Tuesday's Tips & Tricks

I love having rose water at home, it's a great astringent and a little spritz makes even the busiest mornings ever so much more luxurious. You just need:

• a large stock pot
• two small glass bowls (or ramekins) 
• 8 - 10 oz rose petals (rinsed)
• foil
• water
• ice

Simply use the bowls and stock pot to make a still-like-contraption. I'll explain. Put one glass bowl upside-down in your stockpot and scatter your rose petals around the bowl in the  bottom of pot. Place the second second bowl upright on top of the inverted bowl. Fill your pot with about 3 quarts of water, and place the foil over the pot, make sure it's slightly concave (you could also use a stainless steel bowl or an inverted pot lid). 

Crank the burner up and bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer. Place ice cubes in the center of the foil covering to finish the homemade still. Drain water and replace ice as necessary. 

Check the upright bowl every 10 minutes or so. Once you have 1 to 2 cups of rosewater, you're done. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes. Let your rosewater cool, then transfer to a clean jar or bottle.

Sounds crazy, right? I can't wait to try. 

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