A perfect Valentine’s Day treat, the pudding really is rose-flavored. Although it may sound odd, roses have a long history of being used in culinary dishes. The earliest recorded recipe involving roses dates back to Ancient Rome, where they produced various types of rose candy. During the 14th century, rose was one of the most popular flavors in the world, being used in practically any game preparations and a large number of desserts. Rose hips are still used today in various jellies and teas and are a good source of vitamin C. In addition, rose water is still a common ingredient in various cultural cuisines.
In addition to being able to say you’ve eaten a rose, the pudding is actually quite tasty. Try this medieval recipe to share with your loved one on that special day:
Ingredients:
- Boil rose petals in water for two minutes.
- Press the petals by placing them between two towels under a heavy object.
- Put corn flour into a saucepan and slowly stir in milk.
- Heat corn flour mixture until it starts to thicken.
- Pour mixture into a blender and add sugar, rose petals, cinnamon, and ginger. Blend until smooth.
- Slowly blend in cream and salt then return the mixture back to the saucepan.
- Heat until the mixture is like a thick cream, stirring constantly.
- Stir in dates and pine-nuts and heat for two more minutes.
- Pour into glasses or bowls and cool (you may want to stir occasionally to keep a skin from forming).
Note: Homegrown roses are probably best for this recipe, since some places spray roses with all kinds of weird chemicals and I'm not sure how well they wash off. I'm not sure if rose water essence would work in substitution, but you could definitely try. If you try the recipe, feel free to /msg me with the results.