Whenever we stayed with our friend Julia, she always wanted to know what I was working on, full of enthusiasm for my various projects. Last time we visited her in California, I told her that I was writing a book on cooking with flowers. ‘Hmmm,’ she said with a frown, ‘What’s it really about?’ I explained that it was about extracting flower scents to add a new flavour dimension to use in the way we use herbs and spices. ‘Well, that sounds really interesting and new,’ she said, ‘but you’d better think of another title. I wouldn’t buy a book called “Cooking with Flowers”.’ Choosing a title that captures the essence of the book has been the hardest part. But enlightenment came one evening when I served my rose petal kulfi to our dinner guests. They sampled it, puzzled. Then one turned to the other with an astonished smile, saying, ‘It tastes like the scent of roses.’ Having decided on the title, I wrote to Julia. Her postcard, dated 5 August 2004, included the words, ‘Your book title sounds perfect, and I can’t wait to see it in print.’ That was not to be, as she died a week later. I owe huge gratitude to her, for one does not lightly turn down advice from Julia Child.
