Common Blue Violet
Viola sororia
This common flower is widely used in cooking. There are many violet recipes out on the web, but I'm only sharing Candied Violets because the guide on the walk, Heather, mentioned them as a perfect Mother's Day gift. I found several recipes and this one is the purest:
- Beat some egg whites lightly (one egg white to ±30 violets)
- Brush eggwhite on both sides of each violet, then sprinkle the back of each violet heavily with fine granular sugar (put regular sugar in a blender to make "fine").
- Lightly sprinkle the front of each violet with the fine sugar.
- Lay the violets face up on wax paper for about one hour or until stiff enough to move to a clean piece of wax paper.
- Let the violets dry in a warm well ventilated room / place for as long as you can stand it (or up to two (2) weeks).
You can use these candied violets to decorate cakes, puddings, summer desserts, and even martinis! Be very gentle when you make them so that you don't smoosh the petals.
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Technorati Tags: Common Blue Violet, Viola sororia, candied violets
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