Crystallize Flowers
Wouldn't it be nice to use real flowers to decorate your cakes? The culinary use of flowers dates back thousands of years and it's really not as hard as it sounds.
Ingredients
- Uncooked egg white
- Water
- Superfine sugar (store-bought or homemade, see tips for instructions)
- Edible flowers (see list in tips)
- Wooden spoon
- Jar
Steps
- Combine one egg white (at room temperature) with a few drops of water and beat lightly until the white shows a few bubbles.
- Using a small paint brush, paint a thin layer of egg white onto both sides of a clean, dry petal.
- Gently place the petal into a shallow bowl of superfine sugar to coat the bottom of the petal.
- Sprinkle sugar on top to cover the top of the petal.
- Gently shake off any excess sugar.
- Lay the petal on waxed paper to dry. Let the flowers dry completely; they should be free of any moisture. This could take 8 to 36 hours.
- Then ENJOY!
Alternative Method
- Combine one egg white (at room temperature) with a few drops of water and beat lightly until the white shows a few bubbles.
- Dip an entire flower into the egg to coat, then let the excess drip off.
- Dip the egg-coated flower into a bowl of superfine sugar to coat.
- Gently shake off any excess sugar.
- Lay the flower on waxed paper to dry. Let the flower dry completely; it should be free of any moisture. This could take 8 to 36 hours.
- Once the flower has dried, remove the petals from the rest of the flower.
- Finished.
Tips
- To make superfine sugar put white granulated sugar into a food processor and pulse until fine, usually 20-40 pulses will do.
- A Partial Listing of Edible Flowers:
- Anise Hyssop
- Apple Bee Balm tea
- Bergamot
- Borage
- Calendula
- Chive
- Chrysanthemum
- Cornflower
- Day Lily
- Dianthus
- English Daisy
- Fuchsia
- Hollyhock
- Johnny Jump-Ups
- Lavender
- Lilac
- Mint
- Nasturtium
- Pansy
- Peach
- Plum
- Prickly Pear
- Rose
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Signet Marigold
- Squash Blossom
- Violet
- Yucca
- Daisy
- Dandelion
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