The discovery of one little product on an idle shopping trip last week has unleashed days of recipe experimenting, the outcome of which I cannot wait to share!
Rose Extract. Go figure. Never heard of it. Never imagined there would be such a thing but after finding it, I had to try it. The first thing I made using it was Rose Vanilla Ice Cream with Candied Rose Petals. This ice cream tastes how roses smell. Sounds bizarre but since the nose and mouth are connected, these two senses enjoy such interplay. I wanted to make candied rose petals to add to the ice cream which prompted more research on edible plants. I have had consistent feedback that roses are one of the most highly sprayed flowers making it imperative when eating them to ensure they are organic.
After some experimentation I found an easy method to candy the rose petals. I think if using fresh rose petals the methodology would differ with a need to dehydrate them in some way at the end of the sugar coating.
Recipe
Rose Vanilla Ice Cream with Candied Rose Petals
Ingredients
Ingredients for Candied Rose Petals:
- Ultra fine sugar (or Baker’s Sugar)
- A pasteurized egg white
- Organic rose petals
- Parchment paper or Silpat
- Tweezers or long nose pliers used only in the kitchen
- Pastry or other delicate kitchen brush
Ingredients for Rose Vanilla Ice Cream:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½-1 teaspoon rose extract
- 2 tablespoons crushed candied rose petals
Instructions
Instructions for Candied Rose Petals:
- Preheat the oven to 140 degrees.
- Pour some of the rose petals in a shallow bowl of warm water. Don’t pour too many or they will stick together. Allow to reconstitute for about 10 minutes.
- Create an assembly line: a bowl with the egg white whipped just a bit to be foamy, a bowl of ultra fine sugar (not too much), a pan with the Silpat or parchment paper.
- Pick up a petal with tweezers or long nose kitchen pliers, shake off water but do not attempt to dry (petal will rip).
- Brush some of the egg white on both sides of the petal.
- Holding the petal over the sugar....
- sprinkle sugar over the petal on both sides.
- Place petals on the parchment or Silpat. Place in the 140 degree oven for about an hour or until dry. This allows a crisp petal and no raw egg.
Instructions for Rose Vanilla Ice Cream:
- Place egg yolks in a heat resistant bowl and whisk together. In a medium size, heavy saucepan, warm milk to a simmer.
- Pour warm milk into egg yolks. Whisk to mix thoroughly. Pour milk/egg mixture back into the saucepan.
- On low heat, warm the mixture stirring constantly until it begins to thicken. It will NOT thicken like traditional custard so just look for a slight thickening. Be sure to keep the heat low or the eggs can begin to scramble.
- Remove from heat and pour the custard into a strainer on the top of a metal bowl. Press custard through strainer with a spatula and be sure to wipe the underside of the strainer with a spatula to get all the custard into the bowl.
- Place bowl into an ice bath to cool (a second bowl with ice). See below. Once cooled, stir in the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and rose extract (I suggest adding a ½ teaspoon first, taste the mixture and add more if desired). Place into the refrigerator until cold or overnight.
- Pour mixture into your ice cream machine and process based on manufacturer's instructions. When almost done add 2 tablespoons crushed candied rose petals. Though the ice cream is edible when done I usually place it in a container overnight in the freezer before eating to allow it to become hard versus the soft texture coming out of the ice cream maker.
Notes
Nutrition
Boulder Locavore says
Hi Ana. Yes they still look sparkly. I had it on very, very low heat basically so they would dry only. Good luck!
ana says
i want to make a cake with candied roses and candied petals. i was thinking i had to put them to dry naturally but i see you put your petals in the oven to dry the egg white…..do they still look sparkly from the sugar crystals, or does the sugar caramelise. i cant see from the photos you put.
thank you for your recipe anyway!!
Magic of Spice says
What a lovely recipes, sounds divine!
Sasha says
This is a beautiful post. You are so truly gifted and creative. Really loving your posts.
A little bit of everything says
i'm not an ice-cream fan but your got me wowed. love the candies rose petals. what a neat idea. thanks for sharing
Lynds says
This sounds amazing! I LOVE anything with rosewater in it (or rose extract). Great job with the candied rose petals as well : )
ping says
Sweet! Rose extract … is that the same as Rose Attar? Never had rose ice cream before. Locally we have a drink combining rose syrup with milk. I can imagine it being the same as melted rose ice cream 😀 Yum!
Elisabeth says
Toni-You have taken rose water extract, and rose petals to a totally new dimension, that most people have not even heard about ie: me!
Such an amazing and delicate ice cream. Not only sounds and looks so dreamy, and divine, but I can only imagine how delicious, as well!