I was very intrigued to discover one of the foodie products that we were sent through a while ago to review from Taste : Coriander & Rose Petal Salt. Now, I love using very coarse sea salt in cooking because it gives a different texture and saltiness to food than regular table salt. I have a pot of Jamie Oliver Sea Salt with Barbecue Seasoning that gets flung into most things and generously sprinkled over meat that's about to be roasted. We also bought some flavoured sea salts - one with garlic and herb and one with herbes de provence - from our last trip to the in laws' in Brittany. I wasn't sure how the flavours of Coriander and, particularly, rose petals would work though.
Visually, it is very appealing - a little sprinkle of this on top of dainty little canapés with foie gras or smoked salmon would look divine. But the flavour and scent are, well, very floral. I know you can eat a lot of flowers and I've often seen rose petals as well as other brightly coloured petals (nasturtiums, I believe, but I could be wrong, so check they're no poisonous being giving them a try !) as an aesthetically-pleasing addition to salads or sprinkled over cakes. But this floral flavour was one that, while not unpleasant, I couldn't work into my usual cooking. What is it supposed to be used with ? Which flavours would complement the highly unusual flavour of rose petals ? Imagine throwing a few cubes of Turkish delight into your beef stew and that will give you a very vague idea of my culinary quandrary !!
Well, off to do a quick bit of research online. On the Taste Spice website, they explain : "Hand-harvested, natural British sea salt & a beautiful combination of roasted coriander seeds & real rose petals gives an almost butterscotch aromatic to bring a richness to any food.Perfect for any type of slow food, lamb, beef or even scrambled eggs, the fragrant rose petals add a North African touch without turning it into a fully blown Moroccan feel. This really is one of our favourite salts!"
Well, this may be an acquired taste and one that will grow on us but for the moment, here at The Madhouse, we're not overly keen. They mention slow food so I will try adding some to the slow cooker the next time it comes out. I've also found this useful article on their blog which suggests using it on any dark meat or roast potatoes, which is definitely worth trying too. If any of you have any bright ideas for recipes that would work well with rose petals, I'd love to hear from you too.
star rating : 3/5
RRP : £3.25 for 60g
for more information : http://www.tastespice.co.uk/product.php?id_product=30
Other reviews you may be interested in :
Kent & Fraser Stilton & Walnut Savoury Biscuits review
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Scarlett & The Spotty Dog Present ... The Proud To Be Ginger Nut biscuit review
I'd love to try it, sounds lovely. Nasturtiums & primroses are very nice in salads. :)
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteWe're Gourmet Spice Co - someone mentioned you had our Coriander & Rose Petal Salt on your blog so I thought I'd check it out! Thank you for the review (where did you get the Salt from - just wondering...), but we're sorry you were struggling to find things to go with it...
To give you some more ideas, it goes really well with any roast or BBQ meats but it's fab on potato wedges or chunky fries too! It'd go well on most fish too, something nice and robust, maybe a nice chunky white fish fillet or even mackerel. Just make sure it's sustainable or Hugh will come round and get you ;)
Because it goes with most meats, it's a real favourite when it comes to BBQ season (although we have a few more more specifically for BBQ season out next week, including our 'Magic BBQ Dust', but that's another story!). Try adding a good pinch to your favourite marinade for lamb kebabs - some nice chopped herbs, crushed garlic, pinch of chilli flakes, lemon juice/zest, yoghurt & a splash of oil to loosen and you're good to go.
Experiment, have fun and play with it - and let us know how you get on!
Thanks for the links too, much appreciated. )
Oooh love the idea of trying it with the barbecue - I was trying to think of Oriental/Moroccan-style dishes that it would go with. I'll definitely try it with wedges, and fish - I'm always up for some more experimenting in the kitchen !
ReplyDeleteAs for where it came from, a lovely PR lady from Taste sent me through a variety of products to try out :)
Thanks very much for your feedback - very helpful ideas :)
Sounds very odd lol! Though I can imagine it going quite nicely with some of the suggestions in the comment above :)
ReplyDeleteBack to have a look at the suggestions from Mark (I'm afraid it was me who mentioned your blog post to them, as I asked them if any of their products are available in the shops and said that I found about them thanks to your review).
ReplyDeleteAha that explains it !! Well, I'm very glad you did ! Thank you ! :) And happy cooking !
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