Crystallized Edible Flowers
Crystallizing flowers is a matter of painting individual petals with a thin layer of egg white and coating them in superfine sugar, then letting them dry until they feel like crisp, sugar-glass ornaments.
Pick your flowers at their peak
Use only organic flowers grown without pesticides, and choose blooms that are fully open but not wilting. Work in a dry room; humidity is the enemy of a crisp finish.
- small clean watercolor paintbrush
- tweezers
- wire cooling rack
- shallow bowl
- parchment paper
What goes in.
- 24edible flowers like pansies, violets, or borage
- 1large egg white, room temperature
- 1/2 cupsuperfine (castor) sugar
Less is more
Use the brush to apply the absolute thinnest layer of egg white possible. If the petal is saturated, it will wilt rather than stiffen.
The method.
Prepare the workspace
Lay out a piece of parchment paper and set your wire rack nearby. Pour the sugar into a shallow bowl.
Paint the petals
Holding the flower gently by the stem with your tweezers, lightly brush the egg white onto the front and back of each petal. The petal should look damp, not dripping.
Apply the sugar
Gently sprinkle sugar over the flower or lightly dip it into the bowl. Use a dry brush to flick away any heavy clumps of sugar so the texture remains delicate.
Set to dry
Place the flowers on the wire rack and let them air dry in a cool, dry place for at least 12 hours. They are done when they feel rigid and lose their translucency.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Choose flowers that are naturally sturdy, like pansies, as they hold their shape better than paper-thin blossoms.
If you have trouble with the sugar clumping, sift it through a fine-mesh strainer before beginning.
Store finished flowers in an airtight container with a packet of silica gel to prevent them from absorbing moisture from the air.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I eat the egg white raw?
If you are concerned about raw eggs, use pasteurized egg whites from a carton.
Why did my flowers turn brown?
This usually happens if the flowers were bruised during handling or if the room was too humid to allow for quick drying.
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