VALENTINE ’ S
CUPID ’ S Edible Creations cont .
Pink Lady ® Apple Roses
( pictured on page 73 )
INGREDIENTS
• 2 or 3 Pink Lady ® apples
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 50g melted butter
• 1 sheet ready roll puff pastry ( thawed )
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• Icing sugar to sprinkle
METHOD
1 . Slice your apples in half and remove the core but keeping the half apple intact .
2 . Thinly slice your apples and put into a microwavable bowl with the juice of a lemon ( to prevent browning and to make the apples more pliable ). Cover with cling film and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes to soften . Leave to cool .
3 . Open up your puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface . Cut lengthways into 6 even strips .
4 . Brush each strip with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and caster sugar . 5 . Start at one end of the pastry and place your apple slices half way up the pastry ( so you can fold the pastry over later ). Place the apple slices along the pastry overlapping slightly as you go . Leave a gap of few centimetres at the end to stick the pastry together .
6 . Fold over the bottom half of the pastry and roll from the end that you started placing the apples first . Lightly press the excess pastry to seal together . 7 . Place into a lined muffin mould . 8 . Cook in a preheated oven for 30 minutes at
180 ° C or Gas mark 4 . 9 . Cool on a wire rack , then sprinkle with icing sugar to finish . 10 . Enjoy !
Divine Chocolate Valentine ’ s Tart for Two
INGREDIENTS
• 1 pack ready-rolled all butter puff pastry
• 100g Divine 70 % Dark Chocolate
• 100ml double cream
• 1 tbsp honey or golden syrup
• 1 tsp double cream + sprinkling of granulated sugar
To decorate
• 3-4 medium strawberries
• 60g Divine White Chocolate
• 50ml double cream
• Icing sugar or chocolate shavings to decorate ( optional )
METHOD
1 . Preheat the oven to 220 ° C ( 200 ° C Fan ).
2 . Unroll the puff pastry and trace a heart shape with a knife ( or pencil ) scoring the pastry but not cutting all the way . Cut out the shape you traced and transfer to a heavy tray lined with baking paper . ( You will probably get two small hearts out of one packet of pastry – you can keep the rest for another use or make two tarts ).
3 . Score a 1cm border on the inside edge of the heart , then prick within the border with a fork . Brush the edge of the tart with a little double cream and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar . 4 . Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden . 5 . Gently press down the middle of the tart to flatten the area you scored and leave to cool completely . 6 . Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl . 7 . Put the double cream and honey in a small saucepan and heat until small bubbles appear around the edge – do not allow to boil . 8 . Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and leave for two minutes . 9 . Use a balloon whisk to gently stir the chocolate , starting from the centre of the bowl and slowly increasing your motion outwards until the chocolate is melted and glossy . Leave to cool slightly . 10 . Once slightly cooled , spread enough chocolate ganache inside the pastry to fill the tart .
11 . Hull the strawberries then slice lengthwise from the top down . Cut a small ‘ v ’ at wide end to create a heart shape . Decorate the tart with the strawberry hearts .
12 . Chop the white chocolate into very small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl . Gently heat the double cream and pour over the chocolate . Leave to stand and then stir gently until the chocolate melts . Leave to stand until the chocolate cools down slightly but is still pourable .
13 . Drizzle the white chocolate over the tart and sprinkle with a dusting of chocolate shavings or icing sugar .
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