With four layers of vanilla bean cake, three layers of rose petal passion fruit ganache dipped in white chocolate, and topped with a hard candy rose petal, the petits fours created by Valerie Gordon in 2007 are by far her best seller at Valerie Confections.
Valerie chooses organic, seasonal flowers and herbs that are free of pesticides. She brushes off the petals to clean them, covers them in egg white, dusts them with a fine white sugar, and leaves the petals to dry. The sugar fossilizes and preserves the flowers. They don't need any special storage but they shouldn't be left in humid conditions. It's a painstaking process done by hand but it can be used on any flower with a sturdy petal. Valerie has topped chocolate and cakes with candied sage and mint.
At Valerie Confections, which ships all over the country, Valentine's Day production begins before Christmas. They make truffle assortments, chocolate bars, and little pies with strawberry, rhubarb, raspberry, and rose petal. Using rose petals delicately is key, Valerie explains. Otherwise, it's like biting into potpourri. "It should never hit you in the face," she says.