Rose/9 recipes

Chilled strawberry soup pureed with orange juice, spiced sugar syrup, and optional red wine. Strained silky smooth, served cold with a yogurt dollop. A summer starter.

Raspberries, a member of the rose family, impart a delicious aroma and spark of flavor to this creative sauce. It is especially good with roast duckling.

Golden saffron cake with rose water and pistachios, soaked in vanilla sugar syrup and cut into diamonds like baklava. A fragrant Middle Eastern-inspired low-fat dessert.

Sewian is a classic Indian vermicelli dessert fried golden in ghee, then slow-simmered in milk with sugar and rose water. Topped with slivered almonds and pistachios for a fragrant, creamy sweet.

Shell-on shrimp sauteed in garlic-chili oil, piled over meltingly soft red peppers slow-cooked in Spanish olive oil. Tear off crusty bread, soak it in that rose-colored oil, and feast.

Old-fashioned three-layer milk chocolate cake with buttermilk, melted unsweetened chocolate, and brown sugar, topped with milk chocolate frosting. A towering, bakery-worthy celebration cake.

Savory papaya lassi blended with yogurt, ripe papaya, lime juice, salt, and black pepper. The Indian cooler that goes savory or sweet, with a sweet rose-water variation included.

Chili bean tacos stuff hard shells with cumin-spiced sausage, kidney beans, tomato and bell pepper, topped with sour cream. A 30-minute Tex-Mex weeknight dinner.

A Greek-style phyllo pie layered with spiced ground beef, mushrooms, wine, and a rich blend of feta, cream cheese, and cottage cheese. Feeds 12 and bakes to a flaky golden crust.

Lebanese Baklawa Be'Aj features phyllo squares shaped into lily petals around an egg-white walnut and almond filling, soaked in rose water and orange blossom syrup. A showstopper pastry for special occasions.

Shereen Polo is a Persian jeweled rice pilau with saffron, julienned carrots, orange peel, almonds, pistachios, and rose water in sugar syrup. Served with crispy tahdig and a side of chicken stew.

Chicken breasts layered with Swiss cheese and stuffing mix, then drenched in a creamy wine sauce made from mushroom and celery soups. Minimal prep, maximum comfort in under an hour.

A make-ahead beef roast with a caper sauce. Thinly sliced and arranged on a plate or cubed and served as an appetizer.

Sherbat is a fragrant Indian lemon cooler with fresh lemon juice, sugar, crushed ice, and rose water. A refreshing, floral drink served in frosty glasses. Ready in 20 minutes with just 5 ingredients.

Stuffed beef round steak rolled with cheddar, corn, olives, and green pepper, then braised in a sweet-tangy homemade BBQ sauce with cumin and chili. A showstopper dinner that feeds six.

This cake is remarkable; no one would ever believe that it is so low in fat and calories.