Summer 2010 Recipes

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Rose Petal Syrup
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Nasturtium Pesto
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Fresh Mulberry Ice Cream (or other fresh fruit)
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rose

Rose Petal Syrup

Gather enough fragrant, pesticide-free rose petals to make this delicious rose syrup. Don’t use florist’s roses, which are heavily sprayed. It’s okay to mix colors. I made this recently with pale pink, yellow, and peach-colored roses with just a few dark red/purple rose petals, and the resulting syrup was a beautiful light pink.

Rose syrup is fabulous drizzled on vanilla ice cream, or used to make Italian sodas: put a couple of tablespoons of syrup over crushed ice, and add 6-8 oz. of sparkling water. It also adds an unusual dimension to mixed fruity drinks, with or without alcohol, and is a natural complement to Middle Eastern desserts, such as baklava (use it to replace some of the sugar syrup).

It keeps for at least several weeks in the refrigerator. All that sugar will help preserve it for quite a while. I imagine you could also freeze it, though I haven’t tried.

Directions:
Pick the most fragrant unsprayed roses and remove and rinse petals (5 c.)
Place petals in a heatproof bowl, such as a large Pyrex measuring cup.

Boil water and pour over the petals just to cover (about 3 c. water). Let stand for about an hour, or until the color of the petals has faded. Drain, saving the liquid, and discarding the petals.

Measure the remaining liquid. Add sugar in an equal amount: if you have
3 c. of rose “tea”, add 3 c. of sugar. Stir to dissolve; if the water is still warm this will happen quickly. If it’s become cool you can heat it slightly in the microwave, or gently in a saucepan on low heat, until the sugar dissolves. Cool, then place in a covered jar and refrigerate until needed.
Yield: About 3 cups syrup.

Recipe adapted from one by cooking teacher Nancy Oster, of Santa Barbara

nasturtium

Nasturtium Pesto

Yield: Makes 1 1/2 cups

4 c. nasturtium flowers, loosely packed, green stems removed, plus a few extra flowers to use as garnish
1 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1-2 cloves garlic
1-2 Tbs. lemon juice
¼ tsp. lemon zest
½ c. extra virgin olive oil, or more if desired
¼ tsp. salt, or to taste
¼ tsp. white pepper, or to taste

Briefly soak nasturtium flowers in cold water to remove any dirt or bugs. Drain in a colander and then place on a tea towel. Gently pat dry. If a little water remains it will not hurt the pesto.

Place garlic, cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a blender. Process until smooth.

Add 3 c. of the nasturtiums to the blender, and process until just blended. Add remaining cup of flowers and lightly process so you can still see flecks of the petals. Serve as a sauce for pasta: do not heat; just toss with a pound of cooked, drained spaghetti or other pasta (you might not need all the sauce). Or drizzle on cooked vegetables, or in a vegetable soup.

Adapted from a recipe by Pat Brodie, landscape designer, Santa Barbara; originally inspired by a recipe from Coleman Family Farms, Carpinteria

This is the recipe we pull out every 4th of July, when we have a strong supply of berries, peaches and nectarines. It’s made in the style of gelato – a large proportion of fruit, and not all cream. Macerating the fruit with the sugar first insures tender fruit in the finished product; otherwise the pieces of fruit will become icy.

2 c. very ripe fresh fruit: 2 c. mulberries, or blackberries or strawberries, chopped in small pieces; or 2 c. blanched peeled peaches or nectarines (about 1 lb.), finely chopped
½ c. sugar
2 c. half-and-half
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir together your choice of the chopped fruit and sugar, and chill for 8 hours or overnight.
Combine the fruit mixture with half-and-half and vanilla; as long as the half-and-half is also very cold, you can freeze mixture immediately in your ice cream maker, according to directions. Otherwise, chill the whole mixture again in the refrigerator for about an hour, and then proceed in the ice cream maker. When it’s finished, transfer the mixture to a covered container and freeze until ready to serve.