ROSE PETALS AND RASPBERRIES...

Rose petals and raspberries, yes i know they are ever so girly!
The soft floral perfume of the dried petals, partner perfectly with sun-sweetened raspberries. I blend the petals with sugar and store it in a jar for later use if needed.
I use it in place of sugar in meringues, whipped cream,  sprinkled over berries and so on. 
The combination is perfect for our Christmas in the sun, although i think i will be incorporating the rose petals into decadent chocolate products as well.

Rose Petal Pavlova with Raspberries


4 egg whites, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup caster sugar
4 Tablespoons edible dried rose petals (Kanuka Organics)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon malt vinegar
1 Tablespoon cornflour
300ml cream
Fresh raspberries
Rose petals

To make the rose petal sugar: Simply put the sugar and rose petals into a food processor and blitz until the petals have blended into the sugar. It should go a lovely speckled pink colour! Set aside.

To make the Pavlova: Ensure all your equipment for beating the egg whites is thoroughly clean. Preheat your oven to 180C, line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

Whisk the egg whites and rose petal sugar together until silky smooth and no trace of sugar is visible. Mix the cornflour with the vinegar and vanilla essence to form a paste. Add to the egg white mixture, and beat gently to combine.

Spoon the mixture into the middle of the paper to form a high round circle. Smooth the edges and top with a spatula. Turn the oven down to 100C and bake for 50-60 minutes, (if browning turn oven down a little more).

Once cooked remove from the oven and cool thoroughly. Whip up the cream to form soft peaks and generously pile onto the cold Pavlova, sprinkle over the raspberries and rose petals. Enjoy.

Merry Christmas!