Parma Violet Honey Butter

I am always working on blending perfume into food somehow, though I don't always write about my experiments as they don't all work out how I envision they would. This latest experiment, however, has worked out -- beautifully. So I'll share.

Parma Violet Honey Butter came about because I've been working on a violet themed parfum for the past few weeks, a reworking of Ianthe the Violet Nymph, which is a reworking of a "mock violet" built in 2008, into something more robust and sensual; an attempt at putting a little va-va-va-voom into violet. Since I am almost always thinking of cooking with perfumery ingredients, it seemed only natural that I'd test a few drops of the new violet parfum extrait in . . . something! There was a fresh carton of heavy cream in the refrigerator and a few tablespoons of local orange blossom honey left in the canning jar, and I remembered having so much fun with my kids when they were little teaching them how to make butter, so that was the direction in which the scenting project went.

Recipe for Parma Violet Honey Butter

6 - 8 oz heavy whipping cream
2 - 3 tablespoons honey
4 - 6 drops Parma Parfum Extrait (or any Natural Botanical Perfume that is safe for this type of consumption)

Pour heavy whipping cream, honey and Natural Botanical Perfume into a glass jar with a lid, leaving about 1/3 of the jar empty for shaking purposes. Shake for 15-20 minutes until the butter separates from the fluid (you will recognize this when after the mixture feels sluggish and fluid it suddenly seems to spring free and knocks back and forth in the jar -- the knocking is the butter having separated from the cream). Pour off the fluid into another jar and save it to flavor Earl Grey tea; keep the butter portion in the shaking jar or place on a pretty serving plate and cover with waxed paper. Spread the butter over fresh toast, on bagels, on scones hot from the oven, over pancakes -- on anything you might normally spread butter.

If you plan to do this, use perfumery in food, remember to use only those which are known to be safe and preferably natural. You wouldn't want to do this with Chanel No5.