Candied Violets
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the petals
Press the petals of the violets in a cloth to remove moisture.
Weigh the petals and take an equal weight of sugar.
Make the syrup and candy
Boil the sugar with a little water until thick.
Boil the petals in the syrup until they look clear.
Drain the petals on a sieve and dust with fine crystallized sugar.
When the petals absorb the sugar, sift more sugar over them on both sides.
Repeat this process until the surface is dry and covered with fine sugar crystals.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Violet petals
- Provide the delicate flavour and colour that the candied petals keep.
- Sugar
- Forms a syrup that replaces the petals' water and preserves them as a crisp, sugar-coated surface.
The step that matters
Boil the petals in the syrup until they look clear. Boiling the petals in thick sugar syrup draws water out and lets sugar replace it. Stopping too early leaves the petals wet and prone to spoiling, while overcooking can make them brittle and dark.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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