Fresh Raspberry Cupcakes with Violet Buttercream

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

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

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

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!

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

» 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.