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By
CeCe Sullivan
Seattle Times home
economist
Rose water, the
heady distillation
of rose petals and
steam, is
something of an
acquired taste for
Western palates.
Its scent may hint
of secret gardens
and distant
nations, or
perhaps it's the
overwhelming
fragrance of a
department-store
perfume counter
that comes to
mind.
While never a fan
of rose water's
taste, I admit to
a fascination for
a flavoring with
such a rich
history. The
ancient Egyptians,
Greeks and Romans
extracted flavor
from rose petals
by steeping them
in water or oil,
and in the ninth
century, Persia
began the
distillation of
rose water.
But it's a
10th-century
physician named
Avicenna who is
most often
credited with its
discovery. "It was
in his time that
the use of rose
water as a
flavoring for food
came into vogue in
the lavish and
sumptuous cuisine
of the Arabs,"
writes Alan
Davidson in "The
Penguin Companion
to Food" (Penguin
Books, 2002). "It
was used to flavor
a variety of
dishes and even
sprayed over the
surface of the
cooking pot."
What drew me in to
the wonders of
rose water was a
recent article in
Gourmet magazine
featuring a couple
of Brits, Samuel
and Samantha
Clark, whose
London restaurant,
Moro, focuses on
dishes from
Morocco and Spain.
"Oranges and rose
water are a
traditional
combination in
Morocco," write
the Clarks in
their book "Casa
Moro" (Ebury
Press, 2004) "and
sometimes for
breakfast we have
freshly squeezed
orange juice with
a few splashes of
rose water mixed
in."
The pairing
sounded exotic and
delicious, a
concept worth
exploring. I began
experimenting with
a few drops of the
water in my own
morning glass of
orange juice. The
flavor was an
eye-opener.
Fragrant and fresh
with just a
suggestion of
rose, it
transformed the
simple glass of
juice.
Further
investigation
uncovered a global
pantry of ideas.
Rose water is used
in a variety of
Indian curries,
Greek pastries and
Middle East
dishes, including
the candy Turkish
Delight and a
baklava that mixes
pistachios with a
rosewater-honey
syrup. Marzipan,
the sweet paste of
ground almonds and
sugar, was
originally
flavored with rose
water.
The secret to
using rose water
as a flavoring is
to add it in small
amounts, then
tasting and
adjusting the
flavor to taste.
Pair it with
spices such as
cinnamon, nutmeg
and cardamom, with
citrus fruits,
peaches, nuts and
chocolate. Once
opened, rose water
should be stored
in the
refrigerator for
freshness.
Rose water can be
found at
specialty-food
stores and
well-stocked
supermarkets with
other flavorings
and extracts.
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Makes
6 ½cups
-
5 1/3 cups
water
- 1 cup
granulated
sugar
- 1 1/3 cups
fresh lemon
juice (about 6
to 7 lemons)
- 2 ½ to 3 ½
teaspoons rose
water
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Combine water
and sugar in a
saucepan and
heat over
medium-low
heat, stirring
just until the
sugar has
dissolved.
Remove from
heat and cool.
Stir in lemon
juice and rose
water to
taste. Chill
well before
serving. |
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Recipe:
Peaches in
Rosewater
Syrup
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Makes
4 to 6
servings
-
4 cups water
- 2 cups
granulated
sugar
- 3
tablespoons
fresh lemon
juice
- 2 cinnamon
sticks
- ¼ teaspoon
green cardamom
pods
- Optional: 1
tablespoon
dried rose
buds (see
note)
- 1 teaspoon
rose water
- 4 ripe but
firm peaches -
Crisp cookies
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1. In a 3
½-quart pan
combine water,
sugar, lemon
juice,
cinnamon and
cardamom.
Bring to a
boil, stirring
to dissolve
sugar. Reduce
heat and
simmer gently
10 minutes.
Stir in dried
rose buds and
rose water.
Simmer 5
minutes.
Remove from
heat and cool
5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile,
bring a pot of
water to the
boil. Remove
from heat and
add peaches.
Time about 30
seconds or
just until
skins begin to
loosen. Remove
peaches and
rinse gently
with cool
water. When
cool enough to
handle, slip
off the skins.
Cut peaches
into quarters,
discarding the
pits, and put
into a bowl.
3. Pour hot
syrup over the
peaches. Cool
about 15
minutes, then
place a piece
of wax paper
on top and
weight with a
small plate.
Refrigerate
several hours
until peaches
are chilled
and have
absorbed the
flavors of the
syrup. (These
peaches should
be served the
same day they
are made.)
4. Remove rose
buds, cinnamon
sticks and
cardamom pods
from syrup.
Spoon peaches
with some of
the syrup in
glass bowls
and serve with
cookies. |
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Recipe:
Almond-Rose
Pound Cak
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Makes 12 to 16
slices
- Cooking
spray
- 1 cup
unsalted
butter, cut
into pieces
- ¼ cup
slivered
almonds
- 1 2/3 cups
granulated
sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 2 cups
all-purpose
flour
- ½ teaspoon
salt
- 1 teaspoon
rose water
- ¼ cup rose
preserves or
jam (see note)
- 1 teaspoon
almond extract
- Powdered
sugar for
dusting
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1. Preheat
oven to 350
degrees.
Lightly spray
a 9-inch tube
pan with
cooking spray
and set aside.
2.
Put the pieces
of butter into
the large bowl
of an electric
mixer and set
aside about 15
minutes to
soften. Grind
almonds finely
in a food
processor or
blender and
set aside.
3.
When butter
has softened,
cream with
sugar on
medium speed
until fluffy,
about 5
minutes. Add
eggs, one at a
time, beating
well after
each addition.
Stir together
flour and
salt. Slowly
add to the
creamed
mixture,
beating until
batter is
smooth.
4.
Remove about a
third of the
batter and add
rose water and
jam, stirring
until smooth.
Stir the
ground almonds
and almond
extract into
the remaining
batter. Spoon
half of the
almond batter
into the
prepared pan,
spreading
evenly. Spoon
all of rose
batter into
the pan,
spreading
evenly. Then
top with
remaining
almond batter
and spread
until smooth.
5.
Bake cake on
center oven
rack 50 to 60
minutes or
until it tests
done. Cool
cake in pan 15
minutes, then
run a knife
around the
outside edge
and also
around the
center tube.
Invert onto a
cooling rack
and cool
completely.
Dust with
powdered sugar
before
serving.
Recipies
adapted from
"New Food of
Life: Ancient
Persian and
Modern Iranian
Cooking and
Ceremonies" by
Najmieh
Batmanglij
and from
www.recipegoldmine.com
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Natural rose water has a
gorgeous uplifting
scent.
