Angelica

[Woods]

Does anyone ever use angelica in baking? I want to make authentic trois frers but cannot find a usable source. The only website I have found is in New Zeland and doesn't ship to the US.

[Wendy DeBord]

Scroll half way down on this page:

http://www.auiswisscatalogue.com/store/mer...e=ASC/CTGY/FRUT

I believe Albert Uster ships/sells world wide.

[chefpeon]

Dagnabit!

I thought I knew everything.

There goes that theory.

What's Angelica? Up until now, I thought she was the bratty kid on "Rugrats".

From the pic on that website, I can see it's green, and that's about it.

More info?

[Redsugar]

ANGELICA

This herb, which grows wild in the European Alps, in the Pyrenees and in northern Europe, has long been highly valued because every part of the plant has some use. Oil distilled from the seeds & roots is used in flavouring liqueurs & drinks. The leaves are used for flavouring stewed fruit. The fresh stalks & leaf stems, candied in sugar, are used in fruit cakes, to garnish desserts, and as a flavouring component. Undoubtedly, all of us have seen it used in marzipan modelling; one suggestion offered by Flo Braker, in her marvellous book, Sweet Miniatures: The Art of Making Bite-Size Desserts is to use tiny pieces for stems on marzipan grape clusters. (I bought crystallized angelica only once and used the stems to garnish an English Trifle and the remainder to accessorize, along w/ crystallized flower petals, the icing on a butterceam-filled Lemon Sponge Cake.) According to The Oxford Companion to Food, “the candied stalks have been sold as ‘French rhubarb’ in the USA.” Elizabeth David (Spices, Salts and Aromatics in the English Kitchen) identified angelica (along w/ citrus zest and orange-flower water) as “one of my favourite [aromatics] that go in all desserts and confectionery.”

f you have access to a copy of Culinaria France – mygod, I treasure that magnificent series of Könemann reference books! – you can delight in the article on Angélique de Niort, bearing the ethereal, perfume-like title, “Heavenly Allure.” The amazing French culinary artists even carve decorative figures out of the transcendently-named plant, angelica archangelica; and pictures in a sidebar show a cow, a duck, a frog, and a marsh marigold. Enchanting reading. We also learn that “as early as the late 18th century, the bright green stems were famous as candy, referred to as confiture d’angélique, because they had been preserved in sugar (French: confire)."

The lead instructor during the last 12 weeks of my culinary schooling was a lady from New Zealand. Her English heritage was celebrated occasionally in class when she would introduce recipes that were updated (French) interpretations of some favourite family dishes. I recall that we used candied angelica to decorate a huge Trifle, as well as, not surprisingly, a beautifully pristine Pavlova. I was impressed by her intimation that she had made her own Angélique Confite. Although it takes over a week to prepare – most of which time it is drying on a rack -- it is simple to do. Once made, it must be kept in a well-stoppered glass jar. Our instructor gave us a few recipes using angelica, including a tart with a rich, shortcrust filled with a rather bland cheese filling and flavoured w/ candied angelica.

One summer I included an angelica plant in my herb garden; but, alas, it didn’t grown very successfully. Later, I learned from The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices and Flavourings that it probably would have fared better in a potting tub. If it had flourished (it dies after flowering), then I would have proceeded to make Angélique Confite:

A dozen 4-inch lengths of tender, young angelica stems

20 fl. oz. boiling water

1 lb. granulated white sugar

20 fl. oz. water

Place angelica in bowl. Pour over the boiling water and leave to soak for 24 hrs.

Remove the angelica. Peel & wash in cold, running water. Mix remaining water & sugar in saucepan. Heat to make a simple syrup. Add the angelica and simmer steadily for 20 minutes.

Remove it from the pan and place in a sieve to drain. Cove the syrup and set aside. Leave the angelica to air-dry for 3 days. After that period, bring the syrup to the boil, add the angelica, and gently boil it for 15-20 minutes. Remove the angelica and leave on a rack for 4 days. Sprinkle w/ sugard and store in an airtight confiture jar.

BTW, I wonder whether Angelica Huston is interested in this topic?

Edited September 6, 2004 by Redsugar (log)

[Woods]

Thanks Wendy. I will be attending L'Acadamie de Cuisine starting next month. It shares the same building with AU. Maybe I can talk to them. Meanwhile I will order from the site you sent. Thanks.

Chefperson, angelica is an anise tasting sort of thing. It was used in folk medicine for stomach problems.

[artisanbaker]

www.lilamand.com

email them with your request and you might be able to get some. if you do, rest assured that it will be some of the finest quality candied product you have ever tasted. well worth the expense if you are willing to make it.