sunday, may 13th, 2007

 
Roses have found their way into food for centuries but for me (and I suspect many others) it was Tita, in the book Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esqivel, who first inspired me to incorporate roses into a meal.  Nothing could be more seductive than imagining that our feelings and emotions mingle with our food as we prepare it as Tita's did. In her case, it was the  forbidden passion she harbored for Pedro that inspired her rose petal sauce. The ecstasy and desire that she blended into her creation found its way into the blood and nerves of everyone at the dinner table; heating her sister Gertrudis to such a degree that she runs from the table in enraptured distress, stripping as she makes her way to the outhouse. The heat from her body is so intense it sets the building ablaze. Gertrudis flees from the fire and leaps naked into the arms of one of Pancho Villa's men as he gallops by on a horse. Although the rose petal sauce I made last night did not send anyone from the house in a rush of erotic fury, it was deliciously fragrant and when sprinkled with velvety ruby petals, unabashedly seductive.

Perhaps the reason rose petals have been incorporated into food for hundreds of years is because every cook wants to express to the diner how appreciated they are, how adored. Nothing expresses this like a silky garnish of petals married with the perfumed air that accompanies it.

Both the Romans and Greeks appreciated the amorous qualities that roses conveyed and the flower symbolized both goddesses of love; Venus and Aphrodite. It is said that fields of rose bushes enrobed the grounds of the temple of Hermes and Aphrodite at Samos. The variety grown there was most likely the Damask Rose, a flower with loose, voluptuous petals fitting for the goddess of love.

In Greece, the original recipes for baklava called for a drizzle of rose syrup over the flakey, honeyed surface of the pastry. Romans sprinkled blankets of rose petals over their tables and banquet halls and also used the flower to freshen their homes. In the writings of Pliny the Elder, he recommends the rose 32 different times for use as a treatment for various health maladies. The Romans valued the rose for its aesthetic qualities and while they also incorporated the flower into their lavish feasts, it was the Persians who perfected its use as a fixture in their culinary repertoire. Their recipes frequently contained liberal amounts of rose water produced by steeping rose petals in liquid over an extended period of time. They infused mutton fat with the liquid to season their food and invented marzipan, a sweet that combines ground almonds with sugar and is traditionally flavored with rose water.

Roses also became popular in Middle Eastern dishes between the 8th and 11th centuries AD. Petals were incorporated into both sweet and savory recipes such as the meat dish makhfiya. Roses in sauces, syrups, vinegars, soups, drinks and crystallized petals for use as garnish were popular as they still are today. Around the same time, the rose also gained renown in India where it was used in such dishes as gulab jamun (fried milk balls in syrup infused with rose water) and the sweet yogurt drink lassi. In Turkey, rose water was an ingredient in lokum, a candy that centuries later became wildly popular in England where it was called Turkish Delight. The use of roses as a culinary ingredient grew in popularity in Europe when the plants were introduced from China in the 18th century. Throughout the continent, the rose was incorporated into teas, marmalades, candies, sauces and sugar. The French produced the electric green liqueur Chartreuse, infused with rose water. Roses also became popular in the United States and in the 19th century, American Shakers produced a syrupy rose water that was double distilled and as popular then as vanilla is today.

The rose is a member of the Rosacea family which also includes strawberries, raspberries, apples, almonds, plums and apricots. The oldest rose species is believed to be the Rosa Canina, or dog rose. Sediment evidence from this flower was found in Montana dating back 35 million years. One of the oldest cultivated rose species is that of Rosa Gallica, originally from Turkey, Central Europe and the Caucus region in the east. It was the symbol of the House of Lancaster, of War Of The Roses fame. In 19th century Europe, Rosa Gallica was the most common rose species grown in the countless gardens that blanketed the continent.

Not only were roses prized throughout history for their aesthetic and culinary merits,  they have also played an important role in countless medicinal treatments throughout the ages. The rose hip was and still is one of the most common elements of the rose to be used for health purposes. The rose hip is the pea to apple sized fruit of the pollinated rose and is what is left behind after the flower has bloomed and the petals have dried. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, roses were prescribed to treat depression, alleviate diarrhea, soothe inflamed eyes and as a "cooling" plant to treat fevers. The 16th century English herbalist Gerard recommended the use of rose water to strengthen the heart and refresh the spirit. Today we know that roses are rich in vitamin C and other trace minerals.

In reference to the roses that are believed to have scented the sails of Cleopatra's cedar wood ships, Shakespeare wrote that "...the very winds were lovesick with it." Today, we all seem to be lovesick with the aroma of the rose as virtually all of women's perfumes and 40% of men's colognes contain rose oil. Considering that it takes 60,000 roses to produce a single ounce of oil, it's no wonder perfumes carry such a hefty price tag. Rose oil is most often extracted from the Damask rose with Bulgaria producing 80% of the world's supply and the balance coming from Iran and Germany.

As the pages of Like Water For Chocolate will attest, roses impart an alluring quality to any dish they are added to. If cooking with them, be sure that the roses are organic as those sprayed with pesticides are highly toxic. A reference guide follows with information on where to purchase organic roses.

After preparing my sauce and reserving a few for garnish, I added the remaining petals along with a vanilla bean to a jar of sugar. I will give it a few weeks to infuse properly and then incorporate my vanilla rose petal sugar to anything that needs a hint of flowery flavor and aroma such as cookies, scones, muffins or the rims of cocktail glasses for a decadent treat. A jar of vanilla rose petal sugar also makes a lovely, unexpected gift.

Tita's recipe in Like Water For Chocolate, incorporates plums and anise seed which I also added to my sauce with the addition of port that deepens both the flavor and blushing color. I prepared this special dish not to seduce someone but as a way to honor my mom on this Mother's Day. While the roses do not provide a pronounced flavor to this sauce, merely adding a subtle hint of something sublime, they perfume it beautifully and add their richly tinted scarlet hue to the mix.

I paired the sauce with a succulent veal chop, which, while substantial, is also delicate enough to compliment, not overtake the meal. The pureed parsnips are velvety soft; a perfect rustic cloud of a side. The braised leeks compliment the silky quality of this dish but are punctuated with bacon to provide crunchy texture (and bacony goodness).

Sprinkled with a handful of rose petals, this dish conveys to mom, or whoever it is prepared for that this is their day, their time to be honored. It can also symbolize something all together different as it did in Tita's case. Pour your love and passion into it and when served it will signify that this is a dinner to set the heart aflame.

Veal Chops With Rose Petal Plum Sauce, Braised Leeks & Parsnip Puree

1 pound parsnips, peeled and rough cut into rounds
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, plus 4 tablespoons for sauce & veal chop
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste

6 strips bacon
1 tablespoon lemon juice plus one tablespoon for veal chop
1 tablespoon white wine plus 1 cup
2 cloves garlic, minced plus two cloves minced for veal chop
1 pound leeks, cleaned and cut into 2 inch by 1/2 inch long segments*
1 cup chicken stock, plus 1/2 cup for veal chop

1 pound red plums, roughly chopped into segments
rose petals from 7-10 roses, color of preference
2 tablespoons oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut or vegetable
4 thick cut veal chops
1/2 medium sized onion, rough chop
1 cup port
2 teaspoons fennel seed, toasted

For the parsnip puree

1. In a large sauce pan, bring salted water to a boil. Add parsnips and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until soft. In a food processor, combine cooked parsnips, cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, sour cream, milk and salt and pepper to taste. Puree until completely combined and light and fluffy. Reserve.

For the leeks

2. In a large sauté pan, cook bacon until it is crispy. Drain on paper towels. Deglaze the pan with 1 tablespoon white wine and the lemon juice, scraping up any bits at the bottom. Add the garlic and sauté for thirty seconds (do not brown). Add the leeks and sauté for three to four minutes until they start to grow limp. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock and remaining white wine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for approximately twenty minutes until the leeks are very soft. Remove the lid, crumble the bacon and stir to incorporate it into leeks and reduce the liquid until it is almost dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the sauce and veal chop

3. As the leeks cook, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Reserving about 20 rose petals, puree the plum segments and petals until smooth. Reserve.

4. In a large sauté pan, heat the oil until it is almost smoking. Add the chops in two batches. Browning each on both sides. Once browned, finish chops in the oven for about five minutes (depending on thickness) on sizzler plates or heat resistant sauté pans, turning once. Remove chops from the oven and rest on a rack. Turning once as they rests to distribute the juices within the meat evenly.

5. Meanwhile, deglaze sauté pan with lemon juice and a splash of the port. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until soft. Add the rest of the port and chicken stock and reduce by half. Add the plum rose petal puree and fennel seed and simmer gently until the sauce has reduced by about half. Strain sauce. Discard pulp. Add the strained sauce back to the sauté pan and thicken by adding chilled butter, a small piece at a time and stirring until it is completely incorporated before adding the next. The sauce is finished when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

To plate

6. Gently heat the parsnip puree if necessary. On warm plates or wide bowls, spoon the sauce, top with a portion of leeks and parsnip puree then with a veal chop. Sprinkle with rose petals. Serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Notes: 

*To clean leeks:
1. Cut off the hairy bottom end and the green top, leaving just a bit of the green portion along with the white bottom.

2. Slice the leek in half lengthwise

3. Open the individual segments of the leek up like a book and clean thoroughly between each under cold running water.  Be sure that every grain of sediment is washed away. Gently squeeze dry in paper toweling.

Resources

For organic roses
Delivered to the door:
Organic Bouquet
California Organic Flowers

Information on how to grow organic roses:
Organic Rose Gardening
Garden Stew