Do-It-Yourself White Chocolate Roses

                     White Chocolate Roses 

They teased me, even jeered at me, from the page. There's just no way I could make those white chocolate roses, I thought to myself, when I saw the beautiful photo in Susie Norris' new book Chocolate Bliss. It's just way too Martha - plus desserts ain't my thing. When I've got to come up with something sweet, I always flip through recipes before chickening out and speeding off last minute to the closest bakery. 

So, when offered the chance to join forces with Susie for recipe from her book, I couldn't help bringing up the seemingly impossible as I meekly said, "Could we possibly do the roses?" Much to my surprise, Susie quickly quipped, "Sure!  those are soooo easy!" You don't know me, I thought to myself.

Beauty aside, I thought if I could in fact pull this off, those roses could really come in handy - from adorning a simple store-bought cake, cupcakes or as a stunning garnish on a dessert plate. Susie, by the way, also likes to give them as gifts, “I like to present the roses in a reusable box, such as a small jewelry box lined with plastic wrap with the roses inside.  Import shops often sell ethnic boxes and are a great place to pick these up.”

  So, we went for it, and the shocking thing is that it really was easy!  First you have to make Susie's recipe for Chocolate Plastique (see below). Be sure to use one of the better brands of block chocolate, not those Nestle chips commonly used for cookies.  You end up with a dough like ball of white chocolate.  If you want colored roses, add a few drops of coloring gel (not liquid drops), available at baking shops, to the mix and knead it out. Make sure you wear plastic gloves and you cover your counters with plastic as this coloring gel stains. Use some white powdered sugar or cornstarch to roll it out - just a bit thinner than a pie crust.  The video above kicks off just after rolling out the chocolate. 

I happened to be having a dinner party about five days after Susie and I made the roses.  Afterwards, I stored them in the refrigerator in some tupperware.  Then, I pulled them out the day of the party, snipping some ferns from outside for adornment.  I served a pie as the actual dessert guests ate, but brought the roses out at the same time and set them on the table as you would an arrangement.  

Chocolate Bliss, by the way, is a delightful book celebrating chocolate.  The recipes include traditional desserts, a few savory dishes as well as some really clever approaches for the health-conscious chocolate lover.  Also featured: some cool home make-it-yourself spa treatments like Hint of Cocoa BodyLotion for dry skin, Chocolate Mint Foot Rub and Melt Away Chocolate Massage Oil.  

If you'd like a free copy of Susie's book, sign-up for the weekly SheSez newsletter (see sign-up over to the right) by February 28, 2010.  We'll place your name in a hat  and do a drawing.  If you win, we'll mail you a copy of Chocolate Bliss, at no charge.  Shoot me an email (linda@shesez.com)  after you sign up for the newsletter so I can put your name in a hat...or perhaps I should use a vase?!

Chocolate Plastique 

16 ounces white chocolate – finely chopped. Look for white chocolate bars with no nuts or additives.  Try Lindt, Nestle, El Rey or Ghirardelli.

¾ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup cornstarch, sifted

Melt the chocolate over in a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir in the corn syrup, then the cornstarch.  Allow the mixture to come to room temperature, stirring occasionally.  If your room is warm, put the plastique in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so for it to firm up.  If you plan to add food coloring to part of the batch, this is the right time to knead it in.  It should come together with the consistency of pie dough or a slightly melted Tootsie Roll, and it will become more flexible as you work with it.  Store the plastique wrapped in plastic or in a seal-able plastic bag.  This can keep for a week or so if you don’t want to make your roses right away.

Comments

[Marissa]

These are gorgeous - and excellent video - thanks for sharing!

[Alexandra B.]

This may sound like a stupid question but how do they taste? I mean is chocolate tasty when its been mixed with corn syrup?

[online doctor]

chocolates, the sweetest gift for this coming valentines day.

[Ferrero Rocher philippines]

This is knew to me i never try this kind of white chocolate roses before,and i am so interested with this thank you for bringing up this. Nice video!

vee

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