Plant your borage in the rockery or somewhere a bit raised up from ground level. The starry blue flowers hang down in clusters, and you will be able to see them to advantage without getting down on all fours. The flowers can be candied, too, for an unusual garnish on cakes, fruit salads or sweets. Pop a couple, together with fresh mint leaves, on top of a plain egg custard served in individual crystal dishes, and watch your hostess reputation rise overnight. Here are two different methods of crystallizing the flowers:
1. Pick the flowers when barely open, lay on waxed paper, brush all over each blossom with beaten egg white using a small soft paintbrush, then dust castor sugar over through a fine sieve, and let dry. When quite dry and hard, store in airtight jars, lined with grease-proof paper.
2. Pick flowers when barely open. Wash them and spread out to dry. Make a syrup of 1 cup sugar and f cup water, and boil until it spins a thread (25 degrees on a candy thermometer). Pour into a heat-resistant bowl (not glass), and place in a bed of crushed ice to cool it quickly. When syrup begins to crystallize, dip blossoms in one at a time, holding them with fine tweezers by the base, and thoroughly coat with the syrup. Shake off the surplus, put on greaseproof paper, and dry. As they begin to harden, dust with castor sugar through a fine sieve. Store in airtight jars when thoroughly dry.
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