CHOCOLATE ROSE RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, melt the chocolate in microwave for 2 minutes; stir. NOTE: Be careful so that the temperature does not exceed 100 degrees F. If chocolate is not completely melted, return to microwave for 30 seconds at a time and stir until smooth.
• Add corn syrup to the chocolate and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, stir and fold mixture, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl well, until no shiny syrup is visible and the mixture forms a thick ball.
• Pour mixture onto a waxed paper sheet and spread with the spatula until it's about 1/2-inch thick; let it sit and stiffen, uncovered, for about 2 hours. Use at once or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
• TO MAKE CHOCOLATE ROSES: Knead a handful of clay at a time on a work surface until it is soft and pliable like Play-Doh.
• Roll dough into twelve (12) 1/2-inch diameter balls of clay. Place the balls on waxed paper or plastic wrap about 1-inch apart. Using your fingers, press in the center and then on either side, flattening the disk into 1-inch flat disks about the size of a quarter (leave the top edge thinner than and bottom edge. Repeat with the remaining disks.
• Remove one disk and curl it into a "teepee" shape, narrow at the top and wider at the bottom, (this will be the center of the rose. Wrap the next disk around the opening of the teepee and the third disk at the back of the teepee - this is the rose bud. Continue adding disks which will look like petals. Continue adding petals, placing them in between slightly lower than previous row.
• For a fuller flower, continue adding petals in this manner. As you form petals, you gently roll or curl the right edge of the petal downward. Pinch off any excess chocolate clay at the base of the rose to make more balls.
• NOTES: If the clay balls or petals become too soft from your body heat, let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. To periodically cool you hands, grasp a cold glass. To make larger roses, make larger chocolate clay balls.

Steps:

• Start by making the pastry. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl, using an electric whisk or a wooden spoon, until pale and light. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla seeds. Stir in the flour, then bring the dough together with your hands until it forms a ball that leaves the bowl clean. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins or overnight.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and grease a 23cm loose-bottomed, deep fluted tart tin. Lightly dust your work surface with flour, then roll out the chilled pastry and line your tin with it, making sure there’s a slight overhang. If the pastry tears, use your fingers to push the pieces back together (it will fuse back together neatly in the oven). Put a piece of baking parchment on top of the pastry and weigh it down with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins, remove the parchment and beans, and return to the oven for a further 15 mins until crisp and golden.
• Trim any excess pastry with a serrated knife, so the edge sits flush with the tin, and let cool completely.
• Mix all the rose & cassis layer ingredients in a bowl, using enough food colouring to turn it dusky pink. Pour the mixture into the pastry case and chill for 10 mins to firm up.
• Meanwhile, for the cheesecake layer, break the chocolate into pieces and tip into a large, heatproof bowl. In a small pan, gently heat the double cream and cream cheese until piping hot and melted together. Quickly pour the mixture over the chocolate, let it sit for 1 min, then stir until completely smooth and melted. Pour the mixture over the rose & cassis layer, then return the tart to the fridge.
• To make the chocolate ganache, put all the ganache ingredients in a heatproof bowl and microwave in short bursts until melted. (Alternatively, heat all the ingredients in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.) Pour over the cheesecake layer and chill the tart for at least 30 mins, or overnight if you prefer. Just before serving, carefully remove the tart from the tin and put on a serving plate or board. Decorate with a pinch of sea salt flakes and a few rose petals. Cut into slices and serve.