If you have been to a cooking session at the Garden Museum before you will know that we like to use edible flowers in our recipes; we are a museum about gardens after all.
Recipes we have cooked in the past include rose harissa paste to serve with roasted vegetables or a summer vegetable tagine, and rose soaked raspberries with lemon posset. Follow our recipe or instruction video below and make your own truffles.
You can buy culinary grade dried rose petals from specialist retailers but the easiest way to get rose flavour in your food is by using widely available rose water. Rose water is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water, and is often used in dishes from the Middle East. You can also buy rose water extract which is usually found in the baking section of the supermarket near to the vanilla extract. The extract is made in a similar way to vanilla extract as the rose petals are steeped in alcohol – it has a stronger rose flavour than rose water.
The most recognized combination of chocolate and rose is in the chocolate bar called Turkish delight – even though authentic Turkish delight you will find in Turkey is just a rose scented jelly without the chocolate. So, for our special chocolate and rose recipe we were inspired by the chocolate version of Turkish delight and thought we’d show you how to make chocolate truffles spiked with rose flavour. We’ve made these in our classes a few times before. This is a pretty standard chocolate truffle recipe, which you are free to make your own interpretations of. If you’re not convinced on the floral flavour of the rose water, you can try other flavours instead.
Makes 20 truffles
Ingredients
150g 70% dark chocolate
150mls double cream
25g butter
1/4 tsp rose water extract*
cocoa powder and ground pistachios for coating your truffles
- Chop the chocolate very finely, you can just break it up but finely chopping it makes it easier to melt once it hits the cream.
- Place the cream and butter in a bowl suspended over a small saucepan of hot water water and heat until the cream is warm and the butter has melted (but definitely not boiling). Stir.
- Turn the heat right down then add the chocolate to the cream and stir until it has all melted**.
- Take off the heat. Add your rose extract, taste and add more if you like the flavour.
- Allow the mix to cool, then put it in the fridge for 2-3 hours until it feels firm enough to scoop and roll.
- Prepare your coatings. Oil your hands and using a teaspoon scoop up some truffle mix and gently roll into a ball in your oiled palms. Continue with the rest of the mix, till you have 20 chocolate truffles.
- Next roll your truffles in your coating of choice, before putting on a plate and chilling for them to firm up a bit. then enjoy them with your loved ones!
Will keep in the fridge for 3 days, or up to a month in the freezer
* If using the extract in this recipe go sparingly starting with 1/4 tsp as suggested, if using rose water add more till you get the floral flavour you are after.
**Top tip: if it curdles (which it will if your cream is too hot) add a little cold water and whisk back to its shiny self.
Recipe and photos by Food Learning Officer, Ceri Jones