Pyrotechnics from the Kitchen - Flaming Kebabs

I don't know why, but I felt like I had to set something on fire today. To that end I thought I'd share a fun little tip with you. We did this on my show for the Style network. Summer entertaining is almost here, and Tiki themed parties are still popular, so why not get into the spirit with flaming fruit? This method will work for flaming fruit (or meat and vegetable, for that matter) kebabs or for flaming garnishes for drinks.

You'll need:

Skewers that have been soaking in water for a while
Fruit of various kinds (I'm using pineapple and strawberries)
Soft bread cubes
Lemon extract

Lemon extract has a very high alcohol content, so it burns beautifully.

Soak your bread cubes in the extract and stack them with the fruit on the water soaked skewers.

Light the cubes and serve right away. The cubes will burn for a little while, but should be extinguished before you try to eat the fruit. The flames will singe the fruit a little, but it's still tasty!

Creative Entertaining with Edible Flowers

Hello people, thanks for joining me! This week is all about flowers - edible flowers that is. Eating flowers sounds incredibly decadent - sort of like something that would get the Romans in trouble with the gods like plumbing with lead or Nero fiddling. It's quite respectable, however, and won't bring any lightning bolts down on your head. It's a wonderful idea for creative entertaining.  I especially like serving flowers in salads. The bright oranges, yellows and reds of nasturtiums are so beautiful tucked among the variegated greens of the different lettuces. They also make a delightful conversational opener for a dinner party!

Now, there are certain flowers that are just delicious and perfect for a nosh, including nasturtiums, violets, pansies, Johnny-jump-ups, roses, orchids, chrysanthemums, and clover. You can find a complete list of edible flowers here.

 It's so important to know what you're eating, however. Certain flowers are poisonous and should be avoided - these include: daffodils, foxglove, crocus, azalea, rhododendron, lilly of the valley and wisteria. A more complete list of dangerous flowers can be found here.   

 In addition to being used on pastries and in salads as demonstrated in the show, edible flowers can also be used as garnish or frozen into ice blocks and floated in your favorite punch or in small ice cubes for summer cocktails or candied with sugar. It's such a delightful way to liven up your meal. Try it the next time you entertain. Your dinner parties will never be "business as usual" again!

 Thanks for coming by. Come back next week for some more fun!