Why it works: Rose and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 25% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,584 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
The Utility of the Rose Leaf
Ingredients
Directions
Select uniform petals from the outer rows of double, full-blown roses.
Spread the petals on paper to dry for a few hours.
Prepare a thick syrup with clarified sugar and a slight flavor of rose water.
Dip the petals into the hot syrup before they begin to wither, allowing them to soak for a few minutes.
Carefully remove the petals and place them on oil paper to dry for three to four hours.
Dust the petals with pulverized sugar, turn them over, and dust the other side, then let them stand until dry.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Rose + sugartop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,584 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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