A Pair of Flower Scented Jellies

I love using floral essences like orange blossom and rose waters to impart a note of Arabesque mystique to certain sweets and savouries. I've noticed, however, that most men don't fancy such flavours much - W ("Sweetie, have you been spraying the food with Ce Soir ou Jamais again?"...I adore Annick Goutal's Turkish rose perfume...) certainly doesn't, however subtle the application. I've long stopped attempting to sneak these flavours into our meals, indulging my weakness only when I'm cooking for myself. However, as I've discovered, jams and jellies may well be an excellent outlet for my compulsion even when I'm not alone - they keep, and given the array of other non-scented spreads available, nobody need feel excluded whether at breakfast or tea-time.

Raspberry and Apply Jelly with Rose
I've gone on and on about my fixation with Pierre Herme's Ispahan before, his dreamy rose macaron, lychee and raspberry signature confection. So as soon as I saw this recipe in Mes Confitures, Christine Ferber's fabulous book on the art of preserving, I knew I had to make it. An apple jelly infused with rose water and dried rose petals is layered over raspberry jelly - if a taste could be described as pretty, this would be it. Beyond being alluring to look at, keeping the flavours suspended in separate layers makes perfect sense; all the better to appreciate the exquisite coalescence of the distinct yet harmonious. Minus the lychee element, it comes close to the sensational taste of the glamourous Confiture Ispahan the fairy godmother of jams and jellies makes for Pierre Herme's boutiques. I've flagged her Raspberry and Lychee with Rose Water jam - which sounds promisingly like a chunky cousin of the Confiture Ispahan - to try making some time soon.

Aside from enjoying on toast, it makes an admirable filling for cookies. I made Linzer Cookies, setting aside some W-friendly ones filled with plain raspberry jelly.

Lavender Jelly
This recipe comes from The English Summer Cookbook by Thane Prince, which I simply had to make as soon as I laid eyes on the gorgeous picture in the book. Fortunately, the taste lives up to its jewel-like good looks. A plain apple jelly is infused with the intoxicating scent of lavender flowers (go easy here - lavender is an instance where less is more), while the fabulous garnet hue is courtesy of adding a few blackberries. A plain buttery cookie (I made vanilla bean shortbread) is good alongside.