Recipe: Rose Petal Sorbet

Makes 1 quart

For this sorbet, choose either dried rose petals, available in the bulk herb section of many supermarkets, or fragrant, unsprayed rose petals from your garden. Dried petals are more concentrated, so if you use fresh petals, you'll need about three times as much as you would dried. Serve the sorbet with cookies as a dessert or between seafood and meat courses as a palate cleanser.

½ cup dried rose petals or 1 ½ cups fresh

2 cups boiling water

1 cup sugar

1 (2-ounce) package powdered pectin

¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 cups cold water

Fresh rose petals, for garnish

1. Put the rose petals in a large, heatproof measuring cup and pour on the boiling water. Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and pectin.

2. Strain the rose petal "tea" over the sugar and pectin and stir until pectin and sugar are completely dissolved. Stir in lemon juice and cold water.

3. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator, then freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve in chilled glasses with a few rose petals for garnish.

Greg Atkinson 2005