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Rose Petal Jam

Rose Petal Jam

Happy Mother's Day!

Making rose petal jam has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. My first taste of that was at my friend Zohar's kitchen. Her maternal grandmother is Turkish, and would make it every year. The texture was syrupy, with wilted, dusty-pink petals floating around. The aroma pure rose. I waited for that recipe for many years but even if I had it I wouldn't be able to make it, having no rose garden to harvest from. 


This year is a Sabbatical year, and I haven't pruned any of my roses. And they are growing especially wild and abundant. Every year I try making something else from them, rose beads, rose enfleurage, etc. This year it was really time I try to jam them at long last. I tried two different recipes, first one required a small amount of roses (about 60g, which is roughly one cup), and no curing time. I used dark, red and fragrant roses from my mom's Chrysler Imperial bush and some of my Oklahoma roses. Both are very similar - velvety, voluptuous red and darkly fragrant. The technique called for adding the lemon juice after cooking the roses in the water and softening the petals a bit. This takes away the colour. But once lemon juice is added, the colour returns. The recipe asked for commercial pectin, but I used a bag of quince seeds instead, with stunning results and very nice, thick syrupy consistency. The most spectacular part about that jam is the colour of course! 

The petals remain very chewy though, and I may actually opt for filleting them out next time when I use these roses, and make a rose petal syrup instead. This would be so lovely on a Malabi desert, panna cotta or vanilla ice cream. 


The second recipe I tried requires curing the roses for 48hrs covered in sugar. I used the more delicately petalled roses I grow: Kazalnik, William Shakespeare, and even a couple of Golden Celebration (these have a gorgeous lemony aroma). Again I used my own pectin (this time from Volkamer lemon seeds). The petals were still chewy. The aroma is lighter than the previous roses. I didn't expect to have such a huge difference because of the rose varieties used. And only wish I had more of the Kazanlik (which is the Rosa damascene used for perfume) to make a jam purely out of them. This was certainly fun! And out of the whole 4 jars I made, one is already gone. So I better make more while they're still in season. 

Recipe:
2 cups rose petals (around 60g), pesticide-free, organically grown or wildcrafted See note for preparation of the petals * 

1 1/2 cup water

2  cups sugar 

juice from half a lemon (about 3 Tbs) 

Reusable tea bag filled with pectin source (i.e.: quince seeds, apple cores or citrus fruit seeds)

* All rose petals are technically edible, but the varieties that are fragrant and with delicate petals are the most suitable for this purpose. If using thick-petalled roses such as hybrid tea roses, you may want to remove the white base of each petal. Also, be sure to allow all the flower's previous inhabitants to crawl out before you cook them up! I like to leave mine on a sieve for a couple of hours before I remove the petals from the calyx and begin jamming. 

Process: 
- Cover the petals with water

- Simmer until the rose petals and pectin tea-bag become soft and seem to lose their colour

- Add the sugar and simmer until completely dissolved

- Add the lemon juice and continue cooking, on low heat, until it reaches the right consistency. I like to test mine in the same way I test marmalade - place ceramic spoons or little plates in the freezer, place a few drops of jam on them and return to the freezer. If the jam crinkles when I pass my finger through it after a few minutes, then it is ready

- Transfer into pre-sterilized jars, seal and cool off

These are delicious as it is, eaten as an accompaniment to tea, or on hot scones or biscuits with clotted cream or sour cream. And of course, amazing on panna cotta or vanilla gelato, and as a drizzle of Pavlova and many other fancy desserts as your imagination desires.  

In Celebration of Mothers and Motherhood

In Celebration of Mothers and Motherhood

Mother's Day 2021 Gift Guide 

Ayala Moriel continues to celebrate 20 Years of Perfumery & Incense Making this year - and I largely owe this to my mother and my grandmother being able to stand here before you today achieving what I did since starting this very fragrant adventure. 

The following gift guide is a tribute to the women who have shaped my life, and inspired some of my proudest fragrant creations that you can choose as gifts for your mothers, grandmothers and aunts. Happy Mother's Day! 

Happy Mother's Day! Ayala Moriel continues to celebrate 20 Years of Perfumery & Incense Making this year - and so I'd like to give thanks to both my mom and my daughter for experiencing what motherhood is all about from both the giving and receiving end. I'm grateful and honoured to be doing what I am doing, and it's all thanks to you!

My mother, Ada: thank you for instilling in me the love for plants and flowers especially, and for raising me close to nature, teaching me about the healing properties of the local plants as well as faraway spices. The loss of your the sense of smell also gave me the opportunity to sharpen my sniffing skills from an early age, to be confident with what I know, and to help her you navigate through this scentless world.

My daughter, Tamya: it was truly for you that I have founded this company and opened it for business. It enabled me as a young sole-parent to not only put food on the table, but also be happy switching to my motherly role at the end of a long working day. I always wanted to work doing what I love. And you gave me no choice but to accomplish this dream pretty early in life.

My Aunt, Liora: You lived your life to the fullest and fiercely defending what you believe in. I was fortunate you didn't become a mom till much later in life, and had you all to myself! You taught me discipline, hard work and determination, and standing up for my rights. I hope the next generations won't need to fight as much as you did for that!

And last but not least, my grandmother Ruth, who has sadly passed away just a little over a year ago: I'm eternally grateful for your inspiration, worldliness, attention to detail and the written language, and for always believing in me and giving me a strong foundation of confidence and support through the toughest times, and not any less - through the happy and triumphant times. I hope to carry your relentless optimism combined with an urgent lack of patience for any injustices, big or small, and to always put my actions where my words are. I really hope that I could still make you proud after all that this year has taught us in your absence. I also hope to be always able to be as generous and warm as you have been to me all my life.

🌊 P.s. Earth Day is maybe over, but the Mediterranean Oil Spill Cleanup Continues! 🌊 Reefs and underwater rocks still need professional and volunteer divers to clear away some bitumen that sank and stuck to rocks.  And so our fundraiser continues - donating to Zalul/Mediterreanean Sea People and EcoOcean proceeds from revenues of all our Beach or Sea themed fragrances

INDIGO
Velvety, deep aromas of aniseed notes with a warm base of woods and iris along with cool, green notes of violet leaf and boronia create an unusual, mysterious perfume of extreme individuality: enigmatic and reflective as the sky after sunset.
Indigo is a tribute to my mother, who is anosmic and when she could smell, enjoyed the scent of violets and anise. So this has all her favourites. Wearing it makes me feel wrapped in the indigo-coloured velvet of her hug. 

MOTHER'S DAY COFFRET 
Luxurious coffret of 8 of our beloved Language of Flowers perfumes, packed in a jewellery box lined with handmade almond-blossom paper. 
The fragrances included in this coffret are:
Kinmokusei, InCarnation, Lovender, Rosebud, Viola, White Potion, Yasmin, Zohar. 

INCARNATION 
Our mothers love us unconditionally. Carnations are traditionally given and worn on Mother's Day, symbolizing the purity and resilience of a mother's love. Those mourning the loss of their mothers wear a white carnation, and everyone else wear colourful ones. So what can be more perfect than a carnation perfume for Mother's Day? InCarnation perfume is peppery, fiery, sweet and seductive. It unfolds its voluptuous petals dusted with nutmeg and mace, and unleashes its scent with a spinning of a Flamenco dancer’s skirt.

Indigo-Dyed Lavender & Olibanum Soap 
Gorgeous handmade soap bar, with frankincense resin, lavender and dyed with indigo with golden mica pencil lines. Makes a truly stunning gift!

TAMYA PERFUME
Dedicated to my daughter, this is a tender and spring-like bouquet of ethereal flowers, and smells both innocent and youthful and sensually exotic: frangipani, hyacinth and jasmine sambac, arranged over precious woods - sandalwood and cedar from the Atlas mountains. 

KINMOKUSEI is an Osmanthus soliflore - a unique Asian flower, with a smooth and rich scent of green tea, apricot and suede leather. This osmanthus soliflore is unusually dark and rich, and is as soft as suede. It opens sparkling with apricot, peach, wild orange and raspberry undertones; rejuvenates like cool green tea, yet unmistakably smooth and floral. The base is surprising – musky and woody, with underlining leathery note of cured tobacco leaves. Kinmokusei is the Japanese name of osmanthus.

VIOLA is a Victorian-inspired bouquet with an up-beat, contemporary twist. Violet leaf and iris create a soft, powdery aroma that is both sensually feminine and refreshingly clean. Viola is the ultimate soiflore for the soliflore-phobic: It has a cheerfully simple beauty and at the same time is surprisingly full of depth.

PALAS ATENA INCENSE STICKS
Ayala Moriel's very own Nag Champa Agarbatti (incense sticks with a bamboo core) for easy use and transport. A little goes a long way. A festive and sensual fragrance, rich with exotic flowers, sandalwood and amber. Has powerful, sensual feminine energy of abundance and wisdom. 

VENUS PLANETARY INCENSE PASTILLES 
The beauty queen of the planets, Venus (the ruler of both Taurus and Libra zodiac signs) is the darling of most planet-gazers. However, it has more depth to it than meets the eye. Playfulness, freshness, beauty and love and all that is joyous in life must not be forgotten, especially for the serious types among us. This is especially crucial in the times we're experiencing right now world wide. Beauty can be soul-medicine. 

Miniature Zarzo Gift Baskets
Filled with fragrant surprises, these handwoven baskets from palm inflorescence make an elegant, sustainable and reusable gift for mothers while taking care of Mother Earth. Both size and contents can be customized. 

 

Fragrant Rose Bouquet for Sale

Fragrant rose bouquets for Mother's Day
Most of the roses bred for the cut-flower industry smell anemic and lack character in that arena - in exchange for longer vase-life and easier transport. So imagine my delight at finding real scented roses on Mother's Day! The flower girl's name is Sabrina, and she has a cute dog and pretty roses that are not only affordable ($10 for a bouquet of five roses). Most of them are scented and might look quite ordinary (the pink ones) but smell divine, a little sweet-vanilla-like and violetty, and definitely Tea-Rose-like; very much like Bulgari pour Femme, actually.

I was so dumbstruck that I actually asked Sabrina at first which perfume they sprayed on the roses... It was that extraordinary!
It was not until she showed me their unscented varieties (the green trimmed purple roses below - which actually were so pretty that almost seemed to be worth buying despite their fragrant shortcomings).
Fragrant rose bouquets for Mother's Day
{Fragrant}

Fragrant rose bouquets for Mother's Day

{Not fragrant}

Fragrant rose bouquets for Mother's Day
My daughter bought me a bunch of the fragrant pink ones with her weekly allowance (simply because I had no change in my wallet - I secretly put it back in her piggy bank).



Immortelle l’Amour Brunch & Tea (Menu & Ideas for Mother's Day)

Mother's Day is just around this corner (celebrated this Sunday, May 11th in North America). There is nothing as precious as the gift of time spent together. Tokens and luxuries are fabulous to give and receive, but there is nothing  more meaningful and memorable than time spent together. 

Take the time this month to honor those who have nurtured you, loved you and who have helped you grow - as well as yourself, especially if you are a parent, a teacher, or a caregiver. Whether it’s simply a cup of tea that can be shared or a  stroll together, carve out time this May to cherish and spoil those special women in your life.  


A classic mother’s day ritual – brunch is a fantastic way to spoil mom, while spending quality time together.  Inspired by our decadent perfume Immortelle l’Amour: Generous portion of vanilla, maple and rooibos – try out these fragrant twists on  quintessential brunch  recipes, such as eggs benedict on waffles  and other decadent yet nutritious embellishments. The following menu mingles the comforting yet sophisticated flavours of maple, vanilla and cinnamon along with briney, salty touches of sharp cheeses, sour apples, candied salmon, a touch saffron mayonnaise or a generous dollop of yoghurt hollandaise sauce. 

Mother’s Day Brunch & Tea:

Eggs Benedict & Candied Salmon on Cinnamon Waffles
Baked Sour Apple
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Tea served: Immortelle l’Amour tea, or a rooibos espresso (recipe to follow).
Rooibos Espresso:
Rooibos requires high heat (90-100c and prolonged steeping or even simmering). That's why it's safe to use it in a stovetop mokka machine or espresso machine, to get a heavnely, richly concentrated brew of this smooth, naturally sweet tea. To prepare your rooibos espresso simpley fill the espresso "funnel" with loose leaf plain (unflavoured) rooibos and prepare as you would any espresso. Serve as it is, or with a bit of milk of your choice (i.e.: whole milk or almond milk). 

For the Cinnamon Waffles:
4 eggs
4 Tbs grapeseed (or another non-GMO vegetable oil)
2 cups milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
- Separate the eggs.
- Whip the whites until soft peaks form.
- Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, oil and vanilla extract. Stir in the milk.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt).
- Carefully add the flour mixture into the egg yolk and milk mixture, one-third at a time.
- Fold the whipped egg whites into the rest of the batter you have just formed.
- Cook in a well-buttered waffle maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Note: The waffles can be prepared in advance and kept frozen; then toasted before serving.

For the Eggs Benedict:
Prepare yoghurt hollandaise sauce
Poach eggs (1-2 per person). Brush the waffles with butter and top with slices of candied salmon. Place a paoched egg on top of the salmon, and spoon over the yoghurt hollandaise sauce. Serve immediately.

Another nice contrast to all this sweet and salty flavour is a baked Granny Smith apple (the only apples that still retain some flavour this season), or a baked rhubarb compote (prepare similarly my Rosy Rhubarb Crumble - but without the crumble and rosewater. The berries are not mandatory either - unless they're already in season in your part of the world!).
Hope you enjoy this lovely Mother's Day brunch with your family!
And if the weather permits, go for a picnic and enjoy Mother Nature. More thoughts on that on the following post...

Violetta Cacao



Meet Violetta Cacao: a decadent limited edition* scent of sweet violets, chocolate and vanilla.

There is nothing quite like the bond between a mother and her baby. When I just started creating perfumes, one of the first perfumes I made was Indigo, inspired by my mom’s unique Cancer personality of contrasting warm-and-cold (and maybe a little bit because I really missed the soft and gentle touch of holding her hand which is hard to do when she’s in Tel Aviv and I’m in Vancouver). Indigo captures that sense of soft motherly touch, smooth and almost glimmering like the indigo-blue velvet hoodie my mom gave me before I left for Canada, and with the two scents that remind me of her most of all: aniseed and violet flowers. At the same time, it was a very abstract creation and entirely based on my subjective experience of motherhood on the receiving end.

But it wasn't until years later (when she finally visited me in Vancouver) that I learned that besides these two distinctive aromatics (especially when they're together in the famous French pastilles, my mom also went gaga after the scent of chocolate and vanilla. That was before she lost her sense of smell, of course (Anosmia, loss of the sense of smell can become lost due to several things, such as chronic colds or sinus infections, head injuries, and trauma) but that does not stop her from enjoying the darkest, most velvety chocolate and dark chocolate sorbetto - so I was not surprised chocolate was up there on her list. But vanilla? Well, that was a surprise.

I set off to create something new in honour of my mom (and her lost sense of smell). Something that she can wear and be proud of even if she can't actually smell it. Something she can imagine herself immersed in, no matter what mood strikes (Cancers are infamous for their mood swings!). Something a little simpler and more down-to-earth, not as artsy as Indigo, but still will appeal to the Bohemian princess that my mom is...

And the name came first - a lady's name, perhaps her stage name, but still with an unmistakable first name and surname - but that still alludes directly to what she smells like. Violets and chocolate are the core of this fragrance. The violet is magnified to make her almost larger-than-life with supporting notes of leathery cassie and creamy orris butter. The leathery aspect of cassie is then alluded to in the tobacco leaf as well. Instead of tarragon, there's a tarragon absolute in the mix, which is more confectionery and multi-faceted than aniseed. Deer's tongue absolute makes the vanilla feel even more edible and sweet, yet still adds a certain leafy quality that mirrors the tarragon absolute's hints of green.


Fragrance Families: Floral Ambery (Floriental), Floral Powdery, Oriental Ambery

Top notes: Bergamot , Ginger Lily
Heart notes: Violet Leaf, Japanese Rose, Jasmine Egypt, Orris Root, Rose Absolute (Turkey),  
Base notes: Cocoa Absolute, Cassie , Deer's Tongue (Liatrix), Tabac Blond, Patchouli, Tarragon Absolute, Vanilla Absolute


Violetta Cacao is the olfactory manifestation of boho-chich: violet's fickle ionones tease and tempt and decadent cacao and vanilla are supported by notes of buttery orris, sweet tarragon and liatrix. The resulting perfume is an unconventional indulgence with a regal twist (violets are often associated with royalty). Dab some on and feel like a bohemian princess!

* Note: Violetta Cacao will be only available during the month of May, to celebrate Mother's Day.




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