Spring Dinner

Yesterday we went for a walk at one of my favorite conservation lands, which has meadows and forest and lots of beehives. My top bar hives, which I gave away last year, ended up there, and there are at least four other collections of hives. There is also a Victory Garden and some marshes. As you might imagine, there are lots of birds and lots of foraging. 

I'd hoped to snag some garlic mustard to make a risotto to go with dinner, but I'm a little late; the garlic mustard has already flowered and would likely be [more] bitter. But I did see nettles just starting to come up, right when they are at their best. 

Despite my lack of gloves, I picked the tips off about a cup's worth of nettles, tossed in a few violet flowers, and brought them home. My fingers definitely got stung, and they tingled quite a bit for the rest of the day. Worth it -

Once I got home, I made a nettle and field garlic risotto, using the field garlic from the yard (you know, the stuff that grows everywhere that looks like chives). This was served with chicken piccata and a salad garnished with those violets I picked. A fresh tasting dinner to celebrate Spring!

Out of Practice

Preparing the Violet Infusion

Today I made the first batch of jelly for the season - violets. I'm really out of practice. I don't think I've canned anything for quite a while. The violets came from my yard, they finally bounced back from the landscaping work we did in the front of the house. It still took 4 separate gatherings to get enough violet infusion to make jelly.

Four cups of infusion, 1/2 cup of strained lemon juice, a box of powdered pectin and five cups of sugar. Yield: 12 4-oz jars of violet jelly plus some in the fridge for now. The youngerchild will be pleased.

Springtime in a Jar

Yes, it's that time of year again - violet season!

My friend with the large and violet filled yard went the extra mile this year and brought me 2 cups of violets last week. Knowing I didn't have time to make the jelly, I steeped them in 2 cups of boiling water and then kept the whole concoction in the fridge. That was six days ago and today I was able to make them into jelly.

I strained the violets, topped off the liquid with water to 4 cups, and then added 1/2 cup of lemon juice. This and a package of Sure-Jell pectin was brought to boiling and then I added 5 cups of sugar. When the jelly was done I had about 8 cups, which is two more than last year. Not sure what was different but sometimes that happens. I am canning 13 4-ounce jars and have the rest in a small container in the fridge for us. The 11 year old loves this jelly.

And, with that, I have started the gift stash for this season.

Chocolate and Champagne

Happy Mother's Day!

As most of the petit fours from the other day were taken to work, and as I wanted to try again with different "materials" I made a batch of chocolate petit fours.  Yesterday I made the sour cream chocolate cake recipe and did a few things differently.

1. I lined 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and spread out the batter in those.  It made 2 thinner cakes, I used one for each type of petit four.  Pros:  the cake layers were thinner.  Cons: the resulting cake is the wrong texture, the parchment stuck too much and broke the cake, and they baked unevenly in my fragile oven, so there were thicker and thinner parts and there were parts that were more done than others.

2. The layers were chilled before I started to work with them.  Pros: easier to work with. Cons: really, none.

3. One batch had Dulce de Leche in between the layers, the other had raspberry.  Pros:  Dulce de leche.  Cons:  the raspberry ones had violets as decorations, not raspberries.  Had I been more prepared I might have managed a sugar glaze to preserve raspberries for the top.  I didn't have that kind of time.

4. I made a batch of dark chocolate ganache, 10 oz. of chocolate and 10 fl. oz. of cream.  This poured perfectly.  I used this batch for the raspberry ones, which were then topped with the last of my candied violets.

5. Since I needed more ganache, I made another batch with another 10 oz. of dark chocolate.  I didn't have enough heavy cream, only about 6 fl. oz. so I topped that off with half and half.  It completely changed the consistency of the ganache so it didn't set up as well.  Even with chilling the petit fours after pouring the ganache.  Also, as the dulce de leche ones were all jagged on the top, the ganache didn't even out the surface.  I topped these with chocolate covered espresso beans.  Lesson here:  don't skimp on the cream.

Overall, they came out reasonably attractive and certainly tasty.  Richer than the white cake ones.  The white cake ones are more typical of petit fours.  Lessons:  stick with the white cake and, if we're going to keep doing this, invest in the correct little pans.

As I was having my parents over for brunch, I made a champagne vinaigrette with the champagne vinegar I made.  It was light and sweet.  Here's the recipe:

Champagne vinaigrette

1/4 c. champagne vinegar

1/2 c. olive oil

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. brown mustard

garlic

2 T. honey

salt and pepper

This was whisked up in the blender.  It needed more pepper, and maybe could do with a little spice.  Still, it was a nice use of some of that champagne vinegar I made.

I hope all the mothers out there have a wonderful day!

Petit Fours, or, An Exercise in Frustration

It's Nurses' Week.  I work with a lot of nurses, right?  So I thought I'd make something special for them.  Inspired by the cupcakes with the candied violets (yes, it is ALSO Teachers' Week) I thought about petit fours.  I researched various recipes, got the basic idea, and then set aside a couple of chunks of time today to get these made.

First:  I baked that same white cake I like so much.  I think I've now made this recipe 4 times in the past 2 weeks.  This time it was baked in a 10x10 pan.  Easy peasy.  I left it to cool while I went out to the eye doctor.


For the record, I now need reading glasses.  I am...okay? with this.  Maybe.  It's not like I didn't know it was coming.  But, I digress.

I got home and cut the cake in half.  Then I sliced each half-cake horizontally, to make two thin layers for each.  One half-cake got violet jelly and the other got raspberry jam.  The edges were trimmed off and then the cake was cut into little cubes.  Some were more little than others.  Let's just say that they are not all "bite-sized."  Unless your mouth is huge.

Next, I made a white chocolate ganache.  I had 14 oz. of white chocolate which I chopped up and whisked with 14 fluid ounces of heated heavy cream.  I cooled it, but probably not enough.  It wouldn't coat a test-petit-four.  Frustrated, and sticky, I put the ganache aside.

And made a glaze.  1 pound of confectioners sugar and a bit of water.  And spooned it over the cakes.  And spooned it again, and again, scooping it up from the plate below and pouring it back over.  When I finally got the sides covered, at least for the violet cakes, I went back to the ganache and tried again.  I at least got everything covered, but you can see the cake through the glaze.  I'm not sure I like that.  I am a perfectionist.

The violet cakes have little candied violets on them.  The raspberry cakes have red sprinkles.

The petit fours are in the fridge, chilling.  I think I need to chill, too.

Lessons:  Chill the cakes before coating them, maybe the glaze and/or ganache will stick better.  There is no reason to ever use white chocolate.  Just use dark chocolate.  It's prettier and it tastes better.  Lastly, make sure you have several hours of uninterrupted time, when you don't also have hungry kids and adults trying to get snacks and do stuff on the computer and otherwise breathe all around you.

 Maybe they look better than I think they do.  After all, I am a perfectionist.

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week we celebrate all the teachers and staff in our community!  I volunteered to help set up the brunch at the elementary school this morning, and to bring cupcakes to the middle school tomorrow.  I thought I'd make my new favorite cupcake, from that white cake recipe I used to make the checkerboard cake.

Since this is a rather busy week for me, I made the cupcakes yesterday and frosted them today.  I made a half-batch of the chocolate fudge frosting I like so much, and poured it into a baggie while it was still fairly runny, then piped it onto the cupcakes.  I wasn't so neat so it doesn't look as good as maybe a fancy bakery, but it tastes wonderful, so who cares what they look like?

Oh, except for this:  I topped each one with a candied violet.  Homemade, of course.

The pictures are rather terrible as they are through saran wrap and taken with a cell phone. But you get the idea.

Rite of Spring

It seems that I've settled into a pattern of canning.  Strawberries in June.  Blueberries in July.  Elderberries in August.  Raspberries and peaches in September.  Applesauce in October.  And violets?  Well, violets in the springtime, whenever that may be.

Even though the warmer weather has been a little late this year, the violets have come up in full force in my friend's yard.  Yesterday we were at her house for a party and she'd asked her husband not to mow all the violets, please, knowing I'd like some for jelly.  There were enough to fill about 2 cups.  I steeped them overnight in 2 cups of water and then, as I wanted to make a batch with the powdered pectin and forgot I needed 4 cups of violets, I steeped them again, briefly, with another 2 cups of hot water.  Although the finished product isn't quite the magenta of previous years, it's a pretty lavender color.  It'll do.

Strangely enough, I was able to get almost 8 cups of jelly out of the batch.  Last time, it made only 6.5 cups.

It has been a really long time since I made any jam or jelly, and it felt good to be getting back into the swing of things.

Well, That's...Um...Different...

See that tiny little hole?

Violet season is upon us and I had gathered 2 cups of violets and infused them in 2 cups of hot water, then set aside this pint of dark blue infusion until I could make jelly.  This morning I added 1/4 cup of lemon juice, half a package of powdered pectin, and 2.5 cups of sugar and made 6 4-ounce jars of violet jelly for my gift stash.  That isn't the different part.

My canning pot has sprung a leak.

Really.  I have never worn out a pot before.  That's just crazy!

I guess I'll be making a trip to the hardware store today for another one...

Candied Violets

I now have a little tub of candied violets in the fridge for whenever I want a pretty garnish.  They taste like plant mixed with a little sugar.  There was no significant difference between techniques, but the ones I did individually were more likely to stick to the paper towel and break.  I only lost about 3 that way so it's not a big deal, I guess.

Spring Colors

After letting the violets steep overnight I strained the liquid into a quart jar.  It was so blue it was almost black.  I had high hopes that the final jam color would be deeper as well.  We brought the jar outside and added the lemon juice so that we could enjoy the full beauty of the color change.  I thought it was interesting that the lemon juice made the color change from the bottom up.

Given that I have sworn off liquid pectin, I had to try to convert the recipe I normally use to powdered pectin.  I had 4 cups of violet infusion and 1/2 c. strained lemon juice and to that I added one package of powdered pectin and 5 cups of sugar.  The proportions seem to be correct as the jelly set up nicely, for a grand total of 6.5 cups.  The color, as I had hoped, is an amazing shade of fuchsia which I didn't think was possible.  I tried to get pictures tonight but I'll just have to add them in tomorrow.  If ever a jelly could be described as gorgeous.....

I moved from pink to green as I needed more mint jelly and the mint was just coming up in the garden.  After snipping off the tops of every mint shoot I could find, I had just enough.  I steeped the leaves for 10 minutes, strained them, and mixed 4 cups of the mint infusion with one package of powdered pectin and 5 cups of sugar plus 4 drops of green food coloring and 1 drop of blue.  This also yielded 6.5 cups and is starting to look a little darker now but initially it was the color of mouthwash.  Tasted better, though!

Here's the violet jelly with the mint.  Even this doesn't do the color justice!

Tonight I'll take the candied violets out of the fridge and let them sit out at room temperature for another day.  Then I'll report back as to how they are.  I checked them earlier and they certainly seem like they're doing the right thing.

Violet Obsession

My Brasilian friend moved and in her new backyard is a sea of violets.  She invited us over today to pick violets for jelly and have a little snack (pao de queijo and other things!).  I brought a large container to get enough flowers to make two batches of violet jelly.  We barely made a dent in the field of purple!  We got another container and picked more so I could candy them.  I thought it was a relatively easy process.

There aren't a lot of ingredients or anything, but it's tedious.  First you make an egg white wash and dip the violets in, then sprinkle them with powdered sugar and put them on a paper towel.  I did about 40 this way and then just about lost my mind.  At that point I was thinking about sugar water in an atomizer or something, but decided instead to just mix the powdered sugar in with the egg wash and bathe the violets in it.  I still had to laboriously separate all the petals before setting each blossom down on the towel, but at least it went a little faster.  Now all the flowers are in the fridge for 1 day and then they dry at room temperature for a day as well.  I have the two different batches separated enough that I can tell the difference so I'll know in a few days if my "alternate method" worked.

I also am steeping 4 cups of violets in 4 cups of boiling water and will strain that tomorrow and make the jelly.  I really packed the violets in there because I'm hoping for a nice strong purple color when it's all done.

Anxiety and Pretty Flowers

The other day I took the kids out to the nearby meadow for a little foraging.  Well, for them it was rock scrambling and playing.  For me it was digging up wild carrots (more on that later), some field garlic, and finding a treasure trove of violets!  The kids joined me on the violet hunt and I soon had enough to finish that batch of jelly I'd hoped for.  After steeping the violets overnight, today I have 9 half-cup jars of violet jelly to start this year's gift stash.

As far as the wild carrots go - I think I may have lost my nerve!  I know what they look like, what they smell like, and what they taste like.  But, after getting a few home, I was struck with anxiety that I might have messed up.  Gotten poison hemlock instead (which we did see, by the way).  I waited several hours, sure I was going to die a horrible, paralytic death.  My toes tingled, and I quietly worried.  Swore I would do no more "extreme foraging."

Well, as you can see, I am still alive, but that doesn't make me feel any better.  What if one of the carrots, one of the ones I didn't taste, isn't a carrot?  Death could be lurking in the fridge for me.  I think maybe, as with the mushrooms, I will be a less enthusiastic forager....

More Violets

I've been giving away those little jars of violet jelly because they're just so unusual. When I give one away, the recipient says, "Oh, violet jelly. Thanks! Wait...REAL violets?" And then I launch into a description, and it's really fun to share such an unexpected thing with people!

So today I made a second batch and used it as a teachable moment with the 9 year old to discuss pH and litmus tests. I'm totally geeking out about that one little step in the process - adding the lemon juice and letting the violet water change color. For some reason, that makes me happy. Chemistry in everyday life!

I also made a batch of mascarpone cheese and used half of it to make strawberry-raspberry soup. I put the mascarpone in a blender with half a cup of orange juice, a half-pint of raspberries and a quart of strawberries and about 3 T. honey. Once blended, I chilled it until dinnertime and served garnished with a few berries. Sometimes we do this when it's too warm to cook; tonight we also had shrimp cocktail and bread. No cooking involved.

Violet Jelly

And the (now) 6 year old loves it and even asked for more!

The recipe comes from here although I found similar recipes all over the web. The violets are from the front yard and I spent a few peaceful moments picking them this morning. Then I washed them and steeped them for 3 hours.

We took the liquid outside so I could demonstrate to the 6 year old the coolness of it changing color with the lemon juice. It's really cool. You should try it. It's fun!










I ended up with 9 4-ounce jars of jelly and a little bit leftover which likely won't last long. Especially since the little one loves it. It's light and sweet and I guess it tastes like violets. I haven't ever eaten a violet before so how would I know?