Pelargoniums: An Herb Society of America Guide

Recipes

Chocolate Rose-Scented Soufflé

Originally I tried preparing this recipe with rose water, but the flavor was not strong enough. Rose syrup is good in this recipe, however cooking down fresh organic rose petals takes longer than the following simple syrup. By all means, try rose syrup if you have some on hand.

To make rose geranium syrup, combine 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar and about 10 or 12 rose geranium leaves in a small saucepan, bruising the leaves against the side of the pan with a spoon. Place over moderate heat and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for at least 30 minutes. Remove the leaves and squeeze them into the syrup to extract their flavor. This syrup can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or frozen for up to 1 year. You can make other herb-flavored syrups in the same manner. Mint-scented geranium, orange mint, peppermint, spearmint, or anise hyssop would be good in this recipe; use about five 4- or 5-inch sprigs in place of the geranium leaves.

Serves 6 to 8

½ cup half-and-half cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
¼ cup sugar
2 pinches salt
5 extra-large eggs, separated
¼ cup rose or rose geranium syrup
Whipping cream
Organic rose geranium flowers, rose petals or candied rose petals

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Generously butter six 1-cup ramekins or custard cups and sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Combine the cream, chocolate, sugar, and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium low heat. Whisk the chocolate as it melts to make a smooth mixture. Remove from heat when the chocolate is completely melted.

Beat the 5 yolks, one at a time, into the chocolate mixture. Whisk the rose geranium syrup into the chocolate, 1 tablespoon at a time. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry.

Whisk about a cup of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Then pour the chocolate mixture into the whites and fold until just blended. Pour the mixture into the prepared dishes and bake in the lower half of the oven for 12 minutes, until they are set.

While the soufflés are cooking, whip about ½ cup whipping cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar until almost stiff. Whisk in about 1 tablespoon rose syrup, taste; add a bit more if desired.

Remove the soufflés from the oven. Scatter a few fresh rose petals or rose geranium flowers over the soufflés if you have them, or garnish each soufflé with a candied rose petal. Serve the soufflés immediately and pass the whipping cream. (You have about 5 to 7 minutes to serve the soufflés before they start to deflate.)

If you have leftover soufflés, you can refrigerate them and eat them the next day. Their texture will be denser, but they are still tasty served at cool room temperature.

Next recipe: Scented Geranium Sugar

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