The word Valentine conjures up images of chocolates, flowers, candlelit dinners and a deluge of red as though the love mountain of Eros erupted to scatter crimson hearts for him to pierce his arrows through.
Well… at least that’s how people in my country respond to the occasion. The confectioneries here take center stage during the month of February. The florists bring out their prized blooms. The restos whip up unforgettable meals. Heck, even houses of ill repute come alive with amazing ‘afternoon delight’ deals (think extended lunch break with bubbly, strawberries and your choice of skin flick)!
Now if open displays of affection come naturally to you, there really is no need to ‘celebrate’ St. Valentine’s Day. Like I come from a family of born huggers and kissers. PDA’s are as commonplace as eating to nourish yourself. But we decided to hop on the bandwagon anyway and come together for special dinner. Ok, it may not really be about making known how much we care about each other. More like unabashedly showing off our love… for food!
Pork liver crostini, grilled rib eye steak, short ribs in black pepper sauce, grilled salmon with lemon and dill, arugula and mixed greens with honey-kalamansi dressing. Sounds like a substantial meal already. Na-uh! There’s still dessert… which I am in charge of.
In honor of the love god himself whose name happens to be an anagram of the most popular flower during Valentine’s, I dove into my Middle Eastern and Indian pantries to put together a rosewater kulfi. Cool and luxurious, heady with the scent of roses, it’s the perfect last course to arrest that ravenous appetite. If my peeps find it cloyingly sweet, I’ve prepared a bottle of good crisp French rosé to refresh the palate with.
Hey Eros! We invite you to join us tonight. There aren’t any hearts for you to aim your arrows at but you are more than welcome to take a stab at the rib eye on the grill. Literally.
Rosewater Kulfi
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
| 250 ml | whipping cream |
| 1/2 cup | full cream milk |
| 1/2 cup | condensed milk |
| 2 tsp | rosewater |
| drop | red food dye |
Method:
Beat the cream until thick peaks form. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Blend together the two milks and the rosewater. Stir in the food dye and mix well until uniform in color. Add a bit more if you like it a darker pink. Fold in the cream then pour into individual molds.
Freeze for 4 hours or more. To serve, turn the frozen mold onto a dessert plate. Loosen the kulfi out of the mold by placing over it a hot towel.
*Note: This is a shortcut version of a traditional kulfi, where the milk and sugar are boiled together and reduced until thickened. I used condensed milk to slash down prep time. Since rosewater is actually a clear liquid, I decided to tint the cream with a bit of food dye.
Tags: dessert, ice cream, Indian, Middle Eastern, rosewater
