Pulled Sugar Rose

Appears in

The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef

By Bo Friberg

Published 2003

About

Prepare pink and green pulled sugar, as described above. Once the sugar has the proper consistency and shine, form each piece into a tight ball. Draw out a thin strip from the pink ball about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and 4 inches (10 cm) long. Cut off this piece with scissors.
Coil the strip into a small conical shape, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, to make the center of the rose. If the strip sets and is too firm to bend, warm it under a heat lamp until pliable. (You can also form the rose center with the same technique used for Marzipan Roses; see Figures 12-10 to 12-13).
Using both thumbs and forefingers, pull up the top part of the pink sugar ball into a thin ridge (Figure 11-10). Grasp the center of the ridge and draw the edge away to make a slightly elongated petal (Figure 11-11). Separate the petal from the sugar ball by pinching it off with your other hand. Quickly curl the top of the petal back as you would for a marzipan rose, then immediately attach it to the center of the rose. Support the rose on a small cookie cutter as you are working, increasing the size of the cutter as the rose becomes larger. Pull and shape 2 additional elongated petals of the same size and attach them evenly around the center.

Figure 11-10 Pulling the edge of a soft ball of sugar into a thin ridge for the first step in making a Sugar Rose petal

Figure 11-11 Pulling an elongated petal out of the thin ridge
Make the remaining petals slightly larger and more rounded, folding the tops back a little more and forming them into a rather hollow shape, like a cupped hand. Attach them as you form them (see Chef’s Tip).
To make a rosebud, use just the 3 elongated petals and the center. Fasten the petals together in a close triangular shape around the base, 1 inside the other.
Using the same technique as for the elongated petals, pull small, pointed green leaves to the desired length from the green sugar ball. Bend the points back and attach the ends to the roses or buds. Make slightly larger and wider leaves to go on the stems of the roses. Quickly and firmly press them into the leaf mold to transfer the leaf pattern to the sugar. Warm the leaves, if necessary, and bend them into a nicely curved shape; reserve a few if desired to place around your rose display.
To make a rose stem, cut a ridged wire, such as a coat hanger, to the desired size. Push the wire through the soft, green sugar ball. The faster you push it through, the thinner the coating of sugar will be. If you move too fast, the sugar will simply break; it may take a few tries to get just the right speed. Heat the tip of the wire over a Bunsen burner and push it into the base of the rose. If you prefer not to have the wire inside — for example, if you are laying the rose on a cake or garnishing an individual dessert serving — just pull out a thin rope of green sugar for the stem. However, if you want to display the rose standing up, as in a basket, you must use the wire. Heat the base of the rose leaves made in Step 6 and attach to the stem.
Curls or tendrils are easy to make and are a nice complement to your rose display. To make them, lightly oil the round handle of a small wooden spoon, or use a pen about the same shape and diameter. Pull a thin rope out of the green sugar ball and quickly wind it around the spoon or pen like a telephone cord; slide it off once it has hardened.
Display your roses with a few buds, leaves, and tendrils on a small base cast in sugar or within a frame made by curling a thick rope of green sugar into a round disk.
To prevent the finished sugar pieces from deteriorating due to moisture, keep them in an airtight container with a dehumidifying agent. The pieces can also be sprayed with food lacquer or, if they are to be used for display purposes only, with a thin film of fast-drying, clear shellac.