Queen Anne’s Lace Fritters
Popular as an ornamental garden plant because of the dense umbels of white flowers. Well, actually, the inner floret of each little umbel is usually coloured in a deep dark almost black purple where, of course, Queen Anne is said to have pricked her finger and shed a drop of blood on it. This key detail is what separates it from its poisonous look-alike, poison hemlock. If you don’t grow this from seeds yourself, please make sure you have the right plant and forage safely & responsibly.
Other key features of Queen Anne’s Lace are;
- A single purple or black dot like flower centre
- Hairy stems
- A flat Umbel (the umbrella-like flowering top)
- Fern-like leaves with hairy bottoms
- Long prong-like bases below the flowers
- Condensed group of white blooms
This recipe focuses on using them as a light starter for 4 people.
Ingredients
4 large flower heads
leave 20-25cm of stem if you're not using tongs to hold them whilst frying
**for the tempura batter**
70g cornflour
30g plain flour
80ml sparkling water
chilled
crushed ice
small handful
vegetable oil for frying
about 1/2 inch deep
Directions
**flowerhead prep**
1. Pick 4 or more flowerheads and leave a fair bit of stem on them
2. Shake off any bugs you can see
3. Wash the flowers thoroughly
4. Pat the flowers dry to remove all moisture – careful to not crush the flowerhead!
**tempura batter**
1. To make the batter, mix the flours with a pinch of sea salt
2. Whisk in the sparkling water and crushed ice then you are ready to use
3. Dip your flower heads into the batter, swirl around to coat evenly
4. Shake off excess batter and fry in preheated oil until golden and crispy
5. Put on a plate or bowl lined with several layers of kitchen roll to absorb any excess oil
How to eat?
Simply eat the flowers off of the stems, you can eat the stems, they may however be tough to chew. Personally I don’t think these need any sauces of dips as the taste is amazing as they are. Lemony carrots is what I tasted and I can’t wait to make them again!