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Roses in the kitchen

With roses in full bloom now is a good time to make the most of the plentiful supplies of petals and preserve them for use all year round.

Roses have been used in cooking for centuries and are still a very popular ingredient in Turkish and Middle Eastern cookery. Rose harissa paste, for example – an infusion of garlic, chilli and roses – is a popular way to add a hint of Middle Eastern magic to meat and fish dishes.

Fragrant rose petals are used in making rose water and syrup, to flavour liqueurs and honey, jellies, jams, sauces, vinaigrettes, cakes, ice cream and other desserts. They can be added as a garnish to salads – both sweet and savoury.

As a general rule of thumb, if a rose has a strong scent, it will have a similar taste of that fragrance, and generally, the more fragrant, the more flavour. But it’s always worth tasting the petals beforehand to check. Also remember, don’t use roses that have been treated with pesticides. If you grow or can find organic roses so much the better!

Roses are delicious and the essential oils that are responsible for their heady aroma also have medicinal benefits. There are so many ways to use them in cooking; here are some of my easy-to-make favourites.

Rose Petal Syrup

This is a really useful ingredient to make for flavouring other dishes and as a sauce for pouring on summer fruit desserts. It is excellent on fresh chopped strawberries and a lovely delicate flavouring for cream.

Method

1 Put 4 cups of petals and 4 cups of water in a pan and simmer for about 30 minutes.

2 Strain the liquid off,return to the pan and simmer ‘til reduced by half.

3 Then add 2 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice heat the liquid until the sugar is dissolved and then bottle it in a sterile container.

Rose Conserve

This is an excellent ingredient for giving sweet dishes a lovely strong rose flavour, far better than using rosewater which is too delicate for baking.

Method

1 Layer 1 cup of petals and 1 ½ cups of sugar in a jar with a lid.

2 Leave it for a month and then pour off the liquid for use as a syrup and save the solids for use as rose sugar in baking for cakes and biscuits.

Rose Petal Jelly

Making rose petal jelly now, when fragrant roses are plentiful, is a  great way to preserve a little bit of summer sunshine for days when the weather is a bit grey.

Method

1 Put 1 litre of petals and 1 litre of water in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins. Strain into a bowl and add the juice of 2 lemons which will turn the liquid from brown to pink!

2 Put back in the pan and add1k of sugar, stir to dissolve on a low heat and then turn up to boil for 10 mins or so until setting point is reached.

3 Leave to cool a little which will get rid of most of any scum and then pour into a sterile jar.

Rose Petal Syrup

This is a really useful ingredient to make for flavouring other dishes and as a sauce for pouring on summer fruit desserts. It is excellent on fresh chopped strawberries and a lovely delicate flavouring for cream.

Method

1 Put 4 cups of petals and 4 cups of water in a pan and simmer for about 30 minutes.

2 Strain the liquid off,return to the pan and simmer until reduced by half.

3 Then add 2 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice heat the liquid until the sugar is dissolved and then bottle it in a sterile container.

• A chef of many years experience, Genista has a particular interest in cooking with the seasons and using herbs to enhance both sweet and savoury dishes all year round.