Flowers (was Re: [Sca-cooks] Quail eggs ( was: no subject))

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

>
> >> Violet sugar is yummy, and they are blooming right now...
> >
> >Violets? Blooming? In Minnesota? We have four inches of snow on the ground
> >and the ground itself is still frozen solid. We won't see violets until at
> >least April or even May.
>
> Really! I didn't know you were up there in God's Icebox! Our violets were
> up by Feb 23- and I know for sure because I sent my sweetie a note to tell
> him- violets are my totem, and seeing their sweet faces made me feel like I
> might survive the winter...

Could be worse, I could be up there in Winnipeg, on the frozen plains of
Manitoba. Oh, but Faerisa is going to *hurt* me... :-)

>
> >Sweet Celebrations (formerly Maid of Scandinavia) sells candied violets,
> >roses, and mint leaves. I'll wait until summer and candy my own, I think.
> >And maybe this year I'll manage to do some flowers. I've been growing
> >pansies and violas every year in anticipation of candying them, and I have
> >never gotten to it yet. Maybe this summer.
>
> I found the website again: http://www.candiedflowers.com/  They are
> expensive, but there's lots of pictures of things you can do with candied
> flowers...

Oh, *these* people. I read about them in Fine Cooking. I thought about
trying it myself as a business.
>
> *sigh* I tried to make candied violets a couple of years back, and ended up
> with lumps of sugar... I don't seem to be good at it and I don't know why-
> I figure if I can do illumination, should be able to deal with flowers,
> right? HAHAHAHAHAHA....

They sell kits. In the Fine Cooking article, the lady said that usually
people will try the kit and then they come back and buy the pre-made
flowers anyway, because doing it yourself is apparently such a pain.

>
> 'Lainie
> -majorly irritated at being inept at something I would enjoy...

I think you have to go the paintbrush and superfine sugar route, with
candied flowers. Some years ago I was serving for a feast that had candied
violets and mint leaves as garnish on something, and they were basically
purple and green lumps of sugar, in vague flower or leaf shapes. The dip
into egg white, dip into sugar approach apparently gets you flower-shaped
lumps of sugar.

Do we have much documentation for candied flowers in period?

Margaret