Rose-petal custard

This is a continuation of my scandalous love affair with custard. This custard uses the same basic recipes as the lemon verbena custard, but uses rose petals to flavour it. The red and deep pink rose petals I used imparted a lovely soft colour to the custard, and a fragrant sweet turkish-delight flavour. This is one I shall definitely make again and again when the roses are in bloom!

Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornflour

2 egg yolks

1 1/2 cup milk

Petals of 3-4 fragrant roses. The more fragrant the roses, the more fragrant and flavourful your custard will be.

Method

Place the milk and rose petals in a pot. Bring just up to the boil, then take immediately off the heat and leave to cool. Strain the milk to remove all the petals.

Mix the sugar, cornflour, egg yolk, vanilla and milk in a saucepan and stir with a whisk to remove lumps. Taste to make sure you are happy with the sweetness etc and adjust as necessary. Place over a low-medium heat and stir with a whisk until it thickens. 

Enjoy!

Rose Cream

I admit it - I made cupcakes from a cake mix. I did, however, top them with a wickedly delicious rose cream made out of my very own roses. It had such a lovely taste - creamy, and slightly turkish delighty. Very nice. I think this would make a delicious pannacotta too - one day I might get around to trying it.

Ingredients 
2 handfuls rose petals
125g sugar
500ml cream

Method
In a mortar and pestle pound the rose petals and sugar together until they form a paste. Add to the cream and beat until firm. Top your cake/cupcake/pudding with the cream and enjoy.

NB: You can add a bit of food colouring to make the cream look pinker if you wish. If you don't have any rose petals, or you want a stronger taste of rose, a few drops of rosewater will add more flavour.