Candied violets are so decadent. I remember the first time I saw them in Montreal and I couldn't believe I was eating a violet! For a little effort you get a very elegant touch to your dish.
They are easy, peasy to make. But there are a couple of things to note.
You need to make sure your violets are pesticide free. I have them all over my yard so I know exactly what is or isn't on them!
The sugar needs to be fine. You can buy super fine sugar (not icing sugar). If you don't want to buy super fine sugar for a few tablespoons you can put regular sugar in your blender and give it a whirl.
Some people use a paint brush and to paint the violets with egg whites. That would make a good sticky base for the sugar but some people don't want raw eggs in the mix. So I used the syrup method.
I used them to decorate this Torta Di Ricotta- which was delicious. You could decorate tea sandwiches or cookies or cakes. They also look spectacular against a chocolate icing!
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsps water
- ¾ cup fine sugar divided ¼ cup and ½ cup
- violets fresh cut with stems
Instructions
- Heat water and ¼ cup sugar to dissolve sugar. About 2 minutes on high in microwave.
- Holding the violets by the stem duck them in the syrup and transfer them to a sheet of parchment paper on a plate.
- When all the violets are coated with the syrup and are on the parchment, sprinkle half the remaining sugar liberally over the violets. With tweezers turn the violets over and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
- Allow the sheet to sit in a dark, cool place for at least 24 hours. The fridge is good. When they are dried, trim the stem as close to the blossom as possible. Store, sealed air tight in a cool dark place for up to a day or two.
Leave a Reply