These Food Roses Are Almost Too Beautiful to Eat!

The day of love is here! Show your sweetheart how much you care by showering them with all the Valentine day favorites - chocolates, diamonds, and roses! But not just any type of roses...food roses! That's right..learn how to turn all these delicious treats into beautiful roses for you and your significant other to enjoy!

Strawberry Roses

• paring knife
• strawberries

1. Cut down but do not cut all the way through. When you get close to the bottom, angle your knife away from the strawberry  so the petal angles outward like in the photo above.
2. Repeat this five times around the base of the strawberry.
3. For the second layer, do the same thing, but cut these petals so it is positioned between two of the bottom petals.
4. Repeat this around the strawberry five times. Now  for the center of the rose, you can either keep repeating these layers until you get to the tip, or you can cut a spiral as shown below:
5. Point your knife downwards and cut a spiral to the tip of the strawberry. Use your knife or finger to spread the spiral apart so it looks like a row of petals leading to the tip of the strawberry.

Potato Roses

• russet potatoes
• small White potatoes
• manadlyn
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• small muffin tin
• 1 egg yolk

1. In a separate pot, boil the russet potatoes, mash. Add the egg yolk, mix and place a spoonful into each pre-greased muffin tin.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C.
3. Wash the small potatoes and thinly slice with a mandalyn to be no more than a few millimetres thick.
4. In a separate bowl, coat all of the potato slices in olive oil and salt and pepper.
5. Lay out roughly 10 pieces of the potatoes in a row, slightly overlapping each piece.
6. Begin rolling from once side of the row to the other and place each roll into the mashed potato tins.
7. Add a few extra pieces on the outsides of the roll to finish the rose.
8. Bake for around 45 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

Avacado Roses

• avacado
• paring knife

1. Cut avocado in half and peel off the skin. Lay one half of the avocado, cut side down, and slice the avocado thinly. You want the slices to be quite thin so that they're easier to shape. If you want a smaller rose, you'll only want to use 1/2 of the slices. Use all the slices if you want a large flower.
2. Fan out avocado slices so that they form a long line with the slices overlapping each other. I usually remove the small slices from the ends because they are difficult to shape. Starting from one end, curl avocado slices toward the center. Continue curling the avocado slices until you get a rose.
3. Serve avocado rose on toast with a fried egg, if desired. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper.

Apple Roses

• pillsbury pie crust
• 9oz semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 large apples (ideally red in colour)
• 1 lemon juiced
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar

1. With a round cookie cutter, cut pieces of the dough just slightly larger than each small muffin tin.
2. Spray pan and place each rounded pasty down into the openings.
3. Pierce each tart shell with a fork several times and bake for approximately 7-10 minutes or until slightly golden.
4. Remove from oven and set aside.
5. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth.
6. Allow the ganache to cool slightly. Once cooled whip until light and fluffy and add a small amount of ganache to each pre-baked pie crust.
7. In a medium sized bowl, add lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of melted butter and ¼ up sugar. Mix well.
8. Using your washed apples, slice pieces away from the core creating 4 pieces, Slice very thin pieces, you may almost be able to see through each piece, this ensures durability when bending.
9. Toss slices in the bowl with your previously combined mixture and coat thoroughly. Microwave for approximately 1 ½ minutes to soften.
10. Arrange approximately 7-10 pieces on a flat surface, consecutively overlapping one edge over another. Roll the apples to create a rose like shape and press into the middle of your tart. Add extra pieces around the outside to ensure a full bloom.
11. Bake at 350 for roughly 20 minutes and serve to that special someone in your life!

Rose Cupcakes

• cupcakes of choice
• tub of buttercream frosting
• red food coloring

1. Bake cupcakes according to directions, and allow to cool completely.
2. Mix drops of red food coloring with the frosting until you reach your desired color.
3. Using a 6 point star tip create a circular pattern working from the centre of the cupcake outward.

Bacon Roses

• bacon
• toothpicks

1. Taking one strip at a time, begin to roll the bacon up and secure it in place with a toothpick.
2. Place each bacon rose bud into a muffin tray and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Carrot/Radish Roses

• carrots
• radishs
• toothpicks

1. Cut small triangular shape for centre of rose and place on top of toothpick
2. For each consecutive petal, cut small round pieces and cut a slit halfway to the centre in each piece.
3. Fold each piece inward on itself creating a funnel like shape and place one under the other on the toothpick. Continue until desired size is achieved.