The Beautiful Way Martha Stewart Gives Pancakes A Springtime Upgrade

Some chefs enhance their breakfast pancakes with flavored milk. Others use yeasted buttermilk to increase the fluffiness factor. Then there's Martha Stewart's method, which is levels above the rest: She uses edible flowers. During the spring, edible flowers like pansies, lilac, borage, roses, nasturtium, and calendula are plentiful, making them a perfect accessory to your breakfast buffet. Edible flowering herbs, like chives, which produce aromatic purple pom-pom-like blooms, chamomile, which has a delicate white flower with a yellow center, and lavender, which has a fragrant purple bud, are other great options to have in your arsenal. 

Before incorporating edible flowers into your favorite breakfast breads, omelettes, or avocado toasts, gently wash them to remove any dirt. Use a damp paper towel to carefully wipe off each petal, or dip the entire flower in a shallow bowl of water and pat dry with a paper towel. Not only do edible flowers and flowering herbs offer a stunning presentation element, but they add fresh flavors — savory and sweet — to whatever you're whipping up.

Just like spices, edible flowers have their own unique flavors, which lend themselves to a variety of dishes. Pansies are available in many colors, with a light texture and medium flavor. This versatility helps them shine in salads, sparkle on cakes and cookies, and add a colorful flair to a goat cheese log. Borage, small blue flowers that taste like cucumber, make a nice accent for chicken salad or tuna salad sandwiches. Sweeter blooms, like roses, lilac, and lavender, can be infused into simple syrups, teas, or clear spirits like vodka or gin. Chamomile works well in teas and can be combined with other edible flowers, like roses, to create a calming blend for muffins or pound cakes. 

More pungent flowering herbs, like chives, provide rich, savory flavors that complement deviled eggs, scones and biscuits, compound butter, homemade dips, and creamy potato salad. Squash blossoms are delicate in flavor and delicious when fried and served with a tangy seasoned sour cream dipping sauce. Nasturtium, which has a peppery kick, is a great substitute for red pepper flakes on top of a homemade grilled pizza. Take advantage of these beautiful blooms while you can!