Please allow me to set the stage:
It’s late May in the year 1883, and the vivid green grass is dotted with tiny wildflowers. A long table has been set outside, and it is spread with a spotless white tablecloth. A tall, dark-haired maiden with her hair piled high on her head (like a “Gibson girl”) nods to her friend and pours a glass of lemonade. (We will call her Mina!)
Mina’s tiny waist is set off by her white leg-of-mutton sleeves, but she isn’t skipping dessert today: Not while the flowers are so plentiful! It’s time to experience one of life’s fleeting pleasures: Lilac-infused whipped cream!
A delicious geranium-infused white cake is cooling in the window.
The lilac blossoms have been resting in heavy cream for over 24 hours now, so the cream is finally ready. Mina strains out the blossoms and takes a deep sniff. The cream emits the scent of lilacs mixed with butter, and the scent grows greater while Mina whips the cream. She adds the powdered sugar at the last minute, licks a dollop from her finger, then gives a nod of approval. She taps a drop or two of violet syrup into the cream for color, then plops a generous spoonful onto the top of a slice of geranium cake.
In a few moments, she is carrying a tray loaded with dessert toward the backyard. Her friend rises to help distribute the dessert plates, and sends one of the children to call the rest of the family. After a year of waiting, it is finally time to experience:
Lilac Whipped Cream!
OK, back to reality:
It’s 2023, and we are still enjoying lilac-infused whipped cream, made the old-fashioned way, on a geranium cake! We cannot leave these delicacies from the age of invention behind!
You have no lilacs, you say?
Surely some wonderful neighbor you haven’t yet met has a lilac bush with a few extra blooms! (What better way to meet?) And if the lilacs are still in bloom where you are, there might just be time to try this Victorian treat.
But what does it taste like?
Flowers-as-flavors create an interesting experience. The best way I can describe it is to suggest you breathe in just as you take that first bite. The flower essence has both taste and smell, but we are only used to the scent, and the flavor is usually a little bit different. Lilac perfume is very sweet, and the taste of lilac has a smoky undertone that is just delicious.
(Are you curious about the way other flowers taste? Roses, carnations, dandelions and many more are also edible!)
Making the lilac-infused cream couldn’t be simpler: Collect enough flowers to fill a pint jar; rinse them, cut the flowers off the big stems, and fill the jar halfway up with the washed blossoms. (Be sure to shake the water off so you don’t dilute the cream!)
(I got over-ambitious and made a whole quart-full! But if you want to just TRY it, a pint will work better!)
Measure a little over a cup of heavy whipping cream and pour it over the flowers. (Push the blossoms under so they are covered by the cream.) Put a cover on the jar and stick it into the fridge for 24 hours. When you pull it back out, and strain out the flowers, it’ll be done!
You can use the flavored cream in any way you usually use heavy cream. (Except coffee–coffee will overwhelm the lilac.) You could try it over berries or peaches, or in any recipe that uses heavy cream. Imagine the possibilities: Lilac scones!
To make whipped cream from it, just whip the chilled cream until it forms “soft peaks.” Add 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, while you finish beating the cream. When the sugar is incorporated, and the cream has stiffened, it’s done. (You can stir in a drop or two of color if you like; the lilacs don’t color the cream–at least, the mid-tone lilacs don’t.)
Serve it on ice cream or serve it on cake. Angel-food might be a good base, or you could try another kind of white cake. I wasn’t kidding about the geranium white cake–it’s delicious! Simply mince 8 large (washed) geranium leaves (not the stems), and mix it into your cake batter. Geranium has a tart lemony flavor that provides a nice contrast to the lilac.
This is how it looked when we tried it:
Bon Appetite!
The Fullers Four 