The cucumber-cuke bloom combo is one of The Chef’s Gardens signature crops, offering up a micro cucumber with clean and refreshing flavors—soft melon ones that remain true to their origin. Texture of the cuke is delicate and crispy with the blossoms providing a crunchy, succulent bite. As a marvelous bonus, vibrant yellow blooms add eye-catching beauty to plates and glasses. Here’s how three of our creative chefs use cukes with bloom in their own in-demand dishes.
Chef Rogelio Garcia Chef Rogelio appreciates the “fresh, refreshing vibe” that cukes with bloom add to his amberjack fish crudo that he offers at a tasting menu at Auro Restaurant. It works well with fatty fish, he notes, with a surrounding citrus sauce providing the final touch of flavor.
“Cukes with bloom,” he says, “taste good, and they have a great look.”
Chef Arthur Coutinho-Doyal “Cukes with bloom,” Chef Arthur from The Restaurant at Starbase says, “is an ingredient that is familiar to everyone when you read it on a menu. It is something that the majority like but gives the chef the ability to present it in a way the guest could never imagine. This makes them a sure win-win.” He makes a creative Martian Garden crudité with layers of sunchoke puree and saffron aioli topped with a Martian crumble: activated charcoal, bread crumbs, and almonds. “It sparkles in red and gold,” Chef Arthur says, “and is quite attractive.”
Then, as a final touch, he places both pickled and fresh vegetables into his garden dish, having them stick up as if poking through the garden—including cukes with bloom.
Executive Chef Lonny Huot Chef Lonny of the Edgewood Tahoe Resort “loves the beautiful yellow flower and its appearance in a dish.” He enjoys briefly pickling the cuke portion, poking a hole in a paper towel placed over a pickling liquid and submerging the green portion of the veggie for about thirty minutes while keeping the attached bloom fresh. He then makes a seasonal salad with greens and other in-season ingredients, adding the pickled cukes with bloom—and pairing it with a delicious tomato goat cheese souffle.
More About Cukes With Bloom
Interested in using cukes with bloom in your own dishes and menus? Reach out to your product specialist today!