I wasn’t really sure if I was going to post this.
It is really more of a technique or a project than a recipe and certainly not a dish in its own right.
But then I looked at it in a different way; this was one of those occasions when I was able to pause, close my mind to its daily niggling preoccupations, and chill out.
It was a couple of days after Christmas and I was staying with my parents when I found this rose. Knowing that it had grown with no nasty pesticides, it would be perfect to crystallise. So I escaped from everyone for a couple of hours out on the deck to start my little project.
I probably sound a bit naff writing about how in this day and age we all need to make space in our day for ourselves and the usual blah, blah, blah (especially as I don’t have a high flying/highly stressed job or kids), but looking at these photos really made me feel relaxed as I remembered that small moment in time that was just me and some rose petals.
I remembered that I was almost in a trance while painting the petals with egg whites, then sprinkling them castor sugar and finally placing each petal on a rack to dry. It was the quiet, dainty, repetitiveness that I remember being so calming.
Now that the year is in full swing, sometimes it can be hard to find the time to get into that mode; we all have responsibilities and worries and it is all relative to the lifestyle we lead. Maybe dipping rose petals in sugar is not your bag, or maybe it is - all I know is, it made me feel wonderful that day and now I have a jar of them to do with what I please, as well as the happy memory of that moment that was mine and mine alone.
Only use rose petals that you know have not been touched with pesticides.
You will need:
Pesticide-free fragrant rose petals
1 egg white, lightly whisked
Castor sugar
A clean paint brush or in my case, a pastry brush with soft, natural bristles
Cake rack placed on top of a baking sheet
Carefully paint the egg white on to the petal, then dip the petal in castor sugar. Set the petal on a rack to dry. Repeat until you have crystallised all of your petals.
Leave the tray somewhere cool and dry overnight. Once your petals are hard and dry, store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Will keep indefinitely, use to decorate desserts.
Nice one Anna! Sometimes you just have to stop and breathe a while.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice "me time" project. I agree though, sometimes I feel like a dope wanting "me time" when my life is pretty breezy...no kids or high pressure job. But it's all relative like you say.
ReplyDeleteYou are bloody amazing. What a beautifully meditative exercise. I wonder if there was a beer or cider off to the side of your rose petals to help you along?
ReplyDeleteHaha! Um, actually there might have been some cider there...maybe that was why I was so chilled out..
ReplyDeleteI like that peaceful feeling when pottering about on a little project. Looking forward to seeing those rose petals pop up eventually in a future post!
ReplyDeleteThose petals look beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAnna these petals are just beautiful! I am so glad you posted about it as I would love to do something like this and place atop a snowy white butter cream iced birthday cake for my mum as she loves her roses.
ReplyDeleteI'm think it's a GREAT idea to post this! What a lovely thing to know how to make and I'm glad you shared it!
ReplyDeleteThey look so beautiful I particularly love the striking colours of the top down photo! :)
ReplyDeleteHey Anna, I can think of a number of desserts/Cakes they would be perfect with maybe even a decoration-al flourish to your blood orange granita?
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post. I love the opportunity to simply stop and take some time to myself, and it always seems to be in the kitchen that I find this. Your crystallized rose petals look beautiful - like they've been lightly frosted with snow.
ReplyDeleteYour rose petals look so pretty. I was once asked to decorate a wedding cake in sugar-coated petals and I was something I very much enjoyed doing. Where did the hours go!
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful, Anna! You should cater weddings and sweet sixteens!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! So nice that you could escape and do this for a little while. Have you used any yet??
ReplyDeleteFantastic! I have a huge garden full of roses but had no idea this was so simple to do. I can imagine it being almost zen-like in it's repetitive nature - on my list now.
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