Rose Petal Jam - Organic and Homemade

I was obsessed with the Rose Petal Jam from the Mandarin Oriental when I was cooking and baking in the kitchens of this hotel in Hong Kong. For a few months, I was stationed at the Clipper Lounge, and made fresh crumpets and scones for the hotel’s famous high tea afternoons.

While guests waited for their pots of Darjeeling or flutes of champagne to accompany their finger sandwiches, I was happily helping myself to bites of warm scone topped with clotted cream and crowned with dollops of Rose Petal Jam to make sure that everything tasted just as they should, of course! Lucky for me the head chef was never around to patrol my excessive quality control endeavors.

After becoming a nutritionist, and in hind sight, I realized that the famous jam was actually not that healthy as they used conventional roses, and mixed them with a strawberry jam loaded with an immense amount of sugar along with some artificial flavorings. And so, I now make my very own with organic ingredients, and a lot less sugar.
If you are lucky enough to have an organic rose bush or two in your yard, then this jam is waiting to be made!
You can also locate an organic rose farm near you and go picking during the summer.

Ingredients

2 oz. organic rose petals
(It is very important to weigh the petals for accuracy.)
1-1/2 cups filtered water
1 cup organic sugar
(reserve 1 Tbsp to mix with the pectin)
OR 1/2 cup organic sugar + 1/2 cup Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice OR
2 Tbsp. lemon juice + 1 Tbsp homemade pickle brine*
1 tsp. pectin (Pomona)
1/8 tsp. sea salt (omit if you are adding in pickle brine)

* Pickle brine? Well, in addition to being a chef, I am also an expert fermenter, so I always have fermented brine, and I add it to many things, including jam making because the acid acts like lemon juice, and the saltiness helps to balance all the sweet flavors of this jam. Totally optional of course.

Yield: Enough to fill three 4 oz (125 gram) jars plus a couple of tablespoons extra for you to do quality control.

1. Place the rose petals in a medium ceramic or stainless steel pot.

2. Pour in water and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar. Continue the simmer for about 5 - 6 minutes.

3. Add in the lemon juice (plus pickle brine if using), and continue to simmer for 10 more minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the pectin with the reserved 1 Tbsp sugar.

5. While stirring, sprinkle in the pectin/sugar mixture and heat on low for 20 minutes. At this point, the jam will still be runny, but it will set as it cools.

6. Pour into clean class jars and allow the jam to set at room temperature,
   then place lids on and store in the fridge, where they will last for about one month.
   

   Note: You can also preserve these jars of jam for long term storage at room temperature which will require that you sterilize the jars and follow proper procedures for canning.
   

Rose Petal Jam on paleo pancake topped with vanilla cream and drizzle of maple syrup.