Ingredient Spotlight: Hibiscus

And lots of delicious ideas for what to make with it!

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Hibiscus agua fresca with fresh ginger and lime

Welcome back to Ingredient Spotlight where I write about one of the many different ingredients I like to bake and prepare desserts with. In the past we have already covered how to incorporate Turmeric, Sumac and Labneh into delicious baked goods and desserts. This week we will talk all things Hibiscus, also known as Flor de Jamaica - which I love not just for the deep crimson colour it lends to anything it touches but also its beautifully tart berry-like flavour.

Dried hibiscus calyces

What is it?

Hibiscus is a flowering plant part of the mallow family Malvaceae (other members of this rather large family of different species include okra, cotton, cacao and durian, for example). While a number of hibiscus species are cultivated as ornamental plants, what we’ll focus on today is Hibiscus sabdariffa. This is the species of Hibiscus native to Africa (but has since spread across the globe) that is cultivated for culinary uses (specifically the plant’s calyces as shown in the photo above). The name hibiscus itself is derived from the Greek ἰβίσκος (ibískos) and is also known as Roselle, Flor de Jamaica or Jamaican Sorrel.

What does it taste like?

When you first taste hibiscus the thing that will strike you the most is just how tart it is (it is no surprise that hibiscus is pretty high in vitamin C!). But the tartness then gives way to fruity, red berry/cranberry like flavours.

What does it go well with?

Hibiscus is used both for its tart flavour as well as for its deep crimson colour. Its tart berry-like flavour means it has natural affinity with different kinds of berries like strawberries or raspberries, but it also pairs well with stone fruits like apricots and peaches. Given its beautiful colour it is also often used to poach fruit such as rhubarb or pear or even rhubarb to make it appear more pink (similarly, in savoury cooking, it is often used to help along the colour of pickled red onions, turning them a bright fuchsia). Its tartness means it also provides a nice contrast against anything rich and creamy - e.g. dishes prepared with full fat dairy or coconut milk (which, given its crimson colour also makes for some dramatic colour contrasts - e.g. in say a Panna cotta with a hibiscus syrup). In terms of spices it pairs well with cinnamon and anise seed but also more aromatic types of pepper such as Timut Pepper and Long Pepper for example. For drinks I also like mixing hibiscus with fresh ginger and lime or other citrus fruits.

Mulled Hibiscus

How can I use it?

Below are a few ideas and links to recipes for delicious desserts and cakes you can make with hibiscus to get you started. I’ll also share a few ideas for delicious drinks you can prepare with hibiscus:

• At its most basic, you can use powdered hibiscus to stain any icing a shocking pink colour to drizzle over cakes and cookies - a small electric spice or coffee grinder will come in handy for this to pulverize the hibiscus. You could also use powdered hibiscus to make a deeply crimson craquelin to top things like Choux or Conchas before baking. And I would be curious to see if you could also use powdered hibiscus to make something like the Praliné Rose Lyon is so famous for;

• Hibiscus tea is also a great alcohol free alternative for poaching fruit - e.g. for pears but also rhubarb - see this Ottolenghi recipe for hibiscus poached pears with toasted coconut custard;

• I also like the idea of creating a hibiscus syrup and pouring this over a Muhallabiah style custard set with rice flour or cornstarch (or Panna Cotta or Blancmanger), maybe a cinnamon flavoured one given hibiscus’ affinity for cinnamon. I would also happily eat a simple set cheesecake with a hibiscus jelly topping;

• And of course you could also use hibiscus to make a simple hibiscus jelly to serve with custard (or to use as part of a trifle) or turn it into homemade hibiscus wine gum or hibiscus pâte de fruit;

• I also always think that hibiscus would make a great base for a Swedish style cold fruit soup where you essentially cook fruit in fruit juice which you thicken with starch - not unlike this recipe for chilled rhubarb and hibiscus with vanilla cream and mint from Ottolenghi;

• This hibiscus granita recipe from Bon Appétit sounds great too - but I would probably pair it with cinnamon whipped cream or maybe a coconut whipped cream;

• You can also use hibiscus to prepare delicious hibiscus preserves which is quite common in Nigeria for example - hibiscus is rich in pectin so you don’t need anything besides hibiscus and sugar to make this. That being said, you could of course also pair hibiscus with other fruits to make jam - hibiscus and rhubarb would be a great pairing;

• You could also use hibiscus to make some cookies - like the hibiscus studded Croquant d’Amandes from Tartine No 3 for example.

• You can of course use hibiscus, especially in powdered form, to flavour (and colour) cakes - like this hibiscus loaf cake from Serious Eats. I also think powdered hibiscus could be a fun way of making a “Pink” Velvet Cake that does not require any food dye. One thing to bear in mind if you want to use hibiscus in enriched yeasted doughs is that it is so acidic that depending on how much of it you use it could interfere with gluten formation (something I learned the hard way when I at some point started testing recipes for Hibiscus and Cinnamon Conchas);

• This hibiscus pavlova recipe from Epicurious also sounds really fun!

Ideas for hibiscus flavoured drinks:

• If you have never had hibiscus agua fresca (essentially a hibiscus iced tea), then start there - here is a recipe for this from Bon Appétit;

• This recipe from Serious Eats for a spiced hibiscus agua fresca from Jamaica with ginger, cloves and allspice sounds delicious as well. Here is a similar recipe I found in the Guardian using slightly different spices;

• This hibiscus pineapple skin drink from Serious Eats also sounds worth trying;

• For our supperclubs we also made hibiscus syrup for a hibiscus twist on Kir Royal which is also really delicious as a welcome cocktail for a dinner party;

• When I was pregnant with my son I made a hot mulled hibiscus drink for Christmas so I didn't get too much FOMO from not being able to enjoy any mulled wine. Now that baby No 2 is on the way, I’m already looking forward to recreating this later this year. To prepare this, simply add your favourite spices for making mulled wine (think cinnamon, cloves, sliced oranges etc.) plus sugar to taste when making hibiscus tea and let everything steep for 10 minutes or so;

• If you are looking for a cocktail using hibiscus, this strawberry, hibiscus and black pepper spritz from Ottolenghi sounds delicious.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that any leftover hibiscus calyces from making infusions can be turned into delicious hibiscus quesadillas. A recipe I first tried a couple of years ago when brainstorming recipe ideas for Cinco de Mayo.

And if you are still hungry for more things hibiscus, here are some more hibiscus ideas, sweet and savoury, from Bon Appétit.

Have you ever made any desserts or cakes with hibiscus? If so, let me know in the comments below in case. And if there are any particular ingredients languishing at the back of your pantry or crowding out your spice rack that you would like some new ideas for what to make with, let me know in the comments as well!