The weather has not been kind to my roses this year. Constant rain has left them battered and mouldered. In between downpours, I've tried to salvage what I could by taking cuttings to bring indoors. These heirloom Reine des Violettes are a feast for the eyes and nose; a small bouquet fills the house with their rich, spicy perfume.
Tasting the petals, I was struck-- not only by their intense aroma--but by the way their tender, velvety texture reminded me of young spinach leaves; a prompt to wilt them in sweet almond oil.
wilted roses
raw milk curd
strawberry curd
raspberry drupelets
salted almond crunch
The white heels of rose petals are typically trimmed away as they tend to be bitter. I've left them intact because I like bitter when it plays with sweet, tart, and salty.
The milk curd is the curtailed first stage of cheese, where a tablet of rennet is dissolved in a teaspoon of water and quickly stirred into a quart of 100F raw milk. After about 30 minutes, the milk proteins coagulate into a tender wiggly mass.
Strawberry curd is a variation on a lemon curd that came as a special request-- the challenge was to make it without eggs or butter. After many trials involving various combinations of gels and starches, I concluded that the best texture and flavor release came from gelatin and cornstarch.
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