Rose petal jam (Marmellata di rose)

While I was sudying art restoration, for several weeks I got the opportunity to work in the Armenian monastery of the island of San Lazzaro in Venice. One of my favourite parts of the day was breakfast, when the monks supplied coffee, fette biscottate (dried slices of bread), butter, and a large, deep-pink jar of their famous rose petal jam.

Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Emiko Davies

• makes

  3 cups

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

While the monks did not reveal their exact recipe to me, one thing that they did share was their special technique: the petals have to be massaged to soften them and get the most out of that beautiful rose perfume and fuchsia colour. 

Ingredients

• 200 g (7 oz) freshly picked rose petals (see Note)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 600 g (1 lb 5 oz/2¾ cups) sugar

Makes 750 ml (25½ fl oz/approx. 3 cups) jam

Instructions

1. Gently rinse the rose petals and lay them on a tea towel (dish towel). Use another tea towel to carefully dab them to remove some of the excess moisture. Place them in a large mixing bowl with the lemon juice and about 200 g (7 oz; approximately 1 cup) of the sugar. Rub and carefully ‘massage’ the petals with the sugar and juice until they are no longer velvety but limp (still whole, however) and the mixture begins to look like a pulp. Set aside.
2. Place the rest of the sugar in a saucepan with 625 ml (21 fl oz/2½ cups) water. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Add the massaged rose petals and continue simmering until the syrup thickens slightly and the petals no longer float, stirring occasionally. This takes about 30 minutes.
3. Note that this jam is not the same consistency as a traditional jam, but rather it is a perfumed syrup with softened, delicate petals in it. A saucer test will help you quickly see if the jam is ready: place a saucer in the freezer before you start and when you want to test the jam, add a small blob of it to the cold saucer. As it cools down, quickly look at how the syrup behaves when you turn the plate to let it run (it should run slower than water, as it will be slightly thickened). Be careful not to overcook the syrup as it will harden.
4. Transfer the hot jam to sterilised glass jars, fill to the top, seal tightly and leave to cool. If instead you are filling the jars with cooled jam, once sealed, place them in a saucepan filled with water right up to the neck of the jar and boil for 5 minutes to help seal the jar completely, then let cool. Store in a cool, dry place until opened and then store in the fridge, where it should be consumed within a few weeks. I particularly love this rose petal jam drizzled over thick yoghurt or ricotta.

Note

• I’m quite convinced the success of making a rose petal jam as special as the one from San Lazzaro island depends on the roses themselves, which should be small, deep pinkish-red roses with thin petals, perfumed and freshly picked, not at all wilted or old. It is also important to choose rose petals that you know have not been sprayed, for example from someone’s garden. Do not use commercial roses for this. For this recipe you will need about two large mixing bowls full of petals.

Source: Undefined / Hardie Grant Books / Emiko Davies

This is an edited extract from Cinnamon & Salt by Emiko Davies (Hardie Grant Books, RRP $40). Available in stores nationally.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

While the monks did not reveal their exact recipe to me, one thing that they did share was their special technique: the petals have to be massaged to soften them and get the most out of that beautiful rose perfume and fuchsia colour.