THOSE BLOOMING DISHES

Garnish your dinner plate with lilacs from the backyard garden, says Rosalind Creasy, who has been an edible-flower enthusiast for many years. Now that cooks have discovered their edible properties, flowers are blossoming on plates in restaurants and home kitchens.

Knowing which flowers can adorn a plate and which are better left in a vase is the main challenge of cooking with flowers, says Creasy. Don`t presume that all flowers are edible. Creasy advises avoiding flowers that have been grown with pesticides or other harmful chemicals. And know the flowers that are dangerous to eat, even though some caterers might place them on top of a June wedding cake: Avoid delphiniums, daffodils, wisteria, foxglove, hydrangea, iris, poinsettia, rhododendron and azalea.

Creasy advises sticking with only the limited list of those flowers that are edible rather than experimenting. The danger comes from cookbook authors who list flowers by common rather than Latin names. She refers to ``The Oxford Book of Food Plants`` by Masefield, Wallis, Harrison and Nicholson (Oxford University Press, 1975) if a flower is in question.

Easy for newcomers to flower cookery to use are nasturtium flowers. Slightly sweet with a bitter tang, these bright orange or yellow blooms decorate green vegetables with aplomb. Some restaurants offer nasturtium flowers in salads or even pasta.

Borage, with its bright blue color, is another favorite. It can float on a cold summer drink or be pureed and added to chilled fruit soup. Some cooks sprinkle chopped borage flowers or chive blossoms over baked potatoes.

Squash blossoms can be fried along with the zucchini this summer, or stuffed with bread crumbs and rice for an interesting side dish.

Desserts can be decorated with rose petals or lavender blossoms. Rose petal sorbet is a favorite dessert. Honeysuckle, apple blossom, chrysanthemums, lilacs and pansies are also popular.

WINE-POACHED SUMMER FRUIT WITH THYME AND SAGE

This fruit dessert uses lemon thyme and sage blossoms. If you prefer, use a nonalcoholic wine for poaching.

1 1/2 cups sweet white wine, such as Riesling

1/2 cup apple juice

1/3 cup light-colored honey

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

4 nickel-sized slices ginger root

1 cinnamon stick

2 cloves

2 sprigs lemon thyme with blossoms

1 small sprig sage with blossoms

3 peaches, halved and pitted

12 Italian prune-plums, halved and pitted

3 nectarines, halved and pitted

1/2 pint fresh raspberries, for garnish

In large saucepan over medium heat, combine wine, apple juice, honey, vanilla bean, ginger root, cinnamon stick, cloves, thyme and sage. Bring to boil.

Add peaches, prune-plums and nectarines and simmer, uncovered, until fruit softens but does not fall apart, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove fruit with slotted spoon. Strain poaching liquid. Discard spices. Reserve liquid.

Combine fruit and liquid. Cover and chill.

Serve assortment of fruit in each bowl, garnished with some poaching liquid and raspberries. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

(Adapted from a recipe by Richard Sax.)

HONEY-ROSEMARY OR LAVENDER SORBET

Sorbets are unusual but delicious endings to a meal when made with flowers or fragrant herbs.

1 cup boiling water

5 rosemary or lavender sprigs, each about 4 inches long, with flowers, plus extra for garnish

1 cup cold water

1 cup light-colored honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine boiling water and 5 rosemary sprigs in heat-proof bowl. Cover and let steep 4 hours.

In medium saucepan, combine cold water, honey and lemon juice. Bring to boil over high heat. Remove from heat. Strain steeping liquid and combine with honey liquid. Discard herbs.

Pour liquid into 8-inch square baking pan. Place in freezer until mixture freezes around edges, 1 to 2 hours. Stir well. Return to freezer. Repeat 2 to 3 times until sorbet is uniformly frozen. Cut into chunks. Puree briefly in food processor until smooth but still thick.

Spoon into wine glasses. Top with sprig of rosemary. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

SPRING SALAD WITH NASTURTIUMS

This colorful salad will brighten June menus.

4 cups torn romaine lettuce

1 cup mixed baby greens

1 cup torn radicchio or curly endive

1/2 cup nasturtium blossoms

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels

2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons minced red onion

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

6 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons olive oil

In large salad bowl, combine lettuce, greens, radicchio, nasturtiums and corn. Mix well.

In smaller bowl, combine blue cheese, onion, mustard, garlic, vinegar, water and oil. Stir to combine. Toss with greens. Makes 4 servings.

(Mary Carroll is the author of the ``No Cholesterol (No Kidding!) Cookbook,`` Rodale Press.)

(c) 2000, Mary Carroll. Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

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Author: Mary Carroll