Pansy Palooza! Pansy Recipes from The Good Earth Team!
Much like the pumpkins recipes, this is a collection of fun recipes utilizing our favorite fall/ winter annuals, the pansy. Pansy and viola flowers are edible, both the sepals and the flower petals as well as the pistils and stamens, unlike many edible flowers, in which only the flower petals themselves are edible. A quick note about pansy flowers; pick them just before use for best results. If you plan to use pansies in recipes, treat them as such during the growing season, utilizing pest treatments that are safe. Our team made some fun treats from these lovely flowers; here are the recipes!
Gregg actually made this first one:
Pansy Suckers
Made by Gregg
- Assorted small edible flowers and petals, such as pansies
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup
- ⅓ cup warm water
- ¼ teaspoon raspberry extract, rose extract, orange or lemon extract
- Drops of botanical food dye, optional
- Ready the flowers or petals by gently but thoroughly washing and patting them dry. Flatten by placing them between triple thicknesses of paper towels, then weighting them down under a heavy book or stack of books overnight or longer. Very gently peel them from the paper before using.
- Set out a 2-cup heat-proof glass measure. Set out a very large flat tray or baking sheet (or 2 smaller sheets) and line with heavy-duty foil. Place 12 to 15 lollipop sticks on the foil, spacing to allow for the candy to spread out to at least 2½ inches in diameter and preferably more. Place the flowers or petals attractively around the top end of the sticks. Set out a heat-proof bowl of ice water.
- In a heavy medium-sized saucepan thoroughly stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring. Cover the pot and let the trapped steam wash any sugar crystals from the pot sides for 2 minutes; lift up the pot from the heat and swirl the mixture several times. Remove the lid. With a wet pastry brush or damp paper towel, wipe away any sugar crystals clinging to the pan sides.
- Continue cooking, never stirring, but lifting and swirling the pan to redistribute the syrup every minute or so. When the syrup has boiled down about 5 minutes, start checking with the candy thermometer. As soon as the syrup registers 305 degrees F, immediately remove the pot from the heat. Quickly add the extract and drops of botanical dye (if using) and swirl the pan until blended in fairly well. Immediately set the pan in the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and lower the temperature; let stand for 5 minutes, lifting and swirling the pan several times.
- Carefully turn out the cooling syrup into the 2-cup measure. Start forming the lollipops by pouring the syrup over the center tops of the lollipop sticks; sure not to touch the mixture. Continue at a steady pace until all the pops are formed. If at any point the syrup cools and stiffens too much to pour, place the measure in the microwave oven and reheat the mixture for 5 to 10 seconds, or until it is just fluid again. Don’t try to scrape out any left in the cup, as it may turn gritty and cloudy.
- When all the pops are done, slide the baking sheet into a refrigerator and let the candies cool and chill thoroughly. Then, gently peel each one from the foil as needed. Wrap them individually in non-stick clear plastic wrap or special hard candy wrappers. Stored in a cool dry spot, they will keep for several months.
Candied Pansies
Made by Julie
1 Egg White (used powdered egg white substitute to avoid salmonella)
3-6 drops Vodka, 100 proof, flavored if desired
Superfine Sugar
Pansy and/ or Viola flowers
- Beat egg whites until frothy. Add a couple of drops of vodka to help the flowers dry quicker.
- Using fresh picked flowers, paint each flower individually with beaten egg white using the artist’s paintbrush.
- When thoroughly coated, sprinkle with fine sugar and place on the wire rack to dry. Flowers are completely dry when stiff and brittle to the touch.
- They should be free of moisture. This could take 12 to 36 hours, depending on humidity. To hasten drying, you may 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.
Pound of Pansies
Made by Jen G.
Well, this isn’t really a pound of pansies but it’s a quick recipe involving ready made pound cake, a consistently delicious butter glaze and a topping of fruit and pansy blooms. It’s both easy to do and results in a unique look every time, making it perfect for a last minute fall/ winter/ early spring dessert when unexpected guests arrive. Stock your freezer with a frozen pound cake; we used Sara Lee Family Size. Make the frosting and cover the top of the cake, gently smoothing over the top and allow icing to drip down sides. Now here comes the creative part! Pick pansies from the awesome color display we are sure you have, and assemble the top, including fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.
Butter Glaze
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons milk
Place sugar in bowl and set aside. Melt butter in microwave, then pour over sugar. Add milk and whisk until smooth. Thin glaze as desired with milk. Pour over cake immediately and smooth over the top, allowing glaze to run down sides. Allow to set for a few minutes before adding toppings. For this cake pictured above, we didn’t thin the glaze. Thinning it would give the glaze a more translucent look and increase the pliability of the glaze. It’s all personal choice!
Pansy Cookies
Tyler rocked these out; definitely the most involved recipe of the day!
He followed this great recipe from this awesome Martha Stewart: https://www.marthastewart.com/1151288/pansy-cookies
Tasty AND beautiful!
Salad with Pansy Garnish
Made by Gregg
Another super simple and delicious recipe. Literally, make a salad and then garnish! Keep in mind that pansy flowers are delicate and won’t hold up to heavy dressing for too long. For best presentation of individual servings, add pansy garnishes after salad dressing has been added. For large serving bowls of salad with no dressing, add to top for best initial presentation.