I’m not really one for traditional Valentines gifts, Valentines recipes, Valentines flowers in fact – Valentines is a complete fad day in my opinion, but i do appreciate it when our other halves do attempt to make an effort at being romantic.
This year i’m more excited about pancake day this week, an attempt to flip and smoke up the kitchen and top a mountain of pancakes with an unhealthy amount of sugar, maple syrup, cheese, ham- you name it; for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I take the ‘day’ in pancake day very seriously.
Still. This shouldn’t stop us creating a few romantic treats for our loved ones, i’m sure that although we all say we hate the idea of Valentines Day that deep inside we hope for a little something special.
These Rose Florentines weren’t exactly planned for a Valentines Day post, in fact i thought of these a couple of months back at the beginning of the year. I was in a cafe in Bath drinking a cup of Lahloo Rosebud tea with a lovely slice of very sweet cake, and i fell in love with the combination of the floral taste.
It’s definitely a kind of marmite tea, some may think it’s a bit too perfume like but others may develop a kind of obsession; it’s a beautiful caffeine free tea that can cheer the dullest of moods.
I bought a tin of this tea last week and began to recipe test these Rose Florentines. Feel free to experiment with the amount of edible rose petals, if you want just a small hint of rose i would suggest halving the amount i’ve suggested. Since when should being romantic stick to one day of the year ?… so do try to make theese at any time of the year for your loved one!
Perfect with the light rosebud tea or a dark expresso, as they are very sweet, they’re perfect to share ;)
Rose Florentines
Adapted slightly from this Hairy Bikers recipe. Makes 6 big ones or 12 tiny ones.
Additional notes: You may find using silicone sheets easier to make these as they tend to love to stick. If using greaseproof paper ensure that they are slightly warm when attempting to move to a wire rack to cool.
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
75g of golden or regular caster sugar
3 tsp of Gluten free plain flour
70ml of creme fraiche
125g flaked almonds, Half whole, half chopped and toasted.
3 tbsp Candied peel /Orange Peel (optional)
2 tablespoons of Edible Rose Petals (roughly chopped) with extra for decoration (i used Lahloo’s Rosebud Tea)
150g/5oz good quality white or dark chocolate, broken into pieces
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Measure out your almonds, candied peel, rosebuds, mix and set aside.
Heat the butter, sugar and flour in a pan over a medium heat. Stir continuously to avoid sticking, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Add in the crème fraîche, stirring continuously until well combined.
Add the almonds, candied peel and rosebuds and mix well. Make sure the sugar coats all of the almonds.
Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper and place teaspoonfuls of the florentine mixture onto it. Space the teaspoonfuls out like you would cookies, not too close to each other. You can either make 6 big ones or 12 tiny ones.
Transfer the florentines to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until just turning golden-brown. Top the florentines with the extra rose petals whilst hot, so they stick.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on the tray, then transfer the florentines to a cooling rack.
Bring a little water to a simmer in a pan. Suspend a heatproof bowl over the water (do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water). Add the chocolate and stir until smooth and melted.
Turn the florentines so that the flat base is facing upwards. Spread the melted chocolate over the florentine bases and set aside to cool and set. Or pop in the fridge for quicker results.
