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Orange Flower Water


SaladFingers

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Does anyone have an opinion on this stuff? I was reading a recipe for Orange Flower (Blossom) Water in a Gordon Ramsay book in which he makes Orange Flower Water Ice Cream. Shopping today I noticed a bottle so bought it, got home, tried a drop and it tasted horrible - really fumey almost like alcohol.

The name suggests something beautiful but now I've gone off the idea of making the Orange Flower Water Ice Cream

Does anyone know if it improves in flavour when in such a recipe?

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You aren't supposed to drink it neat!

Diluted in a large quantity (about a teaspoonful to a pint or more) of ice cream or whatever it should be much more pleasant!

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

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I know but I just wanted to get an idea of what it tasted like. Hopefully more pleasant than it smells! It's in the same category as Rosewater (which I love and also enjoy the smell). Reading round, I get the impression it is used as an addition to other flavours, which confuses me a little with regards to the OFW Ice Cream since there are no other fruits or flavours involved other than a basic custard.

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Here in Lebanon they make cafe blanc - basically hot water with a tsp of orange blossom water in it and drink it after a meal to aid digestion. Also Knefe, a great lebanese breakfast dish as well - its sort of a polenta style cake with a layer of ricotta like cheese drizzled in orange blossom water, its delicious.....You can also add a little bit to a cosmopolitan by using an atomiser to impart a middle eastern feel to it - delicious!

"Experience is something you gain just after you needed it" ....A Wise man

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The best way to taste compounds of this type is to use a drop at a time mixed into heavy cream which has been just slightly sweetened.

The casein in the cream will pick up and distribute the volatile compounds so you can actually taste it.

I have used this method with the Loran oils and similar flavorings and with Orange flower water and rosewater which can vary in intensity from brand to brand.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I pulled the rosewater and orange flower water from my kitchen cabinet and tasted them with cream. That's a great way to compare these products. Thanks, Andiesenji. At the high dosages, both ingredients tasted dreadful, "alcohol-y," as the OP mentioned. But in the low dosages, they were just right--light, floral, and aromatic.

I agree with Andie, the different brands out there can vary a great deal in quality. I used to buy a supermarket brand (Carlo) and I wasn't that happy with it. I switched to products from a local herbal store (Lhasa Karnak; they do mail order), and I've been much happier with those products.

Do orange flower water or rosewater really have any flavor? It seems to me that they are mostly an aromatic.

At best, these ingredients provide only a whiff of aroma. More than that, and it can become bad-tasting, even oppressive --like someone wearing too much perfume. I once ate a "molten" (soft-center) chocolate cake that was garnished with whipped creme fraiche containing a few drops of orange flower water. It was fantastic.

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I've bought the orange blossom water that is sold in most grocery stores and that is the classic addition to a Ramos Gin Fizz. I prefer the orange blossom water from Middle Eastern stores which is used in a variety of ways. I make some kick-ass orange and cardamom cupcakes that always go over well and there is a fabulous Paula Wolfert recipe from Saveur about a dozen years ago which involved a salad of grated radish, orange segments, a splash of orange blossom water with orange juice, and a julienne of fresh mint. The combination of slightly macerated radishes with the orange and mint makes for a great summer salad!

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