flower food | fleurs, faeries and floral confections

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla-Rose Buttercream Frosting

Cosmic Chocolate: Cinnamon + Roses

2008-11-08T12:05:00.001-08:00

I generally don't spend more than $4 on a bar of chocolate unless, of course, it's one that I haven't tried and there are edible flowers involved. (Or bacon - but that would be fodder for a different kind of blog.)

I found this bar of Cinnamon + Roses milk chocolate from Cosmic Chocolate at a local Frenchy shop. I was weary of the cinnamon and rose combination; I have found this to create some kind of odd, indescribable and non-flowery taste (When I tried - and failed - to make rose-flavored Snickerdoodles). But, alas, I am no professional chocolatier.

The chocolate is actual quite good. For milk chocolate. But the roses were nowhere to be found. The cinnamon had a slight floral note but I didn't pick up rosy-ness. I guess I want a $7 chocolate bar to taste rosy when it has roses in it!

Cosmic also make these spa-inspired truffles with flavors like Lavender Honey, Jasmine Orange and Chamomile Green Tea. But I'm not certain how flowery they would be.

More Reasons to Move to France

2008-10-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally ordered several items from the aforementioned Confiserie Florian. They have an amazing selection of flower items and I was delighted with everything that I got. First, there were rose and violet gels. They are little soft gel square candies covered in sugar. Both have flower petals in them and and nice flavor. I also got white chocolate rose and white chocolate violet bars. The chocolate is rich and flavorful and both have a lot of candied flowers in them. Lastly, I got some calissons: almond shaped candies with a firm paste-like consistency. They are made with melon and are flavored with rose or violet and coated with a rose or violet icing. In a previous order, I got some crystalized petals from them. It was a nice assortment of roses, violets, verbana, and mimosa. The nice thing about these petals was that they were bigger than most others.

In domestic flower food news, I ordered some very nice lavender-vanilla sugar from the Spice Barn. It's great on French Toast and I imagine that it would be great on lavender scones or shortbread.

Jasmine Flavoring; Or, the Joys of the Indian Market

2008-10-11T23:34:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about the SF Bay Area is the large Indian community. I mean, I LOVE Indian food and up there there are restaurants a-plenty. This also means there are a lot of Indian grocery stores...and flowery foods!

On my last trip up north I stopped by a local Indian market near my parents' house. Inside I spied rose ice cream, rose spread (like jam), rose syrup, wild violet syrup from Pakistan (egads, I almost bought this one but I still have most of a bottle of Monin's violet syrup in the fridge!), Turkish Delight (rose and lemon), some spectacular ground rose petal and sugar concoction AND this little bottle of jasmine flavoring.

I exercised a considerable amount of self control when presented with so many pretty and flowery things but I allowed myself this one, as I do not have any jasmine-related items at home. I haven't tried this yet...perhaps a simply little pavlova with rose-flavored meringue topped with jasmine whipped cream would be a good test.

Nostalgic Violet + Green Fairy Treats

2008-10-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

Violet is probably my favorite flower flavor. During my last trip to Paris I stumbled upon the most amazing and beautiful supermarket. The name escapes me but it wasn't too far from the Eiffel Tower and there was a large department store next door. (If that rings a bell for anyone.) Anyway, it was so very French and gourmet and had a large assortment of flower-flavored candy, including some pretty, pastel-y marshmallows. I chose violet, of course. Back home, I tried to find them here (and online) but to no avail.

But here it is! Years later, picked up on a post-brunch walk last weekend. (I bought two: ate one, savoring the other. I'm sure it won't last!) Never did I think I would find them here in the states.

The Soubeyran website has an online shop now although it's not clear to me if this is for retail customers and whether or not they ship to the U.S. They have an assortment pack (that includes violet) or you can buy a box of orange blossom! (Which I'll have to try next time.)

Leone, an Italian confectionery company, creates little pastilles that you might find at your local gourmet market or coffee shop. I've blogged about the violet before. Recently I spotted this one, Absinth(e), with a lovely Art Nouveau design. I haven't tried it yet..the packing is too pretty to tear.

Oh, and apparently they come in orange blossom too!

Strawberries with Rose Whipped Cream and Violet Syrup Drizzle

2008-08-06T14:49:00.001-07:00

The recipe is so simple, it hardly seems any effort at all. But wait until you taste it.

» Little Strawberries with Rose Whipped Cream

Fresh Raspberry Cupcakes with Violet Buttercream

2008-07-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

I just posted about these delectable cupcakes I made this week on my other blog:
» the fabled needle's raspberry cupcakes with Violet buttercream!

Cherry Blossoms Return this Spring

2008-04-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

I've blogged about it before but here it is again, Cherry Blossom KitKat! I think it's different from a couple of years ago: the wafers are covered in pink and white chocolate swirl (as opposed to just pink) and the cherry flavor seems more intense. I don't suppose those of you with a cherry flavor aversion would like these (churning up not so found memories of children's cough syrup) but to me, the cherry-ness is quite yummy and not medicinal.

The real deal, appropriately displayed on a cherry blossom plate:

They've also got these "Little" KitKat bites that come in white and light pink, with a more mild flavor and a very sugary taste.

Lastly - and oddly - I found some cherry blossom potato chips:

I know! So weird! But...not? They look like regular chips but they do have a unique taste...kind of a flowery flavor that is more natural and herby, not fruity or perfumey. They don't taste bad at all but I don't find myself craving them.

Stop by your local Japanese market soon. I'm pretty sure these Sakura-flavored treats are only available in the spring!

Eve: Rose Gum

2008-02-21T21:46:00.001-08:00

The first time I had this, I liked it. Definitely not for everyone because it's so perfumey. The second I had it (different packaging, as shown above) I didn't care for it so much. It really tasted perfumey. Faux rosy. Too bad.

There's also Acacia flower gum by the same company, but that is even MORE perfumey tasting.

The Tea Room: White Chocolate w/Honey and Chamomile

2008-02-21T21:29:00.000-08:00

Found this at my local While Foods Market. It's pretty good though a little sweet for me. I think I prefer white chocolate when it's covering fresh strawberries.

Roses Galore!

2007-11-03T11:15:00.001-07:00

On my recent honey- moon, I was happy to come across lots of flower foods. In Greece, on the island of Rhodes, they make a lot of rose products. I brought several home. First, there's Rose Flavored Greek Delight. They are square jelly candies covered in powered sugar. They are incredible. The rose flavor is excellent, the texture is nice and the powered sugar add the perfect finishing touch. Next, there's "Rose Caramels." While I expected them to be rose flavored caramels, they're actually little rose flavored hard candies. Once again, they have a really nice rose flavor. I also got a rose product whose name I don't know. (The writing was all in Greek.) It's basically a really dense rose fudge that comes in a little tub. The flavor is really rosey. I also bought some rose jam which I didn't care for. It was very sweet and it didn't have a strong rose flavor. I prefer the rose jams from France. They also had lots of rose and rose-honey liqueurs which I didn't get since I already have some from France. It Italy, I found some more of the aforementioned rose cookies. I also got some "crema di rosa canina." I was rather disappointed. It tasted more like fruit than roses. Oh well.

Back at home, I was very excited to come across Langford Foods' Petals Shortbread. They come in three flavors: Lemon, Cranberry and Orange. Sadly, I was disappointed. The flowers are really just decorative and do not impart any flower flavor to the shortbread. The shortbread itself was very bland and natural tasting, not rich and buttery as shortbread should be. They also make a bark of grains, granola and petals.

Lastly, while searching the internet for flower foods, I came across Charssi spoon fudge in White Chocolate Rose and Chocolate Lavender. The white chocolate rose was somewhat disappointing. Although it had a nice flavor, I couldn't really taste any rose. The chocolate lavender however was amazing. It has a rich milk chocolate base with a wonderful lavender flavor. You can order them at http://www.charssi.com/.

I found a website for a store in France called that has the most incredible selection of flower foods. They have lots of sweets, such as white chocolate with rose or violet, nougat with rose or violet, flower jelly candies, jams, syrups, liqueurs and many other wonderful things. They also have flower recipes, but they're in French. I have not ordered anything yet (the shipping costs more than the products.) The site is: http://www.confiserieflorian.co.uk/

Orange Blossom Cream Ale

2007-09-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

» Buffalo Bill Brewery brings to you this Orange Blossom Cream Ale. When I saw this at Ralph's (So Cal Supermarket chain) I could not resist, of course. And I don't even like beer. (With the exception of Ethiopia's Hakim Stout - the best brew I've ever had.)

It's actually not bad, even refreshing. It's hard for me to detect the orange blossom, though I can certainly taste the orange peel. It's sort of like a lite beer with and orange cream soda flavor.

Available at select supermarkets.

Bovetti White Chocolate with Violet Sugar

2007-09-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for another flower-related product to blog about! Funny, Miss Judy and I were just talking about some of her recent finds. (To be blogged about very soon I hope!)

Anyway, when I stopped by a local bakery to get a blended coffee thing, I spied some purplish candy out of the corner of my eye. (I think I have candy radar - cay-dar? Ok, lame.) There was a pretty display of imported chocolates and I zeroed in on the White Chocolate with Violet Sugar. Zing!

$8.50 for a candy bar is not cheap. It's a big candy bar, but still. Of course, I had to get it anyway. I mean, it's still cheaper than flying to France.

So, I'm kinda particular about my white chocolate. I'm not some white chocolate aficionado, but you know how sometimes white chocolate can have that weird artificial taste? Bovetti's white chocolate is pretty good, I think. I mean, it does have a strong, distinct white chocolate taste. But I felt that this taste overpowered the violet a bit. I know, violet can be so delicate, but I really want to taste the violet more than the white chocolate.

White chocolate should just be the vehicle for the violet flavor, IMHO.

» bovetti.com

Flowers Can Heal Too

2007-08-01T00:16:00.000-07:00

Perhaps this is a very good example of the placebo effect but there's something about these elderflower-flavored pastilles that set me at ease. I'm not about to go into a long explanation of flower essences and how, according to some, they have healing properties because I'm sure I'll screw up some details. You can find a lot of info online and in books about this branch of homeopathy.

For these pastilles, please visit: » Bach Rescue Pastilles.

And I wanted to thank those who have commented on this blog! Regarding your questions about recipes, I can only, at the moment, refer to those that are listed in the right-side of the page. A lavender sugared-rim (on a Lavender Mojito, for example) is probably a mixture of fine sugar and dried lavender flowers...beyond that, I'm not sure! I haven't done a lot of experimenting lately, making candy and such. If anyone has any good links they'd like to share, please leave a comment. :)

Herb-Scented Summer Fruit Sorbet

2007-06-07T13:29:00.001-07:00

How else can I convince myself that we're having a balmy summer?

Sorbet. Of course.

Herb-Scented Summer Fruit Sorbet

1 lb canteloupe, seeded, rind removed and cut into pieces
2 white peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into pieces
1 ataulfo mango, peeled, pitted and cut into pieces
2 T vodka*
1 T lemon juice

Syrup

1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. water
1 tea bag, chamomile flowers
1 tea bag, peppermint leaves

Optional Garnish
Candied flower petals (Shown: Lilacs) or fresh edible flowers

Mix sugar and water in a small pot. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Place tea bags in syrup. Let cool to room temperature. Move syrup to the refrigerator to chill. Remove tea bags.

In a food processor, add fruit, vodka and lemon juice. Puree until smooth.
Strain mixture into a large mixing bowl. Discard pulp. Stir in syrup. Pour this
mixture into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.

Scoop sorbet into an airtight plastic container and freeze for a couple of hours, until sorbet has firmed up a bit. Keep up to 1 week.

To Serve

If the sorbet has been in the freezer for several hours, let container thaw on counter for 5-10 minutes. Scoop into bowls and garnish with candied petals.

*Vodka is used to keep the sorbet from freezing too hard. This ingredient can be omitted.

Lavender Mojito

2007-05-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

What could be more pleasurable than a spontaneous trip out to the wine country for dinner? How about a delightful flower-infused drink?

The Girl & the Fig -- probably the most adorable restaurant name EVER -- is a low-key, brasserie that has friendly service and good food. Located in Sonoma, you'll find Frenchy-inspired tartines, entrees and dessert.

I wasn't in the mood for wine (I know, I know - it's the WINE country, I get it!), or plain old water. What did my little eye spy on their lengthy list of libations? Lavender Mojito! I couldn't help but squeal just a little. It wasn't a hard decision to make.

Lavender and rose-infused simple syrup and a lovely lavender sugar rim are what make this drink so special. And yes, it was delicious!

Lots of Flowery Treats

2007-05-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

This is a very nice rose-lavender tea made by Shonfelds. You can really taste both flowers. It comes in a pretty glass canister as well!

I came across this Valentine's day tea by Harney and Sons. It's chocolate with rose petals. The rose flavor is subtle, but overall the tea is quite good. Plus, it comes in a nice little tin.

On a now not so recent trip to England, I discovered some wonderful flower foods. First were these delicious Italian rose cookies: Biscotto Di Frolla Ricca alla rosa. They were rich butter cookies with a strong rose flavor. They were buttery, almost like shortbread. They were delicious!

While shopping the in oh-so-posh Harrods department store in London, I was very happy to discover that they had opened a location of the aforementioned Laduree in the store. After having a fancy rose pastry there, I took some violet tea home. The flavor is delicate, but nice.

Bi-Rite Creamery

2007-05-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

If you live in SF, get your sweet little buns over to Bi-Rite Creamery, at 18th and Dolores, near the Park.

Have yourself a scoop each of the Honey Lavender and Chocolate ice creams. You won't be sorry. These frozen confections are so creamy and good, you won't notice that your hands have grown numb. (From the ice cream or the fog. Err, probably both.)

Even on a typical grey weekend day, you'll see a line out the door. For added enjoyment, take your scoops across the street and watch the dogs on their play-dates.

» Bi-Rite Creamery

Dry Lavender Soda

2007-03-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

We spent a GORGEOUS day in Yountville this weekend, walking through the mustard flowers and dining at Bouchon. When inquiring about non-alcoholic beverages (I was drunk on the sunshine already), the waiter ticked off a list of ho-hum, been-there-done-that drinks until I heard the words "Dry Lavender Soda." If I were a cat, my ears would have perked up. Instead my bum bounced in its bistro-style seat and an "Ooo!" came out of my mouth.

I expected the lavender flavor to be stronger but as I sipped it, I found it's subtlety refreshing, especially on such a HOT March afternoon.

» Dry Soda.com

Cornmeal Violet Macaroons

2007-01-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

I discovered » Chocolate & Zucchini sweetly by accidently last year, looking for recipes.

In short: this blog is written by Parisan Clotilde Dusoulier, an amazing and imaginative chef who is kind enough to share her witty banter and fabulous recipes.

Or they at least sound and look fabulous - I have yet to try out one but I plan to soon. How about » Macarons Maïs Violette?

Sweet Finds

2006-12-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my DB and I decided to take a break and venture off to the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero. I've heard many good things about the Market over there.

It truly is a delightful place. One of the first things I came upon is
» Miette, an organic patisserie. Besides, obviously, their lovely cakes and desserts, they have a wonderful collection of cute, Frenchy cakeplates, homemade rose petal jam and candies imported from France.

I bought this box of mints there that contain violet essence. Imported from Provence. (The rose-flavored Turkish Delight is actually from the Berkeley Bowl market, but I threw it in there cuz the mints looked lonely.)

You'll find other foodie items like this lavender salt. I had it over at Nadaly's when she and her hub were grilling up some lamb chops - yum, so good!

Hediard French preserves, orange blossom and jasmine:

Finally, some very pricey imported pastels (rose and violet flavored included in the assortment):

Parisian Flower Food Update: Violet Jam

2006-10-19T01:29:00.000-07:00

Some of the food I brought home from Paris I did not try, having faith (hope) they would taste as good as they looked.

Here's my experience so far...

The violet jam is very good, though not strong in violet flavor. We had it for brunch this morning on homemade french (ha!) toast.

Oatmeal French Toast with Violet Jam and Raspberries

2 large eggs
1/2 c. (soy) milk
1 T. - 1/4 c. 1 minute quick oats
cinnamon to taste
a sprinkle of ground cloves
pinch of sea salt

4 slices whole grain bread
butter/vegetable oil

violet jam
fresh raspberries

Whisk together first 6 ingredients. Add butter or oil to a frying pan and heat on medium. Dip bread, one slice at a time into batter. When butter is melted, add battered bread to pan (depending on your stove, this may be a good time to lower the heat, if it's too hot). Cook until golden, and turn.

Serve with violet jam and raspberries. So easy and so, SO good.

Serves 2-4

{This recipe is still a work in progress, but very good as is; adjust to taste.}

French Flowery Treats

2006-10-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

I'm still recovering from jet-lag but as promised, I've brought back many floral-infused treats from my trip to Paris, and I'm here to tell you about about them! I've found so many wonderful things, and it's odd to think flower-flavored foods are so popular overseas but not so much in the U.S. Perhaps this will change!

I didn't, unfortunately, find much in the way of flower liqueurs. Not such a big deal since I don't drink very often. In the Montmartre I did find a little set of rose, violet and orange blossom liqueurs for over 18 euros - I decided against it, as each bottle provided maybe one or two sips! It was the same brand as the rose and orange blossom liqueurs I got there before but the laughably small quantity was quite the turn off.

{Please note: As I am incredibly lazy - and tired today - you will not find the appropriate accent marks on all the French names here.}

At my beloved supermarket, Monoprix, I found most of the products shown.

These flower jams from Albert Menes...

Rose:

and Violet:

You'll find jars of flower confits all over France from various makers such as Fauchon; I choose this brand for its quaint homemade look and affordable price.

Also from Albert Menes...

Mustard with Herbs de Provence:

Ok, what does mustard have to so with flowers? Herbs de Provence is an herbal blend, traditionally made with lavender.

I've blogged about this one before, New Tree's Tranquility Bar with Lavender and Lime Blossom extract:

This bar is still one of my favorites.

Mamie Nova's Violet yogurt:

This is a new flavor and was hard to find. It's very creamy and mild, not very yogurty at all. (French yogurt tends to be less sour than American yogurt anyway, but this was especially mild and rich.) She also makes a Rhubarb Rose flavor, which I did not try.

Recettes & Sensations' Raspberry Violet yogurt:

The sweet violet flavor went quite well with the raspberries in this mildly tangy yogurt.

They make a Litchi Rose flavor, also good:

Lorina's Violet-flavored Mineral Water (with gas):

You may recognize the label - their French lemonades can be found at World Market and other gourmet shops in the U.S.

At La Grande Epicerie (part of Le Bon Marche on Rue de Sevres), I found:

Violet marshmallows from » Arnaud Soubeyran. {Sorry, no pic, I ate it before I had the chance to photograph it! Yum.}

Leone's Violet Pastilles (another item I've blogged about before) in its pretty vintage wrapping:

Dessert Innovations: little cookies, similar to macaroons (no filling) in rose and violet.

This market (as well as many tourist shops and grocery stores) also had a large assortment of flowery hard candies like violet and red poppy. I'm not a big fan of hard candies so I didn't get any this time.

I was shocked to discover Flavigny has recently changed their packaging. The new illustrations I don't even see on their website, » www.anisdeflavigny.com, which is just as well as I do not care for these new tins. Some things should never change, you know?

I came across many varieties of flower-flavored syrups like rose, jasmine, violet and red poppy in grocery stores, tourist shops and even Durance (soaps and perfumes from Provence), over near the Place de la Madeleine. But with all the new liquid restrictions, I thought it best I limit my goods. Besides, I can just order some Monin syrup at home. (See links, right.)

Les Ruchers du Roy make an abundance of different honeys from a myriad of flowers including this one of lavender:

» Fouquet, an old candy shop since 1852, makes confits and candied petals. This little jar of candied lilacs is terribly exciting!:

Miss Judy introduced me to » Laduree,when we were in Paris a couple of years ago. This window display is from their Bonaparte (Rive Gauche) location:

The Saint-Honore Cake in Raspberry-Rose. This delicious cake is pastry, rose cream, raspberry and pink chantilly (whipped cream):

Don't they have the loviest packaging?

The macaroons are so good too. Here's Cassis (Currant)-Violet with a fruit filling, Orange Blossom with a gel filling and (my favorite) Rose with a cream filling:

There are two other cakes, » "religieuse," one rose and one cassis-violet. Perhaps they are named that because they look like little churches? I didn't try these. Next time.

Trivia: As I recall, Laduree was featured as a charming backdrop in the final episodes of Sex and the City.

And finally, there's » Au Nom de la Rose. I stumbled upon this shop in the Latin Quarter. Rather, my nose did the stumbling, for the rose fragrance led me to its doors. Rose bouquets and gourmet sweets like white chocolate with candied rose petals.

The lady recommended the drops. Upon initial inspection, I thought they are gummy but alas, hard candy. Still good, very intense rose flavor. I think I will use them to make a version of rose candy ice cream - similar to one of my favorites, peppermint stick ice cream, but with rose candy instead.

Ok, perhaps some violet jam, butter, bread and a spot of tea for breakfast. Bon appetit!

Strawberries: Favorite Recipes

2006-10-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

This lovely book, Strawberries: Favorite Recipes, by Oda Tietz, was recommended by our own Miss Judy. (Please see her informative post below!) I ordered it online and eagerly awaited it's arrival. Oh Judy, you were right, I love it!

There are many recipes in here with flowers, like "Fruit Cream with Candied Magnolia Blossoms" and "Meringue Torte with Strawberries and Candied Elderberry Flower Clusters."

Judy, I think we'll have to try out these recipes and do a little article on them together!

Visit » Powell's online bookstore to get your own copy.

Fuchsia Epicerie Fleur | Montreal, Quebec

2006-10-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

During my first-thing-in-the-morning web-surfing (I'm a geek, I know!), I discovered this flower-themed restaurant in Montreal, Quebec (Canada) called Fuchsia Epicerie Fleur. I've aways wanted to visit Montreal. My grandparents lived there many years ago, and would regularly return on vacation.

Go here to read this little article featuring Fuchsia Epicerie Fleur in the » Montreal Gazette.

The article is recent, so the restaurant should be there. Here's the info:

54 Duluth East, Montreal, Quebec (H2W 1G8)
{at St. Dominique, Plateau}
phone: 514.487.3155

Another great cookbook

2006-09-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

I accidentally came across another wonderful cookbook filled with great flower recipes. It's not actually a flower cookbook, but rather a very cute and charming strawberry cookbook entitled Strawberries: Favorite Recipes. It has adorable drawings throughout (many of which are reminiscent of toile.) I was pleasantly surprised to find recipes such as "Meringues with Strawberries and Rose Fragrance," "Strawberry Punch with Rose Petals," "Strawberries with Cream and Lavender Honey," "Cold Strawberry Apricot Soup" which is garnished with apricot-colored tulips, "Cream Cheese and Almond Sauce and Begonia Flowers" and many other flower recipes. It's a really cute book with lots of great recipes, both sweet and savory.

Tigers & Strawberries

2006-09-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled upon this wonderful post in Tigers & Strawberries, a food blog by a lady named Barbara Fisher. This post provides some useful information about edible flowers, as well as some links to her yummy sounding original recipes!

Visit » tigersandstrawberries.com to see for yourself!

Flowers to Come

2006-09-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry, still lagging in my Flower Food posts. Moving and work has been crazy lately.

And maybe because it's been so hectic, the BF and I have made spontaneous plans to visit Paris! He's never been, so I can't wait to show him around and also discover new things for myself. And of course, you know what this means...

Flowery-flavory treats! Floral liqueurs, here I come. I'll keep you posted. :)

Floral Bridal Shower

2006-08-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

She's alive!

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. Only moved 1800 miles back to California! But I wanted to post something because it's been so long.

Here's a pic taken by my friend Ral at my friend N.du's bridal shower last year. Both N.du and I are francophiles at heart and I wanted to create a flowery theme to match her formal garden-style wedding.

I hauled back from France mass quantities of violet preserves especially for this occasion. I also provided flower-flavored candy and made two bundt cakes: one rose with chocolate icing, and one chocolate with rose icing. I used gorgeous roses from Mom's garden as finishing touches. The cakes were a big hit and people were surprised they were eating rose-flavored desserts.

Rose Recipe Book

2006-06-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

I just bought a great book entitled Rose Recipes from Olden Times. It has culinary, perfume, potpourri and other recipes dating back from the 1500s. Many recipes use old spellings (flowre instead of flour and oyle instead of oil.) Recipes include "A bag to smell unto or to cause one to sleep," "Odoriferous candles against venome and the plague" and "Rose wine" (which is fermented for 30 days with a piece of toast covered with yeast.)Unfortunately, because measurements include "4 pecks of Damask Rose leaves" or "a sixpennyworth of storax," they're somewhat impractical today. Even still, it's still a great book. It is a 1973 reproduction of a 1939 book. All of the pages are adorned with quaint drawing of flowers and people.

My Floral Recommendations

2006-06-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this post in regards to the links I have on this blog. I want to let you know that I don't add links wily-nily and although I have not personally tried all the products listed, I have tried a lot of them and/or plan to. The following are comments on products that I have tried:

Leone makes a variety of flower-flavored lozenges, violet being one of them. I found the adorably old-fashioned tin of mints at a corner gourmet shop in NYC. (sorry, don't recollect the neighborhood) The candy's shape reminds me of jujubees while the texture is sort of like Necco wafers - how's that for some old-timey candy references?

Monin's Violet Syrup is pretty good, especially on vanilla ice cream (how 'bout sweet cream?), mixed into whipped cream or in an Italian soda.

Violet products at Regals: Now that's what I call a violet-lover's shop. Not only do they have violet candy, liqueur, perfume and locally made treats, they even have violet-themed china and other collectables. They don't speak much English but they were very sweet and helpful. The only problem (for me) is that they are all the way in Toulouse!!! But they have a website - yay!

Benoit Serres' Violette Liqueur is wonderfully sweet - so good over ice and cream. This was one of the items I got at Regals.

C.Howard's candies are a little, um, astringent for my taste but I can't help but be swayed by their classic candy packaging. And you can get it easily around the U.S. (try World Market, for example)

Chambers candy is good and the pretty victorian tins look nice in your bag.

Newtree's Tranquility bar is just devine. I've heard word to the contrary but I don't care, I love it! Milk chocolate and lavender make such a fine pair. I almost cried when Whole Foods stopped carrying the large bar. (ok, not almost cried but I got a tad moody)

Dagoba makes a lavender chocolate bar but I find the lavender flavor gets lost. Just my opinion though.

And of course you probably already know I eat Flavigny's violet and rose pastilles on a regular basis. :)

Ok, that's it for now. I'm trying to whip up some original recipes to share. More to come!

Lit de violettes sur gâteau léger au cacao épicé

2006-06-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

I received a wonderful link through the Violet Society forum for (what I think translates as) A bed of Violets on a Light Spiced Chocolate Cake. This recipe is featured on a French blog:

» Absolutely Green

There's an English translation as well.

Thanks for the tip, Denis!

Rose Pans from Nordicware

2006-06-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

No, you can't eat these flowers but they can certainly help make up some irresistably cute flower-flavored cakes.

The large rose bundt pan is from my friend Ral. The 6-rosebud pan is from Mom.

Yesterday at Linen 'n Things I saw they make a smaller rosebud pan to make 12 little muffin-sized cakes! Oh, so cute! It was $30 though and I don't really need another rose cake pan.

Not right now anyway.

» http://www.nordicware.com

Flavigny Pastilles

2006-06-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned these mints in a previous post. Yesterday I needed a break from staring at the computer so I ran some errands. First stop: World Market to get some stainless steel bowls for Spoo Kee. (don't ask)

Since I was there, I picked up a couple of tins, 1 rose and 1 violet. :)

Yay! We Do the Happy Dance Now!

2006-06-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, I think everything is normal and good now.

All I can say is back-up back-up back-up!

Site Issues Almost Resolved?

2006-06-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

You may notice the site looks a little different. I've had to replace the template a few times to get it back to normal. Not to fret - I was smart this time and saved my old template so I can put in all those lovely links I had before and old customizations. Blogger is still having issues but maybe they'll figure things out soon enough.

For the love of all things cute, I hope after this things will be normal!!!

More tasty treats

2006-06-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods is a happy place. I just found some white chocolate lavender hot cocoa there.

If anyone is in the Boston area, there is a day spa here called Violet. They offer violet and rose facials and massages along with violet and rose skin care products.

Rose Tea and the Cure for Breast Cancer

2006-06-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods is a happy place and today it brought a smile to my face when I traipsed through their tea aisle.

One whole section was pink, which immediately caught my eye. Upon closer inspection, I found the tea for me: The Republic of Tea. Their line of products, "Sip for the Cure," donates 75 cents for each tin o' tea purchased to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

The one I picked up (pictured) -- you know, the reason for the inclusion in this blog-- is Pink Rose: green tea, pink peony petals and rose flavoring!!! And it was on sale, no less.

Whole Foods has some other pretty floral teas but some were quite costly. Pick one up for $7.99 and help fund the cure for breast cancer too.

{http://www.republicoftea.com/templates/detail.asp?navID=1020&catid=26}

International flower finds

2006-05-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

I got some wonderful rose tea at the Asian supermarket near me. It's really good and a lot less expensive than the fancy rose tea that I've gotten at the gourmet stores (about $1.99 compared to $10.00-$15.00.)

You can get rose, violet, lavender, and jasmine ice cream in Paris. They're delicious and sold in ice cream stands thoughout the city. There is also a fancy bakery with several locations around Paris called Laduree. They have several flower items including rose and violet cookies, a pastry filled with rose custard and topped with rose whipped cream and candied rose petals, and a similar violet pastry.

The Whole Foods near me just started selling premade rose ice tea in individual bottles. It has a nice unsweetened rose flavor; very refreshing on a hot day!

Provencal Charm AND Candy...Re-visiting Flavigny

2006-05-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

On my last trip to France (the source for flower-flavored goodies), Judy and I took a little trip to Flavigny, in Burgundy. For anyone who hasn't been to this village, you may know of it as the location for the film Chocolat. But it may be most famous for it's production of little anise-centered pastilles. The above is L'abbaye de Flavigny, where the candies are made. You can check out their site at http://www.anisdeflavigny.com/index.php. Unfortunately for us, the abbey was closed by the time we got there. :(

Here's a sleepy village petit chat I caught with my camera mid-yawn:

Not to worry if you have no immediate plans to visit France. These treats are pretty popular here in the U.S. You can even find them at World Market for around $2 or so. They come in a variety of flavors including rose, violet, jasmine and orange blossom (the last two are a bit harder to find - try the web). Not to mention, the sweet little old-fashion tins that they come in. I've kept a couple to store safety pins and such.

And speaking of my last trip to France, there's an ice cream (gelato) shop you must visit the next time you're in Nice. I believe the name of the shop is Finocchio, in Vieux Nice. The first time I went there I was with my friend Natalie and her family and we were treated to a wonderful floral sundae: rose, lavender, violet and jasmine gelato topped with chantilly (whipped cream) and candies violets!!

Last time, because it was so insanely hot - and I just can't pass up good gelato - I treated myself to a huge cone of lavender, violet and jasmine.

AND speaking of flower-flavored gelatos, the good people at Whole Foods have taken to my little anonymous notes requesting flower ice creams. (and probably with the help of other floral-philes) Just recently I had the pleasure to taste the lavender chocolate gelato and rosewater jasmine sorbeto. Yum.

Flower Cookbooks

2006-04-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

I have several great flower cookbooks. They all have a wide variety of both sweet and savory recipes; including drinks, main courses, appetizers, and desserts. You could make a flower feast!

The Forgotten Art of Flower Cookery by Leona Woodring Smith
Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate by Cathy Wilkinson Barash
Edible Flowers: A Kitchen Companion by Kitty Morse
The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley (a friend of my mom's)

Cherry Blossom Kit Kat

2006-04-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

My friend Ral found this amazing limited edition treat on a recent excursion to the Asian market.

Apparently, cherry blossoms are considered lucky in Japanese culture and this Kit Kat bar came out during school entance exams.

To learn more visit: http://www.wordpress.tokyotimes.org/?p=748.

Ral sent me a bar, wishing me good luck with my impending move - thx, Ral :)

Btw, the candy is quite good - reminds me of pink birthday cupcakes from childhood.

Floral-flavored Recipes from MS's Living

2006-04-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Flower Foods where we'll be posting recipes, resources and more about edible flowers.

Just this month I received my May 2006 issue of Living. Inside, there are at least three beautiful and faery-like dessert recipes featuring violets, rose and orange blossoms.

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel3580088

Have a look!