quesadillas florales

quesadillas florales

edible flowers and herbs harvested from my garden this morning

rose, geranium, lavender, day lily, marigold, mint

Once again I turn to John Sedlar for inspiration. After a most enchanting lunch at his restaurant Rivera in downtown Los Angeles, we fell head-over-heels for his Modern Southwest Cuisine. The chef serves tortillas florales with "indian butter," a spread made from avocado. Here, I take his idea to embed flowers into the masa and make decorated quesadillas filled with brie.

making tortillas

2 c. corn masa flour
maiz seleccionado y nixtamalizado
(selected corn treated with lime)

sprinkle 1/4 t. sea salt

add 1 1/4 c. water, mix thoroughly to form a soft dough

form masa into a ball

cover masa with damp cloth, let rest 5 minutes

take a piece of dough

roll between the palms to form a ball

cover masa balls with a damp cloth to keep moist

tortilla press

place a sheet of plastic wrap on the press, place one ball in the center, cover with another sheet of wrap
close lid and press down on lever

open lid, remove top layer of wrap

decorating tortillas

rose and marigold

rose, geranium and lavender

rose and mint

after placing the decoration, re-cover the tortilla with wrap, apply the press again

leave tortillas in individual wrappers until ready to cook

making quesadillas

slice brie, remove most of the rind

heat an ungreased skillet or comal over medium-high heat

add tortilla to the pan, cook about 5o seconds on each side

keep tortillas warm between folds of cloth napkins

cook plain tortillas, top with slices of brie

when brie starts to melt, top with a decorated tortilla

slice quesadillas into quarters

pour refreshing beverages
and serve quesadillas florales!

Lori Lynn

Taste With The Eyes