“Leaves range from soft and supple to crisp and assertive,” says Chef Jamie Simpson of the Culinary Vegetable Institute. “They serve many functions, but number one is flavor. A well-composed dish for us is a series of flavors and textures that all represent parts to a whole. The potential in leaves is limitless.”
Beet blush, for example, is a favorite of Chef Jonathon Miller of Stein Eriksen Lodge. Beet blush is the candy-sweet, tender shoot from a transplanted, fully-grown beet. The shoots draw their lifeblood from the concentrated sugars in the “mother beet.” Along with her energy, the baby shoots also soak up her deep, rich color, which rises rhubarb-pink through the stems and veins of their butter-yellow leaves, causing them to “blush.”
“Color is the obvious draw,” says Chef Jonathon. “I like to take the stem and do a brunoise and serve it like confetti on a dish. It adds crunch and brightness.”
He says that the garnish of a whole beet blush leaf is also a good way to add height and dimension to a dish. “It gives a very nice look to beet risotto, almost like a flag on a ship.”
At Miami’s Fisher Island Club, Banquet and Catering Chef Scott Brown says nasturtium leaves add a touch of the tropics to the menu, with the lily-pad look of nasturtium leaves reminding him of his childhood. “They make me remember when I was a kid and saw Japanese gardens for the first time, with those lily pads floating on top,” he says. Chef Scott likes serving dishes that might also evoke fond memories for his guests. “I like to create a story as they’re eating.”
Plus, he also incorporates nasturtium leaves for a practical reason. “We do banquets, so we use pretty standard plates,” he says. “Nasturtium leaves help define it and put our signature on the plate.”
Beyond memories and plating, Chef Scott’s preference for the leaves ultimately comes down to flavor.
“I love pretty food, but I’m not that guy who’ll jump up and down about it,” he says. “It’s easy to put that dish together, but I want to know: what does it taste like? For me, it’s all about flavor.”
The flavor of nasturtium leaves from The Chef’s Garden is “good and radishy,” he says. “I like them because they eat like a vegetable condiment. They also work as a palate cleanser.”
Chef Scott loves the thrill of watching someone taste a nasturtium leaf for the first time. “When people eat it, it’s like an Easter egg experience,” he shares. “It’s so cool.”
He typically uses nasturtium leaves “as is,” not wanting to interfere with their “mosaic” beauty. “They’re always wonderful to put on a plate.”
He chooses The Chef’s Garden’s edible leaves for both their flawless beauty and their intense flavor. “We only use,” he says,” the good stuff.”
Meanwhile, Boston Chef Carolina Curtin is a purpose-driven chef who vows that absolutely nothing lands on her plates unless it has a damn good reason to be there. When it comes to edible leaves (as well as edible flowers), appearance is one thing, and flavor is another. But it’s the marriage of both that makes a dish really sing.
“Anything I put on the plate is there for a purpose. It’s there for flavor and not just for looks,” she says. “The flavor profile has to go with everything.”
Shiso and Sorrels are among her top picks. “I love the demi purple shiso,” she says. “It’s so beautiful ─ bold flavor as well as beauty.”
Chef Carolina incorporates violas and purple shiso for her Hamachi crudo with huckleberries, pear, and vanilla. “The colors all go together,” she says. “I do a steak tartare with a micro salad of micro celery and sorrel. It’s all very earthy in its color and flavor profile.”
Uninitiated guests are often unaware that they can eat the leaves on their plates. But Chef Carolina says they’re missing out on an element carefully chosen for the dish if they don’t. However, she’s eager for them to learn, and her staff helps spread the message. “I explain to the servers what it is and why it’s on the plate,” she says. “Because it’s there for a reason and is integral to the plate’s appearance and flavor.”
Chef Jason Huang of the Tiffany Blue Box Café has used The Chef Garden’s edible leaves for about five years. “I like them for the visual appeal, size, and the flavor is definitely there, as well,” he says. “First and foremost, it’s the flavor.”
Nasturtium, beet blush, and sorrel are popular in Chef Jason’s dishes. “I like nasturtium. It has a clean, peppery flavor, and I love how they look, especially the variegated ones. I use it on avocado toast. I serve a selection of four pieces of toast on one plate, one with nasturtium, one with radish and bachelor buttons, also sorrel (the red sorrel is nice, but the lucky and the flaming are really great), sunflower seeds, and sprouts. We want to have four different flavors, but all herbaceous with flowers, herbs, and sprouts.”
“I like the beet blush, too,” he adds. “They’re really beautiful. We’re using it on a vegan beet dish with baby beets, roasted beet tops, cashew puree, and roasted chopped cashews with an orange vinaigrette. I use beet blush as a garnish to utilize the same ingredients. I trim the stem and use four or five pieces on the dish.”
He also incorporates classic sorrel leaf for a smoked salmon dish because “it’s nice and lemony.”
Why The Chef’s Garden produce?
“Simple to find. We don’t have a garden, and we can’t source them locally,” Chef Jason says. And the quality is not as good as yours—they wilt in a couple of days. Yours is packaged nicer, and it’s pristine.”