CRYSTALLIZED FLOWERS

30 flowers (makes enough to decorate one layer cake)

A small, new paintbrush is perfect for coating the flowers with egg white. But you also can dip the flowers directly into the egg white, taking care to squeeze off the excess. If you are worried about a risk of salmonella, use pasteurized egg white. A small offset spatula will come in handy here.

Be sure to buy or use flowers grown specifically for culinary use.

1 large egg white (see headnote)

Water

25 to 30 small edible flowers (see headnote) Superfine sugar (may substitute granulated sugar ground in a food processor)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together the egg white with a few drops of water in a small bowl.

Use a small brush to paint the surface of each flower with a light coating of the egg white mixture. If you are dipping the flower instead, gently squeeze off any excess.

Place each flower coated side up in a shallow dish, and sprinkle it with the sugar. Don’t overdo it — you still want to be able to see the flower through the layer of sugar. Use tweezers, the tips of your fingers or an offset spatula to transfer the flowers to the baking sheet as you work. Discard any excess sugar and egg white mixture.

Allow the flowers to dry at room temperature at least overnight, or up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to use them, gently remove them from the paper, because they will stick a little.

Ingredients are too variable for a meaningful nutritional analysis.