Magic Tea Cake: Mastering Floral Flavors in Pastry

A master dough allows a baker to use one pastry formula to support a variety of flavors, allowing experts and novices to experiment comfortably in the kitchen. The master dough for Magic Tea Cake (technically a "quick bread") was developed to complement floral flavors that are attractive to bakers, but difficult to execute without producing results that are perceived as “perfumey” on the tongue.

The secret to balancing floral flavors is the use of infused sugars. If you've ever made vanilla sugar you're already experienced with this technique. Glass Petal Smoke has developed three flavor formulas for Magic Tea Cake; Blueberry Lavender, Strawberry Rose and Almond Osmanthus. Infused sugars should be prepared at least one week in advance and allowed to sit undisturbed in a well-sealed glass jar. They are terrific in pastry and can also be used as a finishing ingredient in a variety of applications. 

Magic Tea Cake

Recipe by Michelle Krell Kydd

(Serves 9-12)

 

Ingredients for the Master Dough:

·      2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

·      ¼ cup golden flaxseed meal

·      1 cup raw cane or turbinado sugar (or custom flavored sugar made with ½ cup sugar and specified measurement of floral ingredients)

·      1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (non-aluminum)

·      ¼ teaspoon baking soda

·      ½ teaspoon sea salt (non-iodized)

·      1 cup low-fat, low sodium buttermilk (room temperature)

·      2 large eggs (slightly beaten, room temperature)

·      ⅓ cup sweet unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

·      1 teaspoon Penzeys® Double Vanilla Extract (or specified extract for custom flavor)

*Reduced sugar by ½ cup if adding 3 to 4 ounces of dried fruit of your choice.

Instructions for Making Infused Sugar:

·      Layer sugar and flowers in a mini food processor.

·      Grind ingredients together making sure that the sugar remains crystallized (over-grinding produces a powder). The result should be sugar evenly tinged with the color of the flowers.

·      Store in a cool, dark place until ready to use.

Ingredients for Floral Flavored Sugars (omit vanilla and sugar in the master dough recipe and add the following):

Strawberry Rose:

·      ½ cup raw cane (or turbinado) sugar

·      ½ cup dried red rose petals (culinary grade, ground to medium texture)

·      1 tablespoon Tahitian vanilla extract (must be Tahitian)

·      2 teaspoons rosewater

·      2 teaspoons McCormick® Strawberry Extract

·      4 ounces dried strawberries (chopped)

Almond Osmanthus:

·      ½ cup raw cane (or turbinado) sugar

·      ½ cup dried Osmanthus flowers

·      1 tablespoon almond extract

·      3 ounces golden raisins

Blueberry Lavender:

·      ½ cup raw cane (or turbinado) sugar

·      1 tablespoon plus1 teaspoon of lavender (culinary grade, ground to medium texture)

·      1 tablespoon almond extract

·      3 ounces dried blueberries

Instructions:

·      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

·      Grease one 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan (or three 5.75 x 3 inch loaf pans) with cooking spray.

·      In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add infused sugar and flaxseed meal, blending well.

·      In a medium-size bowl, mix eggs, melted butter and extract/flavored waters. Add buttermilk and incorporate. If using dried fruit, add it to the wet mixture.

·      Make a well in the center of the bowl with the dry ingredients and add wet ones. Combine wet and dry ingredients together, folding gently with a silicone spatula. Be careful not to over mix.

·      Pour batter into prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes (30 to 35 minutes for smaller loads), or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

·      Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and place on a wire rack to continue cooling.

·      Refrigerate or freeze for future use. The large loaf yields 10 to 12 slices, the smaller loaf yields 5 to 6 slices.

Notes:

Culinary lavender and double strength vanilla can be purchased online from Penzeys.

Culinary red rose petals and rosewater are available at Kalustyan’s.

Tahitian Vanilla Extract is available from The Spice House. You can also make your own using the recipe in this post.

Dried osmanthus flowers are available online from Tea Spring. The quality is superb and any flowers not used for baking can be infused with green tea for a delicious drink. Tea Spring ships directly from China so it is best to order a few weeks in advance.

Photos of Blueberry Lavender Tea Cake and Trio of Rose, Osmanthus and Lavender by Michelle Krell Kydd.

Violet Pleasures in Food and Drink

Fragrant flowers that arouse the senses enter the vocabulary as words for color, inspiring expressions of love and beauty. This weekend the city of Toulouse celebrated La Fête des Violets, a yearly festival which pays homage to the diminutive bloom cultivated in greenhouses and used in confectionary and scented products. The Parma violet was allegedly introduced to the region in the 19th century by Napoleon’s second wife, Maria Luigia of Austria, Grand Duchess of Parma. Floral, sweet, cool and woody viola odorata asserts a distinctive olfactive presence, articulated brilliantly in the last two stanzas of “Ode to a Cluster of Violets” by Pablo Neruda:

Fragile cluster of starry
violets,
tiny, mysterious
planet
of marine phosphorescence,
nocturnal bouquet nestled in green leaves:
the truth is
there is no blue word to express you.

Better than any word
is the pulse of your scent.

Violet pleasures exist in food and drink, though true gustative and olfactive creations are rare. Essential oil of violet is extremely costly to produce and nearly impossible to work with when it comes to flavors. Synthesized ionones inspired by violets and berries (the molecules exist in both) are commonly utilized in flavor and fragrance and are less volatile, permitting lasting sensory impressions. Only one of the products reviewed in this article is built around violet petals—Pierre Marcolini’s Violet-Infused Praline.

Lavender Violet Vanilla Bean Sugar, Savory Spice Shop
Smelling Lavender Vanilla Bean Sugar and tasting it are two distinctly different experiences. The aroma possesses a vanillic bravura that is woody, slightly anisic and lavender-infused, generating the sense of violet as a color rather than a flavor. When eaten out of hand, notes of violet float over vanilla and transition into lavender, inspiring thoughts of application in pastry.

Violette-Infused Praline, by Pierre Marcolini
Heartbreakingly beautiful, this violet-infused chocolate is truly a labor of love. Chocolatier Pierre Marcolini cold infuses fresh cream with violet petals in order to preserve the fragile flower’s delicate flavors. He combines the flavored cream with melted chocolate to create a ganache filling and the result is true artistry. At first bite, aspects of naturally occurring ionone flirt with the palate, massaging the taste buds with notes of strawberry, raspberry and blackberry. As the chocolate melts in the mouth, the floral aspect of violet begins to show itself, gently lingering in the finish. Warning: A trip to Pierre Marcolini’s store in New York City may induce chocolate ecstasy.

Rothman and Winter Crème de Violette
There is no cream in Crème de Violette, but its smoothness warrants the title. Delicate and complex it is delightful sipped neat or added to cocktails, (distributor Hauz Alpenz provides drink recipes on their website). Like absinthe, violet liqueur is making a comeback and is much preferred to the cloying contents of Monin® syrup bottles favored by bartenders and baristas.

Bêtises de Cambrai, Violet Flavor
This French candy is a doppelgänger for Caron’s Violette Précieuse fragrance. Delicate, vaguely woody and slightly citric it refreshes the palate with a sweet floralcy that is extremely addictive. Though difficult to find outside of France, it is worthy of pursuit.

Notes:

“Ode to a Cluster of Violets” can be found in the bilingual edition of Odes to Common Things, a precious and beautifully illustrated book. You can read the poem here.

Rothman & Winter Crème de Violette is available at Astor Wines and Liquors in New York City. They are located at 399 Lafayette Street at East 4th Street. 212-674-7500

Pierre Marcolini is located at 485 Park Avenue, between 58th and 59th Streets in New York City. 212-755-5150

Photo of Candied Spring Violet Cake is from Mirabelle Catering.

Orange Blossom Candy Dots

 

In August 2007, gourmet candy purveyor Artisan Sweets became the only American distributor of Orange Blossom Candy Dots. The candy, known as pastiglie fior arancio in Italian, is manufactured by Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano, an historical confectionery with roots in the second half of the18th century. There is an interesting effect that transpires if the candy is eaten after applying an orange blossom fragrance. A tangible synchrony of the senses occurs that is best compared to sympathetic vibration between two tuning forks—a flavor and fragrance connection that is nearly impossible to forget.

Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano’s discs of colorless molded sugar are perfumed with natural orange flower and develop a granular feel in the mouth as the confection dissolves—a sophisticated way to experience traces of pure sugar crystals on the tongue. For the uninitiated, pastiglie fior arancio are remotely akin to Necco® Candy Buttons, small removable dots of colored sugar that are assembled in rows and fastened onto strips of paper. The Necco® confection, designed for children, is pastel-colored, but the texture is far from pleasing—it resembles hardened dry icing used to decorate cakes. Orange Blossom Candy Dots are quite small, but their size belies the beauty of an impactful flavor.

Not all orange blossom fragrances permit sensory resonance with Orange Blossom Candy Dots. Fresh and delicate compositions are necessary as orange blossom possess a slight Concord grape odor due to the presence of naturally occurring methyl anthranilate. Slatkin Orange Blossom and Citron eau de parfum and Jo Malone Orange Blossom cologne match perfectly with Orange Blossom Candy Dots. A review of each of these fragrances is provided as a guide to exploring flavor and fragrance connections. Feel free to experiment with other matching fragrances in haute niche ranges.

Fragrance Reviews/Recommendations:

Slatkin Orange Blossom and Citron is as welcome as a summer breeze that sends curtains fluttering with the promise of clement weather. At first sniff it is decidedly crisp and refreshing. The scent seamlessly transitions into a bouquet of gentle white florals, slowly fading in an upward stream of musk. There is a pronounced hedonic nose of jasmine in the bouquet which is simply expressed, lacking the indolic quality of a full jasmine. A faint touch of honeysuckle also flirts with the orange blossom, adding a quality of freshness à la Marc Jacobs Blush. Though Slatkin Orange Blossom and Citron doesn’t have the complexity of earlier eau de parfums in the branded line, it most certainly has its place in the Slatkin pantheon. In addition, the ancillary products are aesthetically pleasing and well formulated. The shampoo, in particular, possesses a lasting fondness for scenting the hair.

Jo Malone Orange Blossom cologne bows gracefully to the white radiance of orange flower. The scent begins on a honeyed citrus peel note dappled with clementine leaf before revealing the tender presence of its floral heart. True to its cologne formulation, the quality of constancy on skin is pleasant and not overbearing. Fragrance layering opportunities exist with other scents in the Jo Malone line, which make it attractive to the fine fragrance connoisseur. Orange Blossom body cream, body lotion, bath oil, and shower gel formulations are also available should the desire for indulgence arise.

Additional Notes:

If you are interested in making a delectable orange blossom pastry, consult my Persian Orange Blossom Cookies recipe on Bois de Jasmin. It is a beautiful and fragrant cookie that is easy to make (and difficult to resist after it has come out of the oven).

The complete Slatkin Orange Blossom and Citron line is available in-store at Bergdorf Goodman. Due to high demand, availability of the eau de parfum may be limited.

Photo of the orange blossom comes from NetState.com.

Turkish Delight: Rose as Aphrodisiac

Turkish delight—the name itself is equivalent to a flirtatious wink. Veiled in powdered sugar, its square shape is softened by a tender blush that opaquely radiates from its center. Once consumed, it leaves a trace of confectioner’s sugar on the lips and a perfumed echo of rose on the tongue. It’s a sublime treat that elevates floral flavor to regal status, but what else would one expect from a confection created to satisfy the wives and mistresses of Sultan Abdul Hamid I...

In 1776, the same year the American Declaration of Independence was signed, Anatolian candy maker Hadji Bekir opened a sweet shop in Constantinople. Shortly thereafter, Bekir introduced the world to rahat lokum and was appointed chief confectioner in the Ottoman court. The Sultan, who commissioned Bekir’s work, unleashed a passion that exceeded the boundaries of his ever evolving harem. In the 19th century an unnamed British traveler shipped cases of the confection to England and crowned the delicacy “Turkish delight.” It is a British favorite to this day and is used as a tool of enticement in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The aphrodisiac aspects of Turkish delight are evident when one attempts to bite into the treat, an approach that is futile if true satisfaction is sought. A far more enjoyable approach (which was likely intentional on the part of Bekir and the Sultan) is consumption of the soft, flesh-like cube whole. As the powdered sugar melts, the tongue teases the morsel, gently exploring the confection until it dissolves in a sweet lingering finish. To say that eating Turkish delight is similar to kissing is not an understatement as this skill in love is necessary in order to fully appreciate the flesh-like texture of this delicacy.

The base of Turkish delight consists of sugar, cornstarch and cream of tartar, a combination that is subject to drying and hardening if over cooked or stored under improper conditions. Hazer Baba, a popular brand of Turkish delight, is available in a variety of flavors (rose, lemon and mint, with and without nuts) and is dated for freshness. Yaranush, an Armenian grocery in White Plains, New York offers the best Turkish delight I have ever eaten (and wickedly good halwa as well). Sold in bulk, flavors include rose, orange blossom, mint, vanilla and sundry combinations with nuts. Yaranush does not ship by mail, but if you are fortunate enough to know someone who is willing to procure them for you, you will have no regrets.

It is possible to make your own Turkish delight, which is labor intensive, but worth the effort. For those of you who are willing to give it a shot, cookbook author Tess Mallos offers this recipe in The Complete Middle East Cookbook, published by Tuttle:

Lokum
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours.
Yield: approximately 2 lbs.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 tablespoon rosewater (may be doubled, Cortas brand is best)
• A few drops of red food coloring
• 1/2 cup chopped, unblanched, toasted almonds (optional)
• 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch

Instructions:
Combine sugar, 1 1/2 cups water and lemon juice in a thick-based pan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, brushing sugar crystals off side of pan with bristle brush dipped in cold water. Bring to the boil and boil to soft ball stage 240° F (115° C) on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat.

In another thick-based pan blend cornstarch, cream of tartar and 1 cup cold water until smooth. Boil remaining 2 cups water and stir into cornstarch mixture, then place over low heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles. Use a balloon whisk if lumps form. Pour hot syrup gradually into cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil and boil gently for 1 1/4 hours. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon and cook until mixture is a pale golden color. Stirring is essential.

Stir in rose water to taste and a few drops of red food coloring to tinge it a pale pink. Blend in nuts if used, and remove from heat.

Pour into an oiled 9 inch (23 cm) square cake tin and leave for12 hours to set.

Combine confectioner’s sugar and the 1/4 cup cornstarch in a flat dish.

Cut Turkish delight into squares with an oiled knife and toss in sugar mixture. Store in a sealed container with remaining sugar mixture sprinkled between layers.

VARIATIONS:
Crème de Menthe Lokum: Replace rose water and red food coloring with 2 tablespoons Crème de Menthe liqueur and a little green food coloring. Omit nuts.

Orange Lokum: Use 1-2 tablespoons orange flower water instead of rose water; use orange food coloring.

Vanilla Lokum: Use 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract instead of rose water and coloring, and stir in 1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds or chopped walnuts. Do not blanch almonds.

Notes:
The use of rose and orange blossom water has always been a part of Persian cuisine and the Romans, who used rose petals like confetti at their banquets, were no strangers to using the flower in food. Our modern noses have been overloaded by candles, air fresheners and artificially scented bath products so the idea of eating something that is ever so slightly perfumed can strike one as akin to eating soap or air deodorizer. It is all in the association—fragrant foods, though not for everyone, can be refreshing, sublime, and quite sexy. Though I have yet to taste novel flavors such as saffron, jasmine or bergamot in this confection, I am certain that adventurous creations will enter the repertoire of Turkish delight.