In previous posts, I have shared my cold strawberry soup and my rose petal jelly recipes. Today, after a fruitful trip to the farmers market, and noticing the abundant blooms on my rosebush, I was inspired to create a new recipe that combines the best of both of these springtime delicacies. The result was amazing. It is lighter and brighter tasting. Plus the roses add a certain je ne sais quoi.
If this sounds appealing to you, here is how you can make your own cold strawberry rose soup. You will need the following:
- 2 quarts of fresh strawberries
- 1 cup of rose petals
- 1 teaspoon of rosewater
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of yogurt
- 1/4 cup of maple syrup
Rinse the rose petals, then place them in a blender. Only use roses that you are absolutely sure have never been treated with pesticides. It’s best to use ones that you have picked from your own garden (or that of your trusted friends and family).
Wash, hull and halve the strawberries (you will probably use closer to 1 1/2 quarts, but it’s nice to have extras for garnish and for eating while you prepare the soup), then place as many as you can in the blender with the rose petals.
Add 1 teaspoon each of rose water and vanilla extract (I made my own by soaking 2 vanilla beans in a small bottle of brandy for 6 weeks) to the strawberries and roses. Puree until smooth.
Add the yogurt and maple syrup, and blend until well-mixed. (I’ve been using yogurt from Blue Ridge Dairy. All of their products are amazing, their cows are very happy, and their representative at my farmers market looks like Francis from Malcolm in the Middle :-).
You can add more strawberries at this point since you will have more room in the blender.
Chill, then serve garnished with a dollop of yogurt. Enjoy!
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herban lifestyle 
I never knew you can eat rose petals!
What do they taste like?
And how much brandy do you use for 2 vanilla beans? I always wanted to make my own but never tried it. It would be much cheaper, I would think. And if I want to make organic vanilla extract, I would have to use organic brandy, right? Is there a such a thing? Sorry for so many questions.
But I’d love to try this soup but probably without my rose petals. God knows what they spray in my garden by the landscapers.
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Yes! They are yummy, with a delicate floral taste and smooth texture. I’m sure it varies quite a bit by the variety, but I have antique tea roses as well as wild roses. The wild ones are more fragrant.
As for the extract, I’m guessing you can find organic brandy. I use organic vodka for my tinctures. I used 4 ounces of brandy for two beans and from what I understand, you can keep refilling the bottle over and over continuing to extract flavor from the beans for quite a long time. Definitely cost effective over the long run.
I am sure that the soup will be good even without the roses. Enjoy!
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Gorgeous! I’m not sure where I’ll get access to rose petals but I’d love to give this a try. It speaks of summer.
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Thank you, Tammy! If you can’t find roses, you can just use the rose water to provide the flavor. That is available in gourmet shops and Indian grocery stores.
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yum this sounds great, definitely going to try it out! and yes to a farm-representing Francis doppelganger, LOL. thanks!
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I’m sure you will enjoy it, Annalisa! Yes, our fake Francis is the best 🙂
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