Feed a (Spring) Fever

posted May 19, 2005
  by Sara Rae Gore, New York Dish

Spring has sprung and I smell the blooming perennials just around the corner. The cup of rainforest blend I just enjoyed may have helped to awaken such keen senses. With that in mind, I feel it’s time to kick it into retro modern mode and flow on some flower power. Plant some violets. Smell the roses. As George Harrison sang, “Here comes the sun. It’s all right.” I know what you’re saying: “Huh?” Humor me and take part in my spring fever stream of consciousness.

Every spring, I am so captivated by nature that my appetite for the outdoors is insatiable. I’m so inspired by the smell of fresh cut grass that I picture myself running through meadows on the mountainside in Heidi braids and singing at the top of my lungs. Keep in mind that this is purely derived from sense memory, as I live in Manhattan and the closest thing to fresh cut grass that I get to smell is usually hanging from a taxicab’s rearview in the form of a tree-shaped air freshener. It’s enough, though, to make me want to pack my bags, throw away my metro cards, and high-tail it to the country. But I don’t. As we all know, nobody likes a traitor.

So every year about this time when the freshness of the air is apparent, and the flowers are itching to show themselves, I can’t help but want to preserve them in all their beauty. Any bit of spring that I can enjoy, I lap up like my Raja kitty would her milk. So I finish my soy latte, grab my pack, shoot down to the flower district, and buy myself a bunch of violets. In an attempt to create serenity in what meekly resembles a garden, I fill up the window boxes on my fire escape and pretend the incessant honking from down below is merely amplified hummingbird sneezes. They must be suffering from a little hay fever. Poor things.

So, in wanting to spread the love and share in this wondrous feeling we’ve tagged as “spring fever," I take one bunch of these beautiful violets and give them a little sugar. The great thing about crystallizing mother earth’s edible gifts is that when properly stored they last a whole year, taking you right into the next spring. If you are fortunate enough to actually live where the wild things are and are able to smell the heavenly smell of fresh cut grass that I so often yearn for, I assume you have a little more storage space than I.

With that in mind, I suggest that you make a nice big batch of these candied violets so you can use them on cakes, cupcakes, or even on your bagel with cream cheese in the morning. Why not? I say put a little spring sunshine in every day!

This week we're bringing in the sunshine with lemon cream cupcakes and candied violets. I’ve just made a batch myself and I’m about to eat my words. Can’t wait!

Lemon Cream Cupcakes Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 30
Ready in: 30-60 minutes

* 1 cup butter or margarine; softened
* 2 cups sugar
* 3 eggs
* 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 cups sour cream

****FROSTING****

* 3 tablespoons butter or margarine; softened
* 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
* 1 tablespoon milk

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add lemon peel and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick). Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, cream butter and sugar in small mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel and milk; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes.


Candied Violets Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 10
Ready in: 30-60 minutes

* violets
* 1 extra-large egg white, at room temperature
* water
* superfine sugar
* A small paint brush

In a small bowl, combine the egg white with a few drops of water and whisk lightly until the white just shows a few bubbles. Place the sugar in a shallow dish. If you just have granulated sugar, put the sugar (1/2 cup at a time) into a blender and whirl until the sugar is broken into smaller crystals.

Holding a flower or petal in one hand, dip a paint brush into the egg white with the other and gently paint the flower. Cover the flower or petal completely but not too generously. Holding the flower or petal over the sugar dish, gently sprinkle sugar evenly all over on all sides. Turn the flower so excess sugar falls off. It is not necessary to shake it. Place the violet on waxed paper to dry. Continue with the rest of the flowers. Let the flowers dry completely; they should be free of moisture. It is dry where I live so this happens when I leave them out overnight on the counter. In a more humid environment you can place the candied flowers in an oven with a pilot light overnight, or in an oven set at 150 degrees to 200 degrees F with the door ajar for a few hours. Store the dried, candied flowers in airtight containers until ready to use. They will keep for as long as a year.

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