Red Roses
Dried rose petals that actually smell like roses, not perfume. Steep them, cook with them, or scatter them anywhere you want a little quiet beauty.
What It Is
These are the petals and buds of red Rosa varieties, dried to hold their color and fragrance. Roses have been used in kitchens and tea cups across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia for centuries, long before they became a florist's flower.
The flavor is floral and lightly sweet, with a faint green edge when fresh-dried. It reads as gentle rather than soapy, which is the mark of a culinary rose. The petals carry enough fragrance to perfume whatever they touch.
What To Do
Steep a small handful in hot water for five minutes for a simple rose tea, alone or stirred into black tea. Blend them into a sugar by pulsing with granulated sugar and leaving it overnight; use that sugar in shortbread, whipped cream, or lemonade. Whole petals float beautifully in punch or sparkling water.
In savory cooking, crumble a few dried petals into a spice rub for lamb or stir into rice with cardamom and butter. Start with less than you think you need. Store in a sealed container away from light, and use within a year for best fragrance.
