Rose petals

[TylerK]

So on a whim today I bought 15g of dried organic rose petals from a spice shop, and now I'm looking for something to do with them. Posting in Pastry & Baking because I've started to think about my Christmas baking lately. Rose scented shortbread? Rose infused cream centre for chocolates? Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated as well as any tips/tricks so that my baking doesn't end up tasting/smelling like grandma's perfume.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

How strongly scented are they? If they're particularly perfumey, you might want to consider making rosewater with them first, and then using that to flavour the baking (apart from rose-infused cream, which sounds like a divine center for dark chocolate....)

With rosewater, you can start to consider things like proper Marzipan and Turkish Delight as well.

[Baselerd]

I used some rose petals and rose water in a curry dish recently, out of the Modernist Cuisine. It was pretty awesome...

[TylerK]

Thanks for the replies.

The fragrance isn't overpowering, but it's there. It reminds me of a slightly floral tea. I also bought 2 kilos of almond paste today, so I'd be interested in hearing about the "proper Marzipan". I wasn't aware that it had rosewater as a component.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I was taught that true Marzipan has the flavours of the almond paste used in it, and a mild flavour of rosewater, and that no other flavouring agents are added (no almond oil, no vanilla, etc.) The minute other flavours are added or the rosewater subtracted, you're no longer dealing with the original Arabic recipes.

[JeanneCake]

You could sugar them (paint a very thin layer of egg white, and dredge in sugar, let dry) and then use them in mendiants or as decoration for future desserts. Stored airtight they will last quite a long time; but if there's any moisture they'll develop mold. You could store them with a dessisicant packet in them for insurance.

[minas6907]

I'd probably end up adding a small amount of crushed pedals to my tea, otherwise a rose and toasted cardamom flavored ice cream sounds nice.

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