Pink Girl Food

Rose Petal Sugar

• Pesticide free rose petals
  

• White granulated sugar
  

• Water
  

• 1- 2 drops red food coloring
  

• Mason jar, pint or quart capacity
  

Gather a bowl of pesticide-free rose petals, the more heavily scented the better. It is especially important that the roses have no pesticides or any chemical treatment or it will be imparted into the sugar. You may want to remove the small white part of the petal, as it can be bitter.

Pour a 1-inch layer of sugar into the jar, layer the petals on top of the sugar, cover with more sugar. Repeat the alternating layers until the jar is filled to about 1 inch from the top. Layers of sugar can be about 1 to 2 inches with petals placed on top.

Fill to about 1 inch from the top of the jar, and make sure top is securely fastened. It must be airtight or there is the risk of mold developing from the moisture of the petals.

Leave for at least 1 week for the rose petal flavor to be infused into the sugar, and shake it around every couple of days to distribute the flavor. The longer it stays in contact with the sugar, the more flavorful the sugar will be (though it is a very subtle flavor). Keep out of direct light.

After about 2-3 weeks, strain the sugar through a colander or mesh strainer to remove the petals.

In a small bowl, add 2 teaspoons of water with 1 drop of red food coloring to the sugar. It should feel like wet sand.

If too wet, add more sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. If too dry, add a few drops of water at a time until it’s the right consistency.

To color and mold into shapes, pack it firmly into a mold (small 1/2" ice cube mold, hearts, stars, domes, etc.), then turn over onto wax paper covered wire rack. Tap each cell and gently lift mold to uncover the damp formed sugar.

Allow to harden overnight.

You can also mold the damp sugar into a block and hand cut, or use cookie cutters, to form cubes or shapes.

Source: http://www.hgtvgardens.com/recipes/sugar-rush-rose-scented-sweets

Pink Ice Petit fours



Cake Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
3 egg whites

Fruit Glaze:
12 ounces raspberry preserves (or heated jelly)
3 tablespoons water

Directions:
Prepare the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 C. Grease and flour a 9-inch baking pan.

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar together in a large bowl. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. In another bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto a cooling rack. When cooled, chill cake in refrigerator for a bit before freezing it for at least 1 hour.

Right before removing the cake from the freezer, prepare fruit glaze. In a medium saucepan, heat preserves with the 3 tablespoons water on low heat. If using jelly, judge whether or not you need any of the water to make it a thin consistency.

Remove cake from freezer. Using a long, serrated knife, cut a thin slice off each side of chilled cake. Cut cake into squares of desired size (for me, about 1.5-inch squares). Place squares 1/2 inch apart on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Use a pastry brush to spread a thin layer of heated preserves over tops and sides of petit fours before icing. Allow excess to drip off. Let dry (I put them in the fridge and let them set up a bit — they never really “dry”). Repeat if necessary to thoroughly coat squares.

Prepare your desired poured fondant or chocolate and pour over the petit fours. Decorate the tops with different frostings, chocolates, sprinkles, candy, sugar flowers, etc. as you wish. Refrigerate until ready to eat — eat within a day or two.

Source: http://willowbirdbaking.com/2010/08/29/secret-garden-recipe-pink-ice-petit-fours/

Pink Grapefruit Truffles



Ingredients
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp cream
1 pink grapefruit
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tbsp (2 oz) butter, cut into small pieces
12 ounces chocolate coating

Preparation
1. Zest the grapefruit and chop the zest finely. Reserve 1 tsp of the finely chopped zest, and place the remainder in a very small saucepan. Add the cream to the zest in the saucepan, and heat it over medium heat, until it starts to simmer and bubble around the edges. Immediately remove from the heat and cover the pan with a lid, allowing the cream to infuse for at least 20 minutes, or up to several hours.

2. While the cream is steeping, combine the white chips, the semi-sweet chips, and the diced butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate and butter for 45 seconds, to begin to melt the chocolate and butter. Set aside. Cut the grapefruit in half and squeeze out 1.5 tablespoons of juice.

3. After the cream has infused for at least 20 minutes, return the cream to the heat and reheat it, stirring occasionally, until it once again reaches a simmer. Remove the simmering cream from the heat, and stir in the fresh grapefruit juice.

4. Place a wire mesh strainer over the bowl of chocolate and butter, and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Press down on the grapefruit zest in the strainer with a spoon to extract all of the remaining juice.

5. Gently whisk the cream and chocolate together, stirring until the mixture is smooth and all of the chocolate has melted. Whisk in the reserved 1 tsp of finely chopped grapefruit zest. Cover the surface of the chocolate with cling wrap and refrigerate the candy until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour. If you refrigerate these for several hours or overnight, the ganache might be too hard to work with. In this case, let it stand for an hour or two at room temperature until it is workable.

6. Once the chocolate has set sufficiently, use a teaspoon to scoop a ball from the chocolate and roll it between your hands until it is round. If desired, you can dust your hands with cocoa powder to prevent the truffles from sticking to your palms. Once all of the truffles are rolled, prepare the chocolate coating.

7. Place the coating in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stirring after every 45 seconds to prevent overheating. Allow the chocolate to cool just slightly--you don’t want it to start setting, but if it’s piping hot it will melt the centers. Dip the round truffles in the melted chocolate using dipping tools or two forks. Wipe the excess chocolate on the rim of the bowl, and place the dipped truffle back on the baking sheet. If desired, you can decorate your truffles with pink sprinkles, or with drizzles of white chocolate that has been colored with oil-based pink candy coloring.

8. Allow the truffles to chill until the chocolate has set. Store Pink Grapefruit Truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. These truffles have the best taste and texture when served at room temperature.

Source: http://candy.about.com/od/chocolatetrufflerecipes/r/grapefruittruf.htm

Pink Balls



Yields 10–12 pieces

1 cup ricotta cheese, drained of any whey
1 cup crumbled paneer (this is Indian cheese, easily available at any Indian store), you can also use cottage cheese
1 can (12 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2-4 drops of Food Coloring (red to make them pink)

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well by hand or using a hand blender.

Heat a medium non-stick pan. Add the mixture, and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, for about 25-30 minutes or until the mixture dries up and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Remove from heat and transfer to a platter. Allow it to cool, about 30 minutes.

Divide into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a small ball ( the kids always help me to do this and I should have taken photos.. ah, next time). Serve.

Source: http://monicabhide.com/pretty-in-pink-giveaway/

Note: Difference Between Ricotta and Cottage Cheese:

http://www.differencebetween.net/ob...ifference-between-ricotta-and-cottage-cheese/

All these recipes made me hungry