[GPI]

How To Make Stuffed Nasturtiums
By Kathi Dameron

Imagine a vibrant burst of red, yellow and orange nasturtium flowers in your kitchen or herb garden.

Peppery and elegant, these fabulous bright blooms add the aesthetics of style and pizzazz as prolific blooms bordering the garden patch, trailing down a hanging basket and clipped to use in culinary creations.

When I owned Canopy Rose Catering, a Tallahassee Florida business that specialized in designing and catering high end events, Nasturtiums were a popular seasonal garnish that added a little bit of wow to delicious presentations.

From Floating Nasturtiums in stemmed goblets of Iced Vichyssoise (an exquisite potato leek bisque) to Herbal Cream Cheese Stuffed Nasturtiums, guests loved the unique spicy taste of these delicate edible flowers.



How To Make Stuffed Nasturtiums

1- 8 ounce package cream cheese
2 Teaspoons fresh chopped herbs
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon green onions, minced
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup nuts, chopped
1 to 2 dozen nasturtium blossoms, gently washed and dried

1. Soften the cream cheese at room temperature.
2. Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise.
3. Combine all other ingredients EXCEPT Nasturtium Flowers.
4. Roll mixture into miniature balls that will fit into the nasturtium flowers.
5. Serve as a lovely garnish to salads, appetizers, soups and entrees.

The ingredients can be adapted and flavored to compliment a wide range of different foods. A bit of chicken, shrimp, lobster, crab, smoked salmon or confetti-chopped vegetables can be used.

Imagine a Wasabi Tuna Stuffed Nasturtium. Same recipe just add wasabi and tuna to your cream cheese blend.

Imagine a Chicken and Walnut Pesto Stuffed Nasturtium. Same idea, just include a bit of tender baked chicken and a walnut pesto sauce to your cream cheese blend.

(c) Kathi Dameron, Kathi Dameron and Associates

Kathi Dameron is a former caterer and special event designer. She is a food columnist who writes a regular newspaper column "Entertaining With Kathi", teaches occasional cooking classes, owns Kathi Dameron and Associates ~ A Writing and Blogging Boutique, is a free-lance writer and is writing her first cookbook. She can be reached at http://www.kathidameron.com
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