Rose petal candies...
Rose Candy
Pick rose petals in the early morning while still dewy. Place a layer of petals, 1-inch thick, in a stone crock. Cover layer with a generous amount of brown sugar. Add alternate layers of rose petals and sugar, pressing down tightly till crock is full, ending with a layer of sugar on the top. Cover crock and let stand for 3 months. At that time, the petals and sugar will have candied and be ready to eat.
Roses, Crystallized
Gather roses on a dry day after the dew has evaporated. Before gathering roses, dissolve 2 oz of gum arabic in 1/2 pint of water. Separate the rose petals and spread them on dishes. Sprinkle them with the gum arabic solution, using as many petals as the solution will cover. Then spread them on sheets of waxed paper and sprinkle with castor sugar. Allow to dry for 24 hours. Put 1 lb of loaf sugar and 1/2 pint of cold water into a pan, stirring until the sugar has melted, then boil fast to 250ºF, or to the 'thread' degree. Keep the syrup well skimmed. Place rose petals into shallow dishes and pour the syrup over. Leave them to soak for 24 hours, then spread them on wire trays and dry in a cool oven with the door ajar. The syrup can be colored with food coloring to give the petals more color. Rose petals can also be used to flavor butter.
-Flower petals
-Mint leaves (optional)
-1 Egg
-Water
-Sugar (super fine)
-Fine-tipped paintbrush (buy one meant to be used on cakes)
-Tweezers (buy a new pair just for the kitchen)
-Waxed paper covering a rack or cookie sheet
Pour the sugar into a thing layer at the bottom of a bowl. If you run low on sugar later, you can add more.
Separate the egg white from the egg yolk, and place the white in a small bowl. Add a few drops of water, and beat the mixture until it begins to lightly froth.
Carefully use the tweezers to dip the rose petals into the egg white. If you are having problems reaching a fold, or have more than a thin layer of egg white on a petal, use the paint brush to fix it.
Hold the rose petal over the sugar bowl and lightly sprinkle sugar on each side, then place each petal on the wax paper. Do not try to layer the petals, or they won’t dry properly. Leave the petals out for 12 to 36 hours to dry.
Rose petals can be candied ahead of time, and stored in airtight plastic baggies or plastic containers for a few days. Try not to put the petals into your centerpiece bowls more than a couple hours before the wedding (as humidity in the air can make them stick to each other).
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques3.asp (rose petal wine)
If anyone else knows of another way to candy or crystallize rose petals, let me know.. I have a friend who wants some and I thought I'd give it a go...
Pick rose petals in the early morning while still dewy. Place a layer of petals, 1-inch thick, in a stone crock. Cover layer with a generous amount of brown sugar. Add alternate layers of rose petals and sugar, pressing down tightly till crock is full, ending with a layer of sugar on the top. Cover crock and let stand for 3 months. At that time, the petals and sugar will have candied and be ready to eat.
Roses, Crystallized
Gather roses on a dry day after the dew has evaporated. Before gathering roses, dissolve 2 oz of gum arabic in 1/2 pint of water. Separate the rose petals and spread them on dishes. Sprinkle them with the gum arabic solution, using as many petals as the solution will cover. Then spread them on sheets of waxed paper and sprinkle with castor sugar. Allow to dry for 24 hours. Put 1 lb of loaf sugar and 1/2 pint of cold water into a pan, stirring until the sugar has melted, then boil fast to 250ºF, or to the 'thread' degree. Keep the syrup well skimmed. Place rose petals into shallow dishes and pour the syrup over. Leave them to soak for 24 hours, then spread them on wire trays and dry in a cool oven with the door ajar. The syrup can be colored with food coloring to give the petals more color. Rose petals can also be used to flavor butter.
-Flower petals
-Mint leaves (optional)
-1 Egg
-Water
-Sugar (super fine)
-Fine-tipped paintbrush (buy one meant to be used on cakes)
-Tweezers (buy a new pair just for the kitchen)
-Waxed paper covering a rack or cookie sheet
Pour the sugar into a thing layer at the bottom of a bowl. If you run low on sugar later, you can add more.
Separate the egg white from the egg yolk, and place the white in a small bowl. Add a few drops of water, and beat the mixture until it begins to lightly froth.
Carefully use the tweezers to dip the rose petals into the egg white. If you are having problems reaching a fold, or have more than a thin layer of egg white on a petal, use the paint brush to fix it.
Hold the rose petal over the sugar bowl and lightly sprinkle sugar on each side, then place each petal on the wax paper. Do not try to layer the petals, or they won’t dry properly. Leave the petals out for 12 to 36 hours to dry.
Rose petals can be candied ahead of time, and stored in airtight plastic baggies or plastic containers for a few days. Try not to put the petals into your centerpiece bowls more than a couple hours before the wedding (as humidity in the air can make them stick to each other).
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques3.asp (rose petal wine)
If anyone else knows of another way to candy or crystallize rose petals, let me know.. I have a friend who wants some and I thought I'd give it a go...