Orange Flower Water - Tea Cake Recipe

Orange flower water is a popular ingredient in north African cuisine, but you may be surprised to find out that it is popular in many French recipes as well. Here you'll find an easy recipe for a Navette de Saint Victor, a French tea cake that features this unusual flavor.

Orange Blossom Water Production in France

Orange flower water is a distillate made from the petals of the bitter orange tree (known as a bigaradier in French). In France, these orange blossoms are harvested for the most part around Grasse, which is considered the flower and perfume capital of the country. Not only orange blossoms, but roses, lavender, and jasmine are cultivated and processed in this lovely town located in the hillsides to the west of Nice.

I have a wonderful memory of visiting Grasse when the rose pickers had gone on strike. In protest they had strewn the streets with millions of rose petals. You might not be so lucky, but Grasse is a completely charming and interesting French town and well worth a visit if you are in the south of France.

Orange trees normally blossom sometime in the spring. Only some of the snowy white flowers will actually produce a fruit, which can then take up to six months to mature on the tree. The petals fall to the ground and are quickly gathered so that they are still in very good shape when they are distilled. One of the products of this distillation is used to make perfume, but another part is bottled and sold to cook with.

Cooking with Orange Flower Water

Orange flower water is a traditional ingredient in North African cooking where you will find it in both sweet and savory dishes and even salads. In France it is mostly in the south where you will find flower waters used to delicately flavor various regional dishes, mostly desserts and sweets.

To add a whiff of delicate taste to your desserts, follow the French lead:

• Mix orange flower water into cake batters and creams.
• Use it to flavor crepes.
• Include it in chocolate mousse.
• Marry it with white chocolate.
• Add it to fruit salads, jams, and fruit sauces.

One well known bread flavored with orange blossom water is the fougassette, which is often served as one of the thirteen traditional Christmas desserts in Provence. This slightly sweet yeast bread is pierced with seven holes to represent the seven orifices in the face of Jesus. Tradition says that to avoid a year of bad luck, you must break the bread with your hands rather than use a knife to serve it.

Orange blossom water is also reputed as a gentle sleeping aid in France. Mothers will put a few drops in a glass of milk to help their wee ones get to bed. People also enjoy a splash in their cup of tea.

Finding Orange Flower Water

Some people are put off by the perfumey taste of orange flower water, so it is best to try a little at first. Also different brands offer different strengths.

You can find good French orange flower water (which is of course what I used in the recipe below) on Amazon. Please note that the link I provide here is to a particular shipper that works with Amazon and which has a good reputation with their customers.

A Tea Cake Recipe

These tea cakes are called navettes, a word which means boat amongst other things in French. They are said to represent the boat on which Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Martha were riding when they touched shore in Provence 2000 years ago. This particular version contains orange flower water, but you can find navettes flavored differently and even mass marketed with a dollop of jam or chocolate in the center.

Saint Victor navettes have been made in the city of Marseille near the Saint Victor Abbey for more then two hundred years. Traditionally the people of Marseille buy them by the dozen (one for each month of the year) and eat them for the celebration of Chandeleur on the second of February.

This tea cake recipe makes exactly two dozen navettes.

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• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, plus one yolk
• 2 tablespoons orange flower water
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon milk

In a food processor or mixer, cream the butter until fluffy. Add 3 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, eggs, flower water and water. Mix until completely combined. The dough should be stiff, just beyond sticky, so that you can handle it without it sticking all over you. You may need to add a bit more flour to get there.

Gather the dough in a ball and divide it in two. Divide each halve into halves and then once more so that you end up with eight balls of equal size. Each of these should be further divided into three balls so you end up with a total of 24.

Roll each ball into a cylinder shape about three inches long. Place these somewhat spaced apart on a non-stick baking sheet (or a greased regular one). Flatten each cylinder somewhat and pinch the ends to form a boat shape. With a sharp knife, slit the boat down the center stopping at about an 1/8 inch from each end.

Leave the boats to rest for two hours at room temperature. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit Beat the egg yolk with the milk and paint the tops of the boats with this. Bake the navettes for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden on top.

Makes 24 navettes.

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When I made these tea cakes recently, I wanted to serve them for dessert rather than tea, so I whipped up this delicious and easy Marscapone cream and served it alongside the navettes. My family was crazy for it.

• 8 ounces marscapone cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange flower water

Blend all ingredients and serve.

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And another idea:

If you buy a bottle of orange flower water and find it lingering on your pantry shelves for months, try a splash in your bath. Not only should it soften your skin and calm your nerves, you will smell lovely as well.

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