Roses are among the most popular flowers in the world, for their elegant beauty, wide array of colors and lovely fragrance. However, the prized roses in your backyard can also spice things up in the kitchen. Whether planning a romantic meal or simply getting creative, it's time you learn to cook with rose petals.
Instructions
1. Use organically grown roses if you plan on using them in cooking. Commercial roses are heavily treated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides which should never be added to food.
2. Grow old-fashioned varieties of roses for culinary cultivation, as they retain their hips, which can be harvested and used for cooking at the end of the flowering season.
3. Create your own rosewater for cooking by simmering 6 parts flower petals to 4 parts water. When the color has disappeared, remove from heat, strain the flowers and add 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Store your rosewater in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed bottle. If purchasing rosewater, remember that rosewater made for cooking is different than that made for skin care.
4. Mix the petal with granulated sugar and blend in a food processor. Store the rose sugar in the freezer and use to sweeten tea, for baking or making frostings, ice creams, whip creams, smoothies and more. The amount of flowers you add to the sugar is up to you. However, you can always mix with plain sugar if you find the flavor too strong.
5. Make rose syrup, and use it in recipes that call for corn syrup, to top cheesecakes, waffles, pancakes or ice cream, or add it to frostings or yogurt. Combine 4 cups of rose petals and 5 cups of water in a large pan, and simmer until the color leaches from the petals. Strain the flowers, and then allow the liquid to reduce to about 1 and 1/2 cups. Add 2 cups of sugar, a squeeze of lemon juice, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour the syrup into a jar, and allow to cool before covering.
6. Add fresh rose petals to jam and jelly recipes, omelets, or even candy them to make unique and romantic recipes.
Tags: lemon juice, rose petals, your rosewater