jewelweed

I haven't made this, but I want to.

Its a variation of the recipe made famous by the book and film Like Water for Chocolate, in which Tita, the Mexican cook whose dishes literally express her emotions, makes the sauce from roses given to her by Pedro, her forbidden lover:

Codornices en Petalos de Rosa — Quail or Cornish Hens in Rose Petals

• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon aniseed, crushed
• 2 small tunas (prickly pears) peeled and cut into chunks or 1 tablespoon canned beet juice
• 12 red or pink rose petals (from your garden, of course!)
• 12 red petals for garnish (not from flower shop)
• 36 blanched almonds
• 1 cup of water or as needed
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground white pepper
• 1 or 2 drops rose water (check local drug stores)
• 8 quail or Cornish hens
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Salt to taste

In saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, add the garlic and aniseed, and saute until garlic is lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Put the tunas or beet juice and 12 rose petals in blender or molcajete and puree until smooth. Pour in small bowl. Set aside.

Toast the almonds over low heat in a dry frying pan until golden, about 5 minutes. Let cool and pulverize in blender or molcajete, small amounts at a time.

Pour the rose petal mixture and the water into the blender with almonds and whiz until smooth.

Put the garlic butter and the nut-rose petal mixture in a deep saucepan over low heat.

Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes to blend the flavors.

Add honey, white pepper and salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pour sauce through a medium mesh sieve, pressing on the sauce with the back of a spoon. Stir in rose water to taste.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season the quail or Cornish hens inside and out with salt and black pepper. Fold the wing tips under birds, and tie legs together with kitchen string. Place on rack in roasting pan. Roast for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to 375 degrees, baste with a little sauce, and roast for about 10 more minutes. To test if done, pierce the thigh joint with fork. The juice should be slightly pink. Remove quail from the oven and put on a platter. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and set aside, allow to set for about 5 minutes.

Gently reheat the rose petal sauce and pour over the quail. Garnish with rose petals. Serves 4 to 6.

Robb Walsh, author of Are You Really Going to Eat That?, describes his own version of this famous recipe-- and notes usefully why you must not use store-bought commercial roses. This one sounds especially good, and includes the all important pitaya fruit, which was a part of the original recipe from the book: