All About Violet Essence

Published on: February 12, 2008

Violet Cupcake This Week Linda Rosenjack from Aurora, Ohio wants Kitchen Sleuth to investigate violet essence and writes:
I have wanted to make a violet frosting, but I've been unable to locate violet "essence" in the grocery or natural food stores. Please explain what essences are, how they differ from extracts, and where I may obtain them, especially the violet flavor. (I am familiar with essential oils which I understand differ since they are not to be used for human consumption.) Any assistance you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

Dear Linda:
You are absolutely right that, in general, essential oils are not for baking and cooking but used primarily for perfumes and aromatherapy. What you're looking for is a violet extract - similar to the more commonly used almond and vanilla extracts or a flavoring oil.

Violet Extract and Flavoring Oils
Violet extract is the prized liquid that is extracted or "squeezed out" from the petals of the violet, usually the sweet violet varietal. The extraction process can also involve maceration (grinding) or distillation (reducing the extract to a concentrated form) and can be made many food items by reducing a liquid to a thick syrup consistency. Vanilla extracts, however, are usually made by dissolving the bean or flavoring oil in alcohol.

A violet flavoring oil is a concentrated essence of the violet. Flavoring oils can also be made from roses or orange blossoms, or spices like cinnamon or anise, herbs like peppermint, or nuts, like almond or the vanilla bean.

True violet extract or violet flavoring oil is indeed difficult to come by and is more likely to be found on French web sites than American, or at very well-stocked culinary shops with an emphasis on baking products and equipment. We did find one reliable American source, Surfas® Restaurant Supply in Los Angeles. Their choice is from Selectarome made by Lavoilotte of Cannes in France, the leading producer of violets.

The product #40957 and cost $22.50 for 3.9oz. Although pricey, it can be stored almost indefinitely in a cool dark cupboard. Take care to ensure that the lid is screwed on tightly. Eventually, of course, the flavor will lose its strength, but such a small quantity will help you flavor icings for many cakes and baked goods for a very long time. For more information, call Surfas customer service at (866)-799-4770 if it's not on their website at www.surfasonline.com

You can also check out culinary shops, restaurant supply houses that specialize in baking products or candy supply resources. Some older pharmacies offer food-grade flower waters but make sure to ask the pharmacist if these are appropriate for food ingredients. Gourmet food shops in your area are also worth investigating.

Crystallized Violets
Another alternative for flavoring the icing is to decorate it with violet candies. They're quite beautiful, totally edible, and add a truly unique decorative touch. A candied violet or crystallized violet is an unsprayed or organic violet coated with a hot sugar syrup that is poured over the fresh flower. The flowers may also be immersed in the syrup for the same effect until the sugar re-crystallized and becomes firm. Edible crystallized violets (also known as violettes de Toulouse for the area in France where they are usually made) can be found at high-end culinary shops like Sur la Table (www.surlatable.com). Again, this is a pricey item, 25 for $39.95 but you needn't use that many on a cake. You can also crystallize violets yourself but it's difficult to find totally organic ones and the process is very time consuming.

Violet Liqueur
A third alternative is to flavor the icing with a violet-infused liqueur such as Crème Yvette, Crème de Violette or Parfait d'Amour. It is a heady combination of violets and vanilla. Any high-end liquor store or culinary shop may have it or check online for French liqueur sources such as www.benoit-serres.com

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