I’m a huge fan of edible leaves and flowers from the garden, and when I see edible flowers incorporated into a food recipe I have to give it a try.

The inspiration for this recipe came from Sunset Magazine’s Western Edition March issue. I looked through the entire magazine but what caught my eye is guess what? Flowers and herbs! Lovely flowers and herbs so beautifully shown off to perfection, in butter of all things.

This got me thinking, I mean if I am going to all this trouble to make this gorgeous tapestry of edible flowers and herbs, I want to share it with lots of people like at a party, and serving bread and butter even if it is this pretty didn’t sound so appealing.  

On the other hand, serving herbed cream cheese beautifully decorated with herbs and edible flowers?  Now, that I can see serving with crackers for any occasion.  That’s how I came up with this Cream Cheese Edible Art – Cream Cheese with Herbs & Edible Flowers.

My first foray into making this cream cheese edible art was to make it for the family one Sunday afternoon.  The reaction when they saw the cream cheese was “Wow, this is gorgeous!!”

To get that “This is beautiful!” reaction, it is best to serve the cream cheese all spread out in a thin layer on a large platter,  This way the flowers and herbs can be evenly displayed on the cream cheese and can be appreciated for their beauty.  

I encourage you take the extra time to find that perfect flat surface on which you can show off this amazing cream cheese edible art.

Cream Cheese Edible Art:
Cream Cheese with Herbs and Edible Flowers

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt or any flavored salt
• Edible flower petals such as pansies, rose petals, marigolds, calendula, lavender, and agastache.
• 1 tsp tender fresh herb leaves such as thyme, tarragon, dill, parsley, and oregano.
• 1 tsp finely chopped chives. Chives have beautiful lavender colored flowers – go ahead and pick these and sprinkle them for a mild green onion flavor.
• Get creative. You can add lemon zest, flavored salts, black pepper, paprika and red chili flakes for a little heat.

Directions:

In a large flat platter spread the cream cheese in a thin layer.

Sprinkle finely chopped chives or scallions. Next sprinkle salt and pepper and chili flakes, herbs, and edible flower petals. Lastly if you like you can sprinkle lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil.

Serve herb and flower cream cheese with crostini bread and crackers.

This is a beautiful appetizer that even little kids can get involved with. Besides the gorgeous end result, most of the fun is picking all the flowers and herbs and showing off your artistic talent on the cream cheese spread.

Serve cream cheese edible art with wine or a chilled lemonade for a perfect late afternoon snack.