As a herbalist, chef and gardener, my love for roses has only deepened over the years. They lend the most incredible perfume to food, and a little goes a long way. I adore rose paired with citrus and aromatic spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, or with rich, oily nuts such as pistachio and macadamia. And if you haven’t tried fragrant dried rose petals infused in honey, you really must.
Roses can be just as beautiful in savoury dishes too. A few dried petals tossed with rosemary over roasted vegetables or meat adds a subtle, unexpected perfume that’s delicious.
Rose is also an essential part of my herbal toolkit. Herbalists use it for any condition of the heart or nervous system, as it can lift the spirit, soften grief and bring courage to a tender or broken heart. Part of its medicine lies in its beauty. If you’ve ever sat in the summer sun surrounded by roses, you’ll know the calm and joy they bring.
The following recipes use rosewater, a simple and affordable way to bring the flavour of rose into your kitchen. It’s a wonderfully versatile ingredient to keep on hand, and even doubles as a gentle face toner or hair rinse.
Orange, almond, rosewater and elderflower cake (With rosewater mascarpone)
A beautiful, fragrant cake made with whole oranges and almond meal. It’s naturally moist and lasts well for up to a week in the fridge. Delicious with or without the mascarpone topping. There are a few steps involved with the syrup, but it’s absolutely worth it, and any leftover syrup can be stored in sterilised jars in the fridge for up to eight weeks and used as a cordial with soda water or as a mocktail/cocktail syrup. Elderflower, rose and orange is my absolute favourite combination.
For the rose, elderflower and orange syrup
Ideally, this is made the day before, but you can get away with infusing it for 2-3 hours if needed.
Any extra makes a lovely Christmas cocktail with gin and soda, and looks beautiful in a pretty bottle and given as a home-made gift.
Ingredients
12-14 fresh elderflower heads
500ml water
500g sugar
2 oranges, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp citric acid
1½ Tbsp rosewater
Method
Gently shake or pick over the elderflower heads to remove any insects, but don’t wash them. Bring the water to a boil, then stir in the sugar until fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the oranges and citric acid. Place the elderflowers in a large bowl or jug and pour the hot syrup over them. Cover and leave to infuse for 24 hours at room temperature.
The next day, strain through muslin or a fine sieve, stir in the rosewater, and pour into sterilised bottles. Store in the fridge for up to eight weeks, or freeze in ice-cube trays for longer keeping.
For the cake
Ingredients
2 oranges
250g caster sugar
250g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
6 large eggs
1½ Tbsp rosewater
Rosewater Mascarpone
250g mascarpone
1½ Tbsp icing sugar, sieved
1 tsp rosewater (to taste)
To decorate
Lemon curd (optional)
Fresh roses and edible flowers
Method
Place the whole oranges in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for about an hour, or until the skins are soft and the fruit feels tender. Drain and cool, then cut open and remove any seeds. Blend until smooth.
In a large bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, sugar and baking powder. Add the eggs one by one, then fold in the orange puree and rosewater until smooth. Pour into a lined 20cm round or square tin and bake at 160°C for about an hour, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
When the cake is still warm, poke a few holes in the top and spoon over 1 cup of the syrup (store the rest in the fridge), letting it soak in. Leave to cool in the tin.
For the mascarpone, whisk together mascarpone, icing sugar and rosewater until smooth. Top the cooled cake with the mascarpone and decorate with lemon curd and fresh edible flowers or dried rose petals.
Rosewater-almond chocolate-covered dates
Rich and fragrant, these are a floral, Middle Eastern-inspired twist on everyone’s favourite chocolate-covered stuffed dates and I can’t get enough
Ingredients
10 medjool dates, pitted
75g almond meal
50g softened butter
20g icing sugar
¼ tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1 Tbsp rosewater (or to taste)
Zest of 1 orange
100g dark chocolate (around 70% cacao)
1 Tbsp chopped almonds or pistachios, plus a few dried rose petals to garnish
Method
Combine almond meal, butter, orange zest, cardamom and icing sugar in a small bowl, then stir in rosewater until you have a smooth paste. Gently open each date and fill with a teaspoon of the almond mixture, pressing it closed again.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Dip each stuffed date into the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip off, then place on a baking paper-lined tray. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle with chopped nuts and rose petals.
Chill for 30-40 minutes until set. Store in an airtight container in a cool spot or fridge, or freeze for up to three months.
