Food and Flowers: September Sunflowers, Basil, and Tomatoes

A MONTHLY FEATURE SHOWCASING SEASONAL FLOWERS AND PRODUCE AS WE FIND THEM IN THE VIRGINIA COUNTRYSIDE. FOOD IN FLOWERS AND EDIBLE FLOWERS IN FOOD WITH FLORAL DESIGNER HOLLY CHAPPLE AND... US! 

September in Virginia is a tricky bit**. With loaded sunflower fields, tomatoes, abundant basil and even the starting availability of autumn pumpkins a lot is happening. While most people are ‘excited for fall’ it is decidedly NOT FALL in here in September. Vacillating between blazing hot and humid, and a beautiful crisp 75 it’s just tempting enough to break out a sweater or two, only to be swiftly enduring a regret-filled commute the next day.

September is a busy, unpredictable month for farms. If you drive down the roads here in Virginia we’re in the midst of grape harvest. Some fields are already harvested, while others are coated in netting, awaiting the perfect harvest morning. There are also tons of floral blooms from dahlias to sunflowers and an abundance of zinnias. But the shift between hot and humid, rain and ultra-cool mornings can cause tons of mold and mildew for delicate tomatoes, grapes, flowers. You have to be swift and decisive knowing when it’s time to pick or wait.

Since Holly’s fields were loaded with a special pale yellow sunflower, we decided to use sunflower in two ways today. First is the “Always Tired Club” cocktail. It’s a play on a Japanese Cocktail and a Whiskey Sour combo with an ode to the Post Malone song Sunflower and his ‘always tired’ face tattoo. In a serendipitious moment, this song came on our Sonos while we were making this. Do not indict him on his ‘taste in music’. He feels Post Malone is not good or bad.

Chris made a sunflower seed orgeat (sunflower milk) to mix with rye, cognac and a light egg foam with a few other ingredients. It’s for those who love a spirit-forward drink balanced with a floral and nutty lightness. We also used sunflower to create a crunchy sunflower hazelnut granola, tossed in aquafaba (vegan meringue from chickpeas), then baked.

Tomatoes come into play in the yogurt dish with the granola. Inspired by a dish we had at Noma, we paired raspberries and tomatoes to make a jam that’s not sweet, or savory, but a balance of the two. Topped with powdered basil from the garden and a drizzle of basil oil, it brings a grassy herbal taste and aroma to more mild dairy.

Get the look:

Raspberry Tomato Jam and crunchy sunflower granola with yogurt:

Creates enough jam and granola for at least 6

Ingredients:

Jam:

1.5 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped

3/4 pound raspberries (fresh or frozen)

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Granola:

3/4 cup steel cut oats

1/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup almond slivers

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup aquafaba *see below

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

3 Tablespoons clover honey

Aquafaba:

1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

To serve:

Whole fat Icelandic yogurt

Basil oil

Powdered basil . (TBH not crucial, but a great way to use up herbs. We use this in our fries with black garlic aioli recipe )

Fresh raspberries for garnish

Directions:

To make jam: Add ingredients to a medium pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1- 1.25 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent jam from burning. Cool and store in a sealed container in the fridge.

To make aquafaba: Drain liquid from 1 can of chickpeas. Store chickpeas for later usage and whip chickpea liquid with a standing mixer and whisk attachment or hand mixer until soft peaks form. Store extra in fridge.

To make granola: Preheat oven to 340 F with the rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat.

In a large bowl add all ingredients except aquafaba. Add aquafaba on top of dry ingredients and fold in using a silicon spatula until the mixture until combined. Transfer to baking sheet and press into a thin, even layer.

Bake 15 minutes, checking halfway through and rotating the pan for even cooking. Granola is ready when evenly browned. Cool on Silpat. Break into sheets. Store in an airtight container when cooled.

To plate dish:

Add yogurt to each dish. Add about 2 Tablespoons of jam in a semi circle along each dish edge. Add a few shards of granola. Top with fresh raspberries, sunflower petals and a drizzle of basil oil. We also added dried purple basil made using the Serious Eats dehydration method but you could use fresh.

“Always Tired Club” cocktail

makes 2 cocktails but enough sunflower orgeat for 4+

Ingredients:

Sunflower orgeat (sunflower milk): (weigh using a food scale)

200g sunflower seeds

200g sugar

200g hot water

To make cocktail:

1 ounce cognac

1 ounce rye

1/2 ounce Italicus

1/2 ounce lemon juice

1 T aquafaba (chickpea liquid)

1/2 ounce sunflower orgeat

1-2 drops basil oil

garnish with purple basil flowers

Directions:

To make sunflower orgeat: Add hot water, sunflower seeds, and sugar to a blender or immersion blender. Blend until all of the sugar is dissolved and the sunflower seeds fully pureed. We strained through a nutmilk bag but you could use cheese cloth and a sieve.

To make cocktail: Add ingredients to a shaking tin with half a cup of ice cubes. Shake vigorously for fifteen seconds and strain into two coupe glasses. Garnish with purple basil.