Rose Water

[Bill Miller]

We simmer dried apricots in a rosewater/water mix, let steep a bit (overnite) and then stuff with marscaponi. Delicious!!!!

[Kieranm]

To me, coffee is too strong by itself but when you add it to chocolate or even better....ice cream...it is the best thing in the world.

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I can attest to that. We make a white chocolate and rosewater ice cream that goes down a treat with our customers. I'm back from Morocco recently, and there's lots of rose in pastry there - some really good, some really awful...

[Pan]

I've previously mentioned the defunct Karachi Rice Shop, which used to serve firni with a thin but visible layer of rosewater on top. I thought that dessert was delicious and I wish I could find a place that still serves firni like that. Seems like all I can find is kheer with cardamom but no (or perhaps very little) rosewater.

[Corinna Dunne]

I find the smell of rosewater deeply evocative. It is wonderful in lokum, also known as Turkish delight (although the pistachio lukum is delicious too).

About six months ago I tasted it as an unexpected ingredient in a dessert. The dish was presented as a cep, and the stem and the cap of the mushroom were made out of a baked cheesecake mixture. The stem was soused with rosewater, which elevated the dish astonishngly. I have had Middle Eastern cheesecakes before, but never with rosewater, although it sounds like a logical combination.

And one more rosewater observation. Last summer, when I was picking redcurrants in my mother's garden, I was struck by how they had a hint of roses in their scent. It was probably from the flowers nearby. Anyway, it made me think that a trio of sorbets: redcurrant, rosewater and almond milk might be worth trying together. I never got around to doing it, but intend to give it a go this summer. And I have to find out how to make almond milk first, as I can't seem to find any to buy. If anyone has any guidance on this, please PM me.

Edited April 5, 2006 by Corinna Dunne (log)

[Susan G]

I love a splash ( a small splash) of rosewater in a mango lassi. Didn't know rosewater lassis were even a possibility!

Edited April 5, 2006 by Susan G (log)

[racheld]

Avon Lady demonstrating Rose scent in a spritzer + curtains and carpets holding smell for several days, til laundered and steamed =

YUCK.

[ludja]

...

And one more rosewater observation.  Last summer, when I was picking redcurrants in my mother's garden, I was struck by how they had a hint of roses in their scent.  It was probably from the flowers nearby.  Anyway, it made me think that a trio of sorbets: redcurrant, rosewater and almond milk might be worth trying together.  I never got around to doing it, but intend to give it a go this summer.  And I have to find out how to make almond milk first, as I can't seem to find any to buy.  If anyone has any guidance on this, please PM me.

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Sounds like a wonderful combination. I know at least raspberries and strawberries are related to roses. White peaches too can have a wonderful rose scent.

Your dessert idea reminded me of Herme's Ispahan Macaron: a rose macaron with a rose petal cream, fresh lychees and raspberries. Here's a photo: click

[FoodMan]

And I have to find out how to make almond milk first, as I can't seem to find any to buy. If anyone has any guidance on this, please PM me.

Alford and Duguid's lovely baking book has a recipe for a wonderful almond milk bread (hmmm...haven't made this in a while, maybe tomorrow for breakfast ) in which they use just made almond milk. Their version is dairy based, so basically it is milk simmered with lots of almonds and pureed and strained. I can PM u the exact measurments if u like.

For a non-dairy (water) based version of Almond milk, Rick Bayless has a recipe for it in his "Mexico One Plate at a Time" labeled "Almond Horchatta". Also let me know if you want this one instead.

[Corinna Dunne]

Thank you so much. I'd really appreciate that. The Rick Bayless one sounds like what I'm after. Apologies for hijacking this thread!

[bvmisa]

I love rosewater on ice cream-- I make a syrup and dribble it over.

The Indian brands usually have some weird preservative. It's difficult to find stuff without, so I make my own with organic roses.

[gfron1]

Just returned from a wonderful birthday dinner that ended with a Moroccan saffron pudding with cardamon and rose water orange blossom water...very subtle and nice.

As has been said numerous times on this thread..."used sparingly" just like Marmite!

[Corinna Dunne]

The Indian brands usually have some weird preservative. It's difficult to find stuff without, so I make my own with organic roses.

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How wonderful! How do you do it, does it last for long, and is it possible to freeze it without destroying the aroma/flavour? I hope you don't mind the barrage of questions!

[FoodMan]

The Indian brands usually have some weird preservative. It's difficult to find stuff without, so I make my own with organic roses.

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How wonderful! How do you do it, does it last for long, and is it possible to freeze it without destroying the aroma/flavour? I hope you don't mind the barrage of questions!

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I AM very impressed. My grandmother in Lebanon makes her own from her own very fragrant pink roses...it's not easy, basically she distills it using a setup very similar to spirits distillery. You can imagine how good the whole house smells when she does that! Is that how u make yours? What kind of roses do you use?

[BertaBurtonLake]

Hi all you wonderful chefs, cooks and foodies out there.

Well, Thanksgiving is over and done for this year (including leftovers but for the carcasses in the freezer for later soup making) and Christmas (or other holiday) cooking time is here!

I am going to be making quite a few of my gifts to friends, neighbors, teachers etc this year and wanted to include chocolate truffles in some of them. I had some sublimely wonderful violet truffles once which I purchased at a chocolatier in Culpeper, Va. and wonder if rosewater would transfer well to this application.

Do you think these would be good? Or nasty? What quantity of rosewater would I use? Comments and suggestions please.

Thanks for any help with this,

Berta

[Tri2Cook]

I was looking for a recipe for a rosewater ganache a while back and found THIS ONE. I figured I could just sub in whatever chocolate I wanted to use instead of the one listed but I never got around to trying it. The recipe looks like it might be a little soft for truffles unless you're piping it into shells but that's easy enough to adjust.

[rickster]

I don't have any advice, but Vosges Chocolates in Chicago makes champagne/rosewater truffles from both white and dark chocolate, so the concept should work.

[Kerry Beal]

I made a rose-pomegranate truffle that was very interesting.

It was bittersweet chocolate, cream, pomegranate molasses, white corn syrup and a few drops of 10% rose oil. You could use rose water in place of the rose oil.

[Natho]

I have meant to try this for a while. I love rosewater. It would be a bit like chocolate and turkish delight.

[Tri2Cook]

I have meant to try this for a while. I love rosewater. It would be a bit like chocolate and turkish delight.

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Hmmmm. Chocolate-rosewater ganache and turkish delight (the lemon/rosewater type) with pistachios layered together and dipped in dark chocolate. I wonder...

[gfron1]

Not rose water, but rose syrup...

A friend of mine has an AGA and so he gets the AGA magazine which has really great recipes in it. Some need decyphering since they were intended for the AGA cooking system and not a mere oven, but they're doable. Today I made the Rose, Almond and Orange Breadcrumb Cake:

• 300g Superfine/Caster sugar
  75g Stale breadcrumbs/brioche is ideal
  225g Ground almonds
  2 t. Baking powder (I used only 25% for my altitude adjustment)
  200 ml sunflower oil
  5 eggs, slightly beaten
  Zest from 1 orange
  100 ml rose syrup (I used Cortas brand)
  Juice of 1 orange
  

Oven to 350F, grease 8x12 pan or line with parchment.

Combine sugar, crumbs, almonds and BP and then add oil, eggs and zest. Pour into pan. Bake 30 minutes or until done. Let sit in oven 10 minutes with door cracked.

Warm syrup and juice and then pour over cake. Allow to cool to room temp before serving. They recommend serving with a cinnamon whipped cream and yogurt which probably would have been good had I been patient enough to make it.

[hummingbirdkiss]

Rob that is so my kind of dessert ..right there on that plate with all those flavors and textures!!! wow ...

it looks beautiful!!!!

my girlfriend tried to talk me into an AGA ...she has one and loves it ...but just not for me I really love my "mere" oven

Edited May 26, 2008 by hummingbirdkiss (log)