Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

@Pointy: Oh, I love you too! Thanks! Thanks for vising French Revolution, too. Feel free to project as much as you can. I love Provence; it is my favorite place. I'm just happy to share it! When and if there is a book, you'll know about it!

i love rosewater and add it to yogurt, sorbet, and lemonade, among other things.

De rien :)

The rose water ice cream is quite simple: make your standard ice cream base and add rose water to taste. The amount will vary depending on the volume of base you make. I mix in some chopped, lightly toasted pistachios and a few dollops of rose petal jam, and garnish with a couple petals of candied rose. You can make your own rose petal preserves and candied petals, and you can also buy them at places such as Kalustyans. If you do make your own, it goes without saying that you must buy organic flowers that have not been sprayed with pesticides and grown with chemical fertilizers. Any variety of rose will work (white pink, yellow, etc) so long as they are very fragrant.

Recipes:

Rosewater Ice Cream with Meyer Lemon Zest

Makes about 1 pint

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
Grated zest of a Meyer lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons rosewater, to taste

Method:

1. Add an inch of water to the bottom half of a double boiler and bring it to a simmer over a medium flame. (See below if you do not have a double boiler.)
2. Combine the milk and cream in another pot and heat the mixture gently over a low flame.
3. In the top of the double boiler, whisk the egg yolks and sugar to combine.. Set the mixture over the simmering water and keep whisking as you slowly pour in the warm milk and cream. Continue to whisk until the mixture begins to thicken—do not allow it to boil or it will curdle. When the mixture has thickened enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, remove from the heat.
4. Stir in the grated lemon zest and let cool to room temperature.
5. Stir in one tablespoon of rosewater and taste. If a stronger flavor is desired, add a little more rosewater, a teaspoon at a time. Pour the mixture into a covered container and chill in the refrigerator for 3 or more hours.
6. Taste the mixture after it is cold and adjust the flavor if necessary. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. [The freezing process is when the mix-ins are added, when the ice cream is about 2/3 or the way there]
7. Serve as soon as it is ready, garnished with organic, unsprayed rose petals if desired.

Note: If you do not have a double boiler, you can approximate one by setting a large, heat-proof bowl into the top of medium, heavy-bottomed pot filled with an inch of water. Be sure that the simmering water does not touch the bottom of the bowl, or the ice cream mixture may curdle. The bowl should sit partway into the pot, but well above the water.

Rose Petal Preserves

Ingredients:
4 oz [ORGANIC UNSPRAYED] Rosa Damascena Petals (about 8 cups loosely packed petals)
1/2 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (about 2 medium lemons)
1 1/2 Cups Cold Water
2 Cups Sugar
1 Packet Powdered Fruit pectin

Gather only the petals from the roses. Rinse petals well with cold water in a strainer or colander. Place in a large shallow saucepan.

Drain well.

Add to the petals lemon juice, water and sugar. Mixture should be more shallow than deep.

Stir over heat while slowly bringing to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Once sugar is dissolved bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer gently, covered for 30 minutes.

Blend the fruit pectin with some of the liquid from the pan, add this mixture back into the pan and stir without boiling until fully dissolved.

Bring back to boiling, reduce heat, simmer gently for a minute or so.

Pour into hot, sterilized canning jars, invert to seal. Store in a cool, dark place.

Candied Rose Petals (easy version)

Ingredients

2 organic roses, petals removed
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar

Directions

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Brush both sides of each rose petal with the beaten egg white and dip in the sugar. Let dry on the wax paper

Candied Rose Petals

Ingredients:

1/3 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
rose petals
powdered or fine granulated sugar

Directions:

Add water to granulated sugar. Boil slowly until the syrup hardens when dropped into cold water. Remove from the fire: stir carefully for a moment until it begins to granulate; place the saucepan in a pan of hot water, and with small pincers dip the petals. one at a time, putting them on a china platter to harden. When partially dry, dip them in powdered or fine granulated sugar and let stand in a dry place for twenty-four hours.

@Thomas6; orange blossom water is also an excellent ingredient in cocktails. Try it with vodka and a dash of chocolate liqueur, with a wedge of orange rubbed on the glass.

I've made rose water frozen yogurt with my homemade yogurt - it was incredible! I love my little bottle of rose water.

i use it to flavor macarons for a very subtle taste

Simon, can you post a recipe here? Both for the candied rose petals and the ice cream?

Thank you for participating, and congratulations to our winners:

nosher
lolam
jervell
MadameTart
Ardy22

Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page.

To expand my repertoire of healthy, home-cooked meals

Less carbs!

Grow more of my own vegetables and lots more herbs.

My New Year's food resolution is to cook more at home and eat out less.