In Japan, cherry blossoms herald the start of spring. Their full bloom is a sight to behold—but one all too brief, lasting only days before the petals fall to the ground.
These salt-pickled cherry blossoms are traditionally used to make sakura-yu, a tea served at weddings as a symbol of new beginnings. They’ve also found their way into a variety of sweet and savory dishes: folded into rice for sakura gohan, mixed into red bean paste to fill steamed sakura-manjū (cherry buns), suspended in translucent jelly to create edible works of art.
In one of her many creations, Chen uses them to adorn crisp, buttery sable cookies, their salty zing and subtle fragrance cutting through the richness of the base. They make for elegant treats to celebrate the season—likely to be gone just as fast as their fleeting namesake.
