Decorative Chocolate Roses

Directions

1. 1
   Chop up the chocolate, and melt it in a bowl suspended over a hot water bath.
2. 2
   Put the granulated sugar and water in a heatproof bowl, and microwave to heat it and dissolve the sugar.
3. 3
   Add the mizu-ame syrup to the Step 2 bowl, and mix to dissolve the syrup over a hot water bath.
4. 4
   Add the syrup from Step 3 to the Step 1 melted chocolate.
5. 5
   Mix well until it forms a single lump.
6. 6
   (If the lump of chocolate becomes very oily on the surface, absorb some of it with paper towels.)
7. 7
   If you are using white chocolate, you can add a tiny bit of food coloring at this point and knead it in well.
8. 8
   If the chocolate dough is too soft it's hard to form, so wrap it up in plastic and chill it for a while.
9. 9
   It's easiest to work with when it's rather stiff.
10. 10
    Form into balls depending on the number and size of the pieces you want to make.
11. 11
    The inner petal pieces should be small, and the other pieces should be bigger.
12. 12
    Sandwich the chocolate balls between plastic, and press them flat using the heels of your palms or your fingers.
13. 13
    Make the top part of the petals rather thin for pretty results.
14. 14
    The chocolate will have softened from the heat of your hands, so place a chilled kitchen towel under the plastic.
15. 15
    Roll up the smallest petal piece to form the center.
16. 16
    Wrap medium-sized petal pieces around the center, pressing the bottom part tightly to make it stick.
17. 17
    Keep on adding petals while balancing out the flower.
18. 18
    Add large petals depending on how open you want the rose to be.
19. 19
    Turn it over and cut off the bottom so that it will sit flat on whatever you're using this as decoration for.
20. 20
    Here is a leaf.
21. 21
    Roll up a piece of the chocolate dough, and form into a rough leaf shape.
22. 22
    Peel it off the plastic, place on a cutting board and cut out into a leaf shape.
23. 23
    Use a butter knife to add the veins.
24. 24
    If you pinch the middle of the leave to give it dimension, it will look great.
25. 25
    The roses are done.
26. 26
    It will keep its shape like decorations made with marzipan, so you can form the chocolate dough into anything you like.
27. 27
    Have fun.
28. 28
    Gateau au cholate -Glacage (chocolate coating) -