Exotic Orange Blossom Water And Rose Water Make Your Own Recipes

ROSE WATER AND ORANGE BLOSSOM BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the walnuts, cinnamon and sugar in a large bowl and set aside. In the bottom of a greased 9 by 13-inch pan, put 1 layer of phyllo and brush liberally with butter. Repeat 6 more times, buttering each delicate layer, until you have 7 layers of phyllo. Spoon 1/3 of the nut mixture over the phyllo and top with 5 more individually buttered sheets of phyllo. Repeat the process 2 more times and finish with 7 layers of phyllo. Brush the final layer with butter and bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes.
• While the baklava is baking, make syrup. Add all of the syrup ingredients to a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove the baklava from the oven and pour the syrup evenly over the top. Cut into squares or diamonds and serve.

PISTACHIO BAKLAVA WITH HONEY AND ROSE WATER

Steps:

• In a saucepan, heat the water, sugar, honey and lemon juice until it comes to the boil and cook for a minute. Now add the orange blossom and rose waters, boil for a few seconds, and remove from the heat. Allow to cool before using on the baklava.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Grind the nuts. We want them to be medium-fine - if they are ground too finely, the resulting filling will be very dense. Combine with the sugar and cinnamon, then add the orange blossom and rose waters and mix well. Set aside.
• In a dish (I used one 21 x 28cm), brush the base with a little melted butter, then add a sheet of filo. Brush with butter, then add another sheet. Brush with butter, and continue until you have six sheets of filo in the dish. Add the filling, and spread out. Be gentle so you don't break the pastry. Now add the rest of the pastry, in each case adding a layer, brushing with melted butter, then adding the next. Finish by brushing the sixth sheet with butter.
• Cut the baklava into pieces - long rectangles, diamonds, squares, or whatever whimsical shapes take your fancy. Do this carefully with a sharp knife and make sure to go all the way through to the base. You might want to leave a border of "scrap" baklava where the pastry is a bit untidy at the edges. This means the final result is neater, and as the cook, you get to enjoy this "angel's share".
• Bake the baklava for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden. When done, remove from the oven, allow it to sit for a minute, then pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava. Be sure to get the syrup in between each cut. If you see syrup forming pools in some areas, don't worry - it will all be absorbed.
• Allow the baklava to cool fully before serving. Decorate with chopped pistachios and dried pomegranate seeds(**).
• (*) By this, I mean the lightly aromatic rose water. If you have the much more intense rose extract, then use just a few drops and not a whole tablespoon!
• (**) To dry pomegranate seeds - remove the red seeds from the white pith, and spread on a non-stick baking tray. Leave in the oven at 60°C (140°F) for several hours until the seeds are dry. They will remain slightly sticky but should keep their colour and not turn brown.

ROSE WATER OR ORANGE BLOSSOM PANCAKES

Steps:

• Mix the flour, baking powder, cardamon (or cinnamon), sugar, and salt in medium bowl.
• Beat the egg, honey, rose water (or orange blossom water) and oil together in small bowl. Then combine the egg mixture with the dry ingredients. Stir until well blended.
• Note: 1/2-1 cup of water may need to be added to the batter to get the right consistency.
• Pour a small amount of almond oil onto griddle then heat. Ladle a small amount of the batter onto the griddle.
• Smooth into a circle then fry until bubbles appear and edges are dry. Flip over & continue to cook until the other side has turned golden.

EXOTIC ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER AND ROSE WATER - MAKE YOUR OWN!

Steps:

• How to go about making your delicious Rose and Orange Blossom water:.
• Pick your petals and blossom early in the morning, ideally those which have been grown completely organically.
• Rinse the petals and blossom carefully in cold water, taking care to remove all dirt and any pesky insects.
• Crush the petals or blossom with a mortar and pestle, and leave them to rest for a few hours, place them in a jar with some distilled water - don't go overboard with the water as you can always add more later.
• Leave the jar, with the lid on, in the sun for a couple of weeks, and check the scent. If it is too weak, continue to leave in the sun for another week or so.
• Experiment with the quantities of water and petals to see what works for your water, and voila, you will be known as a culinary genius. Good luck and happy cooking!