Najmieh Batmanglij demonstrated the use of rose petals, rosewater, and saffron in Persian cooking.

To make rosewater, damask roses (rosas di Castille in Latin American countries) are picked before sunrise when their scent is at its peak. They are spread in a cool room and steamed in a cauldron. The rose vapor is directed into a second pot with cold water to make rosewater. Leftover petals are not wasted; some are combined with tobacco and smoked, while others are fed to goats and cows, creating rose scented milk. Any petals that remain are reused as fertilizer for the rose bushes. The best rosewater is Persian rosewater from Kashan, with the finest aroma and concentration. After this, the top-choice rosewater is made by Cortas, which uses Lebanese roses. Finally there is the rosewater made in California by Sadaf Co.

Najamieh also demonstrated how to get the best flavor from saffron, showing how to grind a teaspoon of saffron threads using a mortar and pestle and a sugar cube (to help the saffron grind to a powder). Add 1/4 cup of rosewater gradually while continuing to grind to create a lovely orange-colored aromatic paste. Transfer to a small bottle and refrigerate for future use. She also made some halvah brownies, flavored not with chocolate but with saffron. They had the chewy consistency of brownies, but were lighter and more complex in flavor.

Chickpea cookies (made from chickpea flour) are a staple Persian sweet. Light and crumbly, they are delicious and flavored with cardamom or rosewater.

Persian ice cream is frequently flavored with rosewater and saffron and does not contain eggs. It’s made by reducing milk. It has two unique ingredients:

• Mastique, which acts as a stabilizer. It comes from tree resin of the pistachio family. It is soaked in hot water and pulverized with sugar and then dissolved in hot milk.
• Saleb, which is the wild root of the orchid family. The ground roots are dissolved in cold milk, which gives the ice cream body and texture.