Make a next-level cake with candied rose petals
Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh have released a new cookbook full of mouth-watering desserts
Chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh are in sync as soon as they arrive at the Star’s test kitchen to make their pistachio and rosewater semolina cake.
The recipe is from their new cookbook, Sweet ($45, Appetite), and, just like the three years spent testing and writing the book, the duo are meticulous in their execution — he gracefully sweeping the spatula across the cake batter in the pan to ensure it bakes evenly, while she simmers the rosewater syrup and chops pistachios into evenly sized pieces.
The aim is to make sure this recipe — like every one in the book, which also includes a mouth-watering passion-fruit cheesecake with spiced pineapple and tahini-and-halva brownies — tastes as good as it sounds.
“That’s just our nature to get really detailed, but in the end it’s all about the eating,” says Ottolenghi, as he snacks on candied rose petals while waiting for the cake to bake.
“There’s nothing smart about that, if it’s good, it’s good.”
Serious home cooks have long known of Ottolenghi.
The Israeli-British restaurateur’s previous cookbooks, three of which he co-authored with his fellow chefs and business partners, have been praised for boldly flavoured, colourful dishes often inspired by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking.
In his latest, he teamed up with pastry chef Helen Goh, who has been cooking at Ottolenghi’s various restaurants in London for more than a decade.
While the two come from different backgrounds — Goh previously lived in Melbourne and grew up in a Malaysian-Chinese household while Ottolenghi was raised in Jerusalem — both of them were academics before becoming chefs. She pursued psychology and he thought of earning a doctorate in comparative literature after writing his master’s thesis on philosophy.
“In the academic tradition, you can go in depth about the most minor things and I think we transferred that sensibility on to cakes,” says Goh, who is a licensed psychologist and runs a small private practice (sorry, the baker is not accepting new patients).
“It’s not so much that we just want to talk about it, but what we can do to get the details right: not too salty, not too sweet or lemony, how to reach the balance.”
It’s the obsession over detail that has made Ottolenghi’s books such a favourite among home cooks.
Not only do they test the recipe more than once, they also enlist a baker within Ottolenghi’s company and then a home cook outside the company to test the recipe as well.
When I later recreated their pistachio and rose water semolina cake at home, it came out perfectly.
Pistachio and Rosewater Semolina Cake
Star Tested Candied rose petals make for a gorgeous presentation, but the chefs say you can buy dried rose petals (available at Asian or Middle Eastern grocers) or omit them altogether. If you are using rose petals, make sure they haven’t been sprayed with pesticides. Red rose petals will turn a deep purple and pink petals will turn slightly yellow when baked.
For the candied rose petals (optional) 1 large egg white 40 medium-sized, pesticide-free rose petals 2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar Preheat oven to 200 F (100 C).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk egg white until frothy. Using a pastry brush or fingers, very lightly paint both sides of each petal with egg white and sprinkle with a bit of sugar on both sides.
Shake off excess sugar and lay petals on baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until petals are dry and crisp. Set aside.
For the rose cream 3/4 cup (180 mL) plain Greek yogurt 3/4 cup (180 mL) crème fraîche 1 tbsp (15 mL) icing sugar 1 tbsp (15 mL) rosewater
In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. For the rose syrup 1/2 cup (125 mL) lemon juice 1/3 cup (80 mL) rosewater 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
In a small saucepan over medium heat, add all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Syrup should be slightly thinner than maple syrup and drizzled over cake when still warm.
For the cake 1 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp (325 mL) unsalted room temperature butter, cubed, plus more for greasing pan 3 cardamom pods 1 cup plus 1/4 cup (310 mL) shelled, unsalted pistachios 1 cup (250 mL) ground almonds 3/4 cup plus 3 tbsp (225 mL) fine semolina flour 11/4 tsp (6 mL) baking powder 1/4 tsp (1 mL) kosher salt 1 2/3 cups plus 1 tbsp (425 mL) granulated sugar 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice 2 tbsp (30 mL) rosewater 1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
Grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Line bottom and sides with parchment paper. Set aside.
Use flat side of a large knife to crush cardamom pods. Discard pods and place seeds in a food processor. Add 1 cup (250 mL) pistachios and blitz until finely ground.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add ground almonds, semolina, baking powder and salt. Mix together and set aside.
In a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a large bowl with electric beaters, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Slowly add eggs and continue to mix until smooth and fully incorporated. Mixture may curdle, but it will not affect end result.
Add butter mixture to dry ingredients. Fold everything together, careful not to over mix. Fold in lemon zest, lemon juice, rosewater and vanilla extract. Scrape batter into greased pan and level with an offset spatula.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean but oily. Let rest for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
To serve, drizzle warm rose syrup all over cake. Chop remaining pistachios and sprinkle all over cake along with candied rose petals, if using. Serve immediately with a dollop of rose cream.
If not serving immediately, store cake in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Before serving, warm up cake and rose syrup before drizzling. Candied rose petals can keep up to 3 days refrigerated in an airtight container. Dry them out slightly in a 200 F (100 C) oven before serving.
Makes 10 to 12 servings. karonliu@thestar.ca