5 Recipes That Put Roses on Your Plate Instead of in a Vase

Sweet, tart, and brilliantly purple, this icy treat is delicious served plain or with a spoonful of unsweetened whipped cream. A scant teaspoon of rose water gives the mixture a gentle floral note and accentuates the complex berry flavor of pomegranate. Bonus: It's a great frozen dessert that doesn’t require an ice cream maker—just a small pan and a fork.

Get the recipe: Pomegranate Rose Granita

Fortifying the buttery batter with strong, steeped rose tea lends this craveable cake a distinctive color and a delightful, subtle perfume. Glaze it with an easy confectioner's sugar icing and slice it into fat, crumbly squares to create the perfect companion for afternoon tea or after-dinner coffee.

Get the recipe: Buttery Rose Tea Cake

This fizzy, fragrant twist on a champagne cocktail pairs tart pink grapefruit juice with a splash of floral rose water, sugar, and sparkling wine. Warning: Be moderate when adding the rose water or else, instead of a drink with a gentle floral edge, you'll wind up with one that tastes like perfume.

Get the recipe: Sparkling Rose Cocktail

Airy and chewy-crisp, these impossible-to-resist rosettes get their nutty edge from the addition of ground almonds and delicate fragrance from a whisper of rose water. Using a resealable plastic bag to pipe them out, pastry-chef style, makes it easy to get the shape just right. For an extra hit of sweetness, garnish them with a flurry of powdered sugar before serving.

Get the recipe: Rose and Almond Meringues

Praise the panna cotta. Simple, pretty, and so very delicious, this creamy no-bake dessert is both a cinch to throw together and utterly elegant. Adding a few drops of rose water lends the vanilla custard a complexity and richness, while tender, cardamom-spiced, honey-drenched apricots are a sweet, near-Eastern-inspired finishing touch.

Get the recipe: Rose Panna Cotta With Honey Apricots