Plums poached in Rosewater and Cardamom Syrup with Pistachio Brittle, Because Roses and ice cream.

When your current drinkable obsession has Beautifying properties, you put it on absolutely everything

Let me start off by saying that if it's good enough for Cleopatra, well then it's good enough for me! That woman had Richard Burton hot on her heels long before the incident with the asp. I mean Anthony. Anthony was hot on her heels. (Though, let's be real, ancient Egypt will always belong to Liz and Dickey.)
I digress. 
The Queen of the Nile was known to use rosewater in her beauty routine, thousands of years ago, long before it became an 'it' ingredient featured in products sold by brands ironically still featuring Elizabeth Taylor in their ad campaigns. It's a magical elixir, rich in antioxidants and skin brightening properties, and if I could take a bath in a tub filled to the brim with it, I would. Rosewater, rose petals, Rosé, bubbles - you feel me, right? I'd step out of that claw foot clean, pure, hair perfectly slicked back, and glowing from the inside out. (Realistically...raccoon-eyed, soaking and suddenly very cold, wishing I had a bottle of detangler. But who needs reality - this is my fantasy and it's perfect!)
So when I was walking the aisles of Whole Foods a while ago, and spotted pretty bottles containing some form of rosewater beverage and the words 'Drink and Be Beautiful' written across them, I thought 'I hear ya, Cleo," and bought six. 
I'm normally a sparkling water and kombucha girl, but something about the idea of consuming rosewater, made me feel incredibly virtuous and decidedly sensual. 
After checking out, having bought far more than the three tomatoes I had originally come for (Whole Foods is my IKEA), I cracked open a bottle of H2rOse and proceeded to be totally delighted, This floral liquid infused with saffron powder is absolutely delicious. Not too sweet, delicate, really refreshing, and not, as I had feared, like sucking on a bowl of potpourri, in the least. Apparently, beauty doesn't have to be pain!
Since that day of discovery, I've tried to find more ways of enjoying this stuff! I normally have it as is, cold and straight out of the fridge, but yesterday I thought 'let's make something with this!' 
Rosewater pairs really well with a Middle Eastern flavor palette, and I was in the mood for dessert. So, I thought I'd make a syrup infused with cardamom using the Wild Berry flavor H2rOse features, and serve it over some coconut milk ice cream with pistachio brittle. Oh. Yes. 

Ingredients:

Serves 3-4

• 1 cup H2Rose, Wild Berry flavor
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 cardamom pods, cracked
• 3 ripe plums, pitted and sliced into eighths
• Your favorite vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream (you can use regular vanilla ice cream if that's your preference, but the coconut flavor works really nicely here)

For the brittle:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup, light
• 1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tsp baking soda

Start by making your brittle. 

Combine the sugar, corn syrup and a 1/4 cup of water in a sauce pot, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once the sugar is totally dissolved, reduce the heat ever so slightly (you still want it bubbling at more than a simmer, but you don't want a splatter situation). Cook this for about 4-5 minutes, until a candy thermometer reads 290*F.

Add your pistachios, salt and butter, and stir to combine well. Continue to cook this mixture, until it begins to take on a rich golden color, about 2-3 more minutes. You're looking for the thermometer to hit 300*F. 

Pull the mixture off the heat, add your baking soda and spices, stir quickly, and pour the ferociously bubbling mixture onto the pre-oiled baking sheet. Spread it in  an even layer, and allow the brittle to cool completely, before breaking it into pieces. 
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Combine the H2Rose, sugar and cracked cardamom pods in a sauce pot, and over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil.

Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce to a simmer and add the sliced plums. Simmer the plums until really soft, but not totally falling apart - about 10-15 minutes. 

Remove the plums with a slotted spoon, and continue to simmer the liquid until it has reduced by half. 
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​Add the reduced liquid to the plums, discard the cardamom pods, and allow the mixture to cool slightly.

Serve the plums over the ice cream with a big piece of brittle and enjoy!

Yes, you're eating ice cream, but it's basically like having a facial, so treat yourself!  At least you're not walking out of an esthetician's office with a red, prodded face so covered in creams, serums and balms, that you want to go hide under a rock until your skin finds its way back to a more approachable degree of cleanliness. 

​It's the little things.