Freshness Frozen, Edible Flower Ice Cubes

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Ice Sculptures

Dr. Oetker Ristorante, are currently doing a “Freshness Frozen” campaign around the idea of locking in freshness in frozen food, which is often overlooked, despite being fresher than many fresh foods with preservatives. As part of their campaign, they launched an ice pizzeria in London a couple of weeks ago, with fresh vegetables and pizza ingredients frozen into the ice, and I have to say that it looked pretty impressive and certainly caught the public’s attentions, as you can see in the photos. Crafted from 34 huge blocks of ice, using 3,400 litres of water, and containing the essential ingredients of classic pizzas suspended in its frozen walls, the Dr. Oetker Ristorante pizzeria has been created to showcase the freshness of frozen food.

Living in a rural community means that I rely heavily on my freezer, for ready-made frozen food and products, mainly frozen vegetables, as well as a means of preserving my home-baked goods and home-grown fruit, vegetables, herbs AND flowers. Yes, flowers! I am very keen on edible flowers and have several recipes for them on Lavender and Lovage, but, as we slide into spring and summer, and as part of the “freshness frozen” campaign, I’d like to share a simple recipe for “Edible Flower Ice Cubes” today, that will be perfect in all your Pimm’s, Cocktails and Cordials. The recipe also works well with herbs and garnishes too, such as lemon wedges and herbal bouquets for cooking.

The recipe, or method, for my edible flower ice cubes is shared below, and was very much inspired by the amazing Ice Pizzeria in London; and if like me you like to indulge in a tipple or two whilst sunning yourself outside, then this is the way to go for a “posh ice cubes”. I have also shared more information and images about the amazing Ice Sculptures, and for more edible flower recipes, why not pop over to see all of mine here: Lavender and Lovage Edible Flower Recipes. I also have numerous “freezer friendly” recipes on my site, a perfect way to lock in freshness and provide hassle-free ready meals when time is at a premium on busy days.

*Commissioned Post*

Recipe:

Flowers and Posies Frozen in Time: Edible Flower Ice Cubes

“Hey, waiter – there’s a flower in my cocktail!” This is a great party idea, demonstrate that you’re the hostess with the mostess, the ultimate party planner, when you serve your guests drinks with stunning floral ice-cubes.  Try it for your next party or gathering. This idea is perfect for a showers, christenings, weddings, Christmas, or just about any special occasion. I also like to pile them up in a clear glass wine or champagne cooler to serve. This is a great example of how you can actually incorporate party decorations into the food you serve, so the food and the décor merge and compliment one another. Drop floral ice cubes into your guest’s glasses, or fill your punch bowl with them. Make sure you only use edible, organically grown (non-toxic) flowers. Rose petals, geranium petals, violets or small pansies are ideal choices, and that they are free of pesticides and traffic pollution. You can also use the flowers of fresh herbs, and drop them in to chilled soups for the summer – they make a wonderful finishing touch.”

Ingredients:

Freshly cut fresh edible flowers

(such as: pansies, violas, violets, marigolds, wall flowers, lobelia, borage flowers, herbs and herb flowers)

Mineral water or filtered water

Method:

Cut small, colourful flowers from your garden. Some types you might select are: pansies, violas, wall flowers, lobelia, and miniature roses. For larger flowers, simply use the petals instead of the whole flower. You can also use flowers from fresh herbs.

Fill an ice-cube tray half full of water. Place the tray in the freezer until the water freezes.

Remove the tray from the freezer and place one flower or several petals in each of the individual ice-cube cups. Top off with enough water to cover the blossoms.

Return the flower-filled ice-cube trays to the freezer until the cubes are frozen.

Remove the cubes from the trays and either store in the freezer in zip lock bags or use in beverages straight away.
Some more ideas for these ice cubes: drop them into soups or chilled soups; add to the punch bowl; line a glass salad bowl with them and then serve your salad in the middle; use them to chill wine and champagne in clear coolers — or just drop them into any cold drink.

Ice Pizzeria Outside a London Train Station:

A team of ice-experts spent an entire night putting the incredible frozen pizzeria together – and witnessed the impact of their endeavours when bleary-eyed commuters stared in disbelief as they started to arrive at Liverpool Street station in their thousands.

The Ice Pizzeria even has its own bar with 28 real glass bottles frozen into the blocks of ice, so they look like bottles on a shelf.

The team behind the sub-zero exhibit even created an ice-table inside the jaw-dropping display – which has a Balsamic vinegar bottle and olive oil bottle suspended in ice, just like in a real pizzeria.

The blocks, which have taken a full month to produce, have been specially created to hold a suspended wallpaper pattern inside the ice, made up from ingredients used on Dr. Oetker Ristorante pizzas.

And the ingredients have been painstakingly set into the ice by hand. There are approximately 70 separate items inside each block, and each item had to be weighed down in the water individually until the ice bites and it sticks in place.

Each block of ice takes five days to ‘grow’ to full size, with the ice forming over the suspended ingredients so the ice experts were only able to produce eight blocks in one run.

SOURCE Dr. Oetker