired. 
• Strain the syrup into a clean bottle, seal and leave to cool.

Pistachio paste:

• 2-4 Tbs. shelled pistachios (pistachos sin cáscara)
  • To save time, you can finely chop pistachios to mix with mousse, but blanche and remove bitter, purple skin before proceeding. Be aware that the texture won’t be as smooth as the paste. 

Instructions:

• Blanche shelled pistachios in hot water for 30 seconds.
• Remove bitter, purple skin.
• Place in a food processor, on high power (or a blender or a spice grinder) and pulse until the nuts are a fine paste. 

White chocolate mousse:

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup (125 ml) heavy cream (crema de batir)
• ½ Cup (100 g) white chocolate* (chocolate blanco)
  • Mexican brands of fine white chocolate: Feliu Chocolate; Lurka Chiapas Tonka Bean 36%; Valrhona; Cacao Berry 
• 4 oz. (115 g) cream-cheese (queso crema)
• 1 Tbs. powdered sugar (azúcar glass)
• Pinch salt (sal)
• 2 Tbs. rose syrup (and more for drizzling) 
• 2 Tbs. pistachio paste
• Chopped pistachios for decoration

Instructions:

• Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. 
• Melt chocolate, using a double boiler or microwave.
• In a medium bowl, using a hand-held mixer, cream together the cream-cheese, rose syrup, pistachio paste, melted white chocolate, powdered sugar and salt. 
• Using a spatula, carefully fold the cream-cheese mixture into the whipped cream. 
• * Divide between 2-4 glasses or bowls. 
• Cover and place in the refrigerator for one hour to firm, but it may be eaten at once. 
• Serve by drizzling extra rose syrup on top of mousse and add chopped pistachios.  
  • Store leftover mousse, covered in the refrigerator, for two-three days.

Disfruta!

Deborah McCoy is the one-time author of mainstream, bridal-reference books who has turned her attention to food, particularly sweets, desserts and fruits. She is the founder of CakeChatter™ on FaceBook and X (Twitter), and the author of four baking books for “Dough Punchers” via CakeChatter (available @amazon.com). She is also the president of The American Academy of Wedding Professionals™ (aa-wp.com).