An Ode to Magnolia

Notes on Culinary Usage

Apparently Magnolia is the oldest flower in the world and originated in Yunnan, China. Yunnan is also the birthplace of tea, and is famous for wild mushrooms. I should probably visit given my adoration of these three things. One day. In the meantime, I wanted to share my accumulating notes on the culinary virtues of magnolia, as well as unburden my camera roll that gets flooded with flowers when the spring hits. A friend said ‘I’ll know when the magnolia is here because you won’t f*cking stop posting pictures’ (it’s true).

Cooking with magnolia isn’t much heard of though, trust me, this pretty flower is probably going to have its instagram moment like any other lovely thing that looks good on camera, and that we can shove in our mouths. 2024 will be the year of magnolia madness, methinks. It’s already starting. Louise sent me a reel the other day with whole magnolia flowers filled with wild garlic pesto charring over a small fire in the woods. While I’m not sure about the final structural integrity of this idea, it was beautiful nonetheless.

Magnolia has an intriguing taste - ginger, black pepper, and perfume. In my experiments, it has mostly been used as a sweet thing, though I’m hoping I have many more years to play with the petals and update this document. Here are the results of my escapades thus far.

Magnolia Syrup

200g petals

1kg sugar

1 litre of water

Add all ingredients to a pan, bring to a simmer, lower the heat and let bubble ever so gently for around 20 minutes before straining into sterilised jam jars or a bottle. Keep in the fridge for a longer life.

Dried Magnolia Petal Candies

Spread the damp petals remaining from your syrup-making party on a baking tray lined with baking paper and dry in the oven on a low heat (around 80 degrees celsius) with the door open, checking every half an hour until they are dry and crisp. Sprinkle with caster sugar when finished. Store in an airtight jar and use within a month, though I reckon they’d keep going. I’ll let you know. I reckon these would be good smashed up and added to shortbread. I will also let you know about that, too.

Magtini

50ml gin

25ml dry vermouth

25ml magnolia syrup

Run to the nearest friendly bar you know and ask them to make this for you, a jar of syrup in tow. Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a candied petal. With thanks to Chloe at the Wild Goose, Canterbury for obliging me.

Pickled Magnolia

450g Magnolia petals

350ml Rice vinegar or white wine vinegar

200g Sugar

1 Tsp Salt

Place petals in a clean, sterilised jar with tsp of salt

Bring vinegar and sugar to the boil

Pour over the petals

Allow to cool

Tightly seal with lid and store in cool, dark place

Once opened, refrigerate and consume within a month

Serve as part of a fresh, spring salad, with cheese, or enjoy each leaf as a small treat from the fridge.

Magnolia Syrup Sponge

I don’t actually remember how I did this one, and I did it twice. In 2022 with raspberries and when the magnolia syrup had become quite fermented, and this year with non fermented magnolia syrup with rhubarb and pears. Basically fill the bottom of your pie dish with fruit and a really generous glug or two of syrup, and spoon generous blobs of basic sponge cake mix on top. Bake in the oven at 180 for around 20 mins and see where you’re at. Serve warm with creme fraiche. The raspberry and fermented magnolia version was better. It fully made me swoon. The pear and rhubarb only made me shed a little tear.

Lemon Magnolia Drizzle

Simply follow Nigella’s lemon polenta cake recipe, but replace the drizzle with 75% magnolia syrup and 25% lemon juice. Eat a slice warm and eat a slice cool to taste the difference. I find that ‘floral’ always comes through when a bake has gone cold, but I can’t resist things straight from the oven. It’s not so bad a weakness to have.

Until next year, Maggie, you gorgeous gal.