First you have to pick them!
No pictures of that. With my sciatica still verging in the background,
I wasn’t going to try sitting to pick, so there would have been a lot
of backside bending pictures- and I will tell you that I have no intention
of ever willingly posting any picture of that!
I picked a lot of violets.
And then I got out the super fine sugar and added a little violet colored
sugar and whirred it about in the food processor to make it all very fine.
Then I beat an egg white by hand and foamed up the top so that I could paint
the surface of the petals.
You have to paint both front and back of each petal and then dredge them with
sugar. And then- either allow them to air dry- which takes several days- or
pop them into the microwave and dry them in 15 second bursts of power.
Check for dryness after each 15 second interval. You want them to dry- not cook, or
HORRORS, burn.
There is a lot of moisture in a violet, so it may take a while to dry- but keep a close
eye on the whole process- it takes a long time to make these delectable beauties
But they make the most beautiful and tasty garnish for lemon curd tartlets.
I made about 80 violet confections over the weekend.
My husband thinks I’m nuts.
Well, maybe.
you are nuts, but those are very pretty! Love you! I saw somewhere you can make violet syrup. Maybe I’ll try that this year.
They are beautiful and look great on lemon tartlets. Beautiful pictures.
Ally- violet syrup or jelly- that’s my next project!
Cynthia- Thanks. I love using “free” ingredients from my yard!
Beautiful! I admire your perseverance in creating these!
Edible flowers look really nice in salads. They sell them at the farmer’s market in the Summer. This is my first time to see violets and crystalized. They must look nice on cakes. Thanks for the demonstration. Cheers!
Beautiful – I was thinking of you and the lavender flowers you crystalised the other day and I wondered about violets too. I saw Choclette did some primroses on her blog, which she used on her Easter cupcakes. I must try one of these days, but I am heavy handed with delicate flowers. Are these what we call ‘sweet violets’ here?
Thanks, Elizabeth- it does take perseverance and lots of time.
Arthur-They taste like a mild mint and are very pretty used for decoration.
Joanna- yes, sweet violets (I think in comparison to African violets)- they have a very subtle scent and an mild flavor. You do have to be very lighthanded with them or the petals will clump together.
How long do they last for Heidi? They look really pretty.
I did orchids once to pretty up a cake.
They last quite a long time, Brydie!
I try to use them up in a month or so- because the color is vibrant when they are fresh. But even if they blanch out a bit, I’ve used them up to 9 months later. They dry out completely and become like a piece of delicate hard candy.
I cracked up about what you said your husband thought.
We got back from the south coast and all the restaurants seem to be serving edible flowers with their entrees and mains. Looks really colourful and brightens up the entire dish!