The progenitor of the cultivated Pansy, Viola tricolor or Johnny Jump Up, is a fun little flower which I love to grow. I have fancied Pansies since, as a young child, my paternal grandmother plucked a colorful blossom and proceeded to tell me a "Cinderella" story about it, complete with the ugly step-sisters, and royal King who was soaking his royal footies in the royal bathtub (all these parts and characters are depicted in the pansy bloom). I assumed Grandma had shared the same illustrated story with all my sisters, and was surprised when I alluded to it years later, to learn that my sisters had no such knowledge.
Recently, when Gingersnap (our granddaughter) requested that her "birthday cake" be cheesecake, I asked her what kind of topping she preferred. She did not want fruit; rather, she wanted it plain. I use a sour cream topping on my favorite cheesecake and decided to make that. I use a lot of strawberries in plating desserts, so decided that I would use the Violas, instead, to complement the cheesecake. I wasn't so much concerned that they are, indeed, edible as that they are so sweet and delicate and feminine. Just like we would have our girls be, yes?!! :)
I had taken a picture of the ones on our front porch, and I have enjoyed seeing it as the default on my desktop for the past couple of weeks. So, I thought I would just look up Viola tricolor on the internet, along with edible flowers, and see what there was to see. I had to smile when I read the following and learned that I am "an innovative home cook." If you haven't tried the Violas or Pansies as "eye candy" for your food, I encourage you to do so.
Edible flowers are the new rage in haute cuisine
After falling out of favor for many years, cooking and garnishing with flowers is back in vogue once again. Flower cookery has been traced back to Roman times, and to the Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Indian cultures. Edible flowers were especially popular in the Victorian era during Queen Victoria's reign. Today, many restaurant chefs and innovative home cooks garnish their entrees with flower blossoms for a touch of elegance. The secret to success when using edible flowers is to keep the dish simple, do not add to many other flavors that will over power the delicate taste of the flower. Today this nearly lost art is enjoying a revival.
I ought to have taken a photograph of the cheesecake and the Violas but, alas, I did not.
Speaking of all things feminine, several years ago, and for several years until it was no longer available, I subscribed to VICTORIA Magazine. I loved everything about the publication, from the fabulously beautiful foods, to the feminine (and modest) and frilly clothing (although sometimes it was beautiful wool plaids and high leather boots that I could "smell" from the pictures. I enjoyed each issue so much that I could not part with it and so saved every one. When publication ceased a number of years ago, I was so glad that I had these archival copies, and I have enjoyed them the second and third and subsequent times as much or more than the first. The publication is now being printed again but the copies I've seen are not as spectacular as they used to be.
