Sure, you could buy a bouquet of roses for Valentine’s Day and call it a night — but cooking with roses is a creative (and undeniably beautiful) way to mix things up. This roundup brings the tasty flower to the table in recipes designed to treat your special someone all day long, from delicate crêpes and a sweet stuffed omelet at breakfast to rose-harissa chicken for dinner, plus desserts and drinks that capture the holiday’s signature bloom without the need for a vase. Turn to these recipes to curate a menu that’s truly coming up roses this Valentine’s Day.
Kaak Warqa
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
Perhaps the most opulent of all Tunisian sweets, these snowy white cookies feature rings of rosewater-scented almond paste wrapped in a thin sheath of buttery dough garnished with dried rose petals.
Lokum (Turkish Delight)
Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
For our version of this chewy jelled candy, rosewater combines with lemon juice and orange blossom water for a citrusy, floral flavor that pairs beautifully with the roasted pistachios suspended throughout.
Rose Matcha Latte
Rose and matcha is an exquisite combination, so much so that many matcha purveyors custom-blend the two dried ingredients to capture both the floral and earthy notes in a single glass. Mix with your choice of milk for a light, creamy latte with a special fragrant touch.
Orange-Cardamom Butter Cakes with Rosewater Icing
The floral frosting for these moist, buttery Sri Lankan cakes from cookbook author Ruwanmali Samarakoon-Amunugawa is scented with rosewater and orange blossom water; a drizzle of sweet-tart orange-laced raspberry jam offers a stunning contrast.
Mumbai Margarita
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon
A spicy rose syrup made with both rosewater and dried rose petals imbues this mango margarita with floral sweetness; the drink is dressed up with more rose petals strewn over the top.
Pistachio-Rose Brittle
Dried rose petals, pistachios, and a pinch of saffron turn standard nut brittle into a striking, sophisticated treat that’s especially giftable.
Royal Falooda
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Khushbu Shah’s dreamy rose-scented falooda layers rose jelly, chia seeds, and tender vermicelli under a pour of milk sweetened with rose syrup. A scoop of vanilla ice cream melts into the glass, trailing ribbons of pink and cream.
Khagineh (Stuffed Persian Sugar Omelet)
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
This pancakelike treat is a feast for the senses. It’s filled with a warmly spiced mixture of ground walnuts and Medjool dates, garnished with pistachios and rose petals, drizzled with golden saffron syrup, and served with rosewater-scented whipped cream. Enjoy it for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert.
Bougatsa
Ellen Silverman
Decadent and creamy, traditional Greek bougatsa is made by baking together layers of flaky phyllo and velvety custard. Chef Nasim Alikhani gives hers a Persian spin by flavoring it with rosewater, saffron, and cardamom rather than the usual cinnamon, adorning it with powdered sugar, pistachios, and rose petals for a luxe finish.
Rosy Harissa Chicken
Recipe developer Susan Spungen was inspired by New York Shuk’s Rosey Harissa Spice blend to create this zippy, garnet-hued dish. “This chicken becomes tender and juicy after a bath in a kefir marinade redolent with harissa paste, lemon, and garlic,” she says. A final sprinkle of edible dried rose petals completes the dish.
Persian Love Cake
This cardamom-scented almond cake comes together relatively quickly — but, thanks to its striking combination of pistachios, rose petals, and bright white icing on top, it’ll look like you’ve been working all day.
Rosewater Marshmallows
When it comes to Valentine’s Day candy, chocolate gets all the attention — but these pillowy, rose-essenced marshmallows from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten are a lovely way to shake things up.
Bastani Irani (Rosewater and Saffron Ice Cream)
This vibrant, fragrant ice cream is made by steeping saffron in a custard base, then stirring in rosewater and vanilla extract. Scoop and serve with dried rose petals.
Sharab Rose Raspberry Shrub Cocktail
Ed Anderson
Made with raspberries, white vinegar, sugar, and rosewater, this nonalcoholic cocktail is tart, bright, and floral — and its vivid pink color looks oh so pretty shimmering in the glass.
Ricotta Crêpes with Honey, Walnuts, and Rose
Use rosewater to gently perfume both the velvety cheese filling and the honey-lemon syrup that gets drizzled over these delicate crêpes, then scatter rose petals on top for a romantic breakfast treat.
Vodka-Rose Punch
It only takes 10 minutes to make Padma Lakshmi’s Vodka-Rose Punch, which combines vodka with club soda, rose syrup, and torn mint leaves for an alluring pink drink.
