Rain Drops on Roses

This week's rainy garden inspired an idea for capturing a drop of water on
a rose petal. I reduced white balsamic with sugar until it reached the
hard crack stage. Once it slightly cooled, I sprinkled the syrup over
the roses so it would splash and fall in natural droplets over the flowers.
As soon as the hot syrup hit the cool petal it would immediately harden and
capture that moment in time. The mild acidity and sweetness from the
caramelized balsamic nicely complemented the floral aroma of the roses.

I took the remainder of the rose petals and dried them with sea salt so
the volatile oils would absorb into the salt crystals. We brined elk
tenderloins with brown rice syrup, Balinese pepper and other aromatics then
grilled it and finished it with a sprinkle of the rose salt. For the plate
we flash seared a leaf of black kale from the garden and topped it with
toasted barley, caramelized quince and charred onions. A rose petal with
the balsamic rain drop finished the plate.