Strawberries with rose and cardamom

Strawberries with rose and cardamom

Spring

There is something elegant about the strawberry-and-rose relationship. It feels very ‘of England’,
a late spring garden, romantic. It’s only now, as I’m writing this, I’ve learned that the two of them are actually part of the same family, Rosaceae, along with apples, peaches, plums and raspberries. Maybe that explains why they taste so good together. This dish is no more than a simple strawberry salad to which I’ve added fresh rose petals – all very English, until the cardamom comes bowling into view. Suddenly we’re in the Middle East, a busy street-food market, noise, sunshine...

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • About 750g (1lb 10oz) ripe strawberries, hulled and cut into 1cm (½in) slices
  • 4–5 cardamom pods
  • 40g (1½oz) unrefined caster sugar
  • Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 4 fresh rose buds, petals separated

Method

Place the strawberry slices in a large bowl. Set aside.

Place a small, dry pan on a medium–high heat and add the cardamom pods, toasting for a few minutes until they begin to release their aroma. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Tip the cardamom pods into
a mortar and, using the pestle, give them a bash to release the seeds. Remove the outer shells, leaving the seeds, and bash these to a finely ground powder. Set aside.

Combine the sugar, lemon juice and zest and crushed cardamom seeds in a bowl and tip this over the sliced strawberries. Toss the mixture, making sure all the strawberries are coated. Take half the rose petals and gently turn them through the dressed strawberries. Allow the mixture to stand for 15–20 minutes to help the flavours develop.

Spoon out the dressed strawberries over a large platter, pour over the fragrant strawberry syrup and scatter over the remaining rose petals.

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