Life of Wry

The phrase “a rose is a rose is a rose” by Gertrude Stein means that things are what they are, emphasizing their essential nature and inherent identity.

I’ve been wanting to make these seemingly easy Apple Roses for months. I’ve seen a few different videos, but all are essentially the same. You cut an apple according to a fairly specific instruction, place the slices on a buttered sheet of puff pastry — also in a very specific manner. Then you sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, spread with a jam (I used Sally’s peach preserves), roll it up, butter and sugar again and bake.

Let’s just say the first time through is not as elegant and simple as the videos.

The apples, which have been cut, placed in water and lemon juice and warmed briefly in the microwave, then dried out on a towel.

Here’s the laying out process:

There’s a lot wrong with this picture.

But eventually, they get all rolled up and they look pretty decent:

I had an issue. Had I flipped over my recipe to side-B, I’d’ve seen that it called for two sheets of puff pastry. I had only one, so I was working with half the pastry needed. I made that adjustment after the first two roses, yielding two normal sized roses and eight shrimpy ones.

Here’s the outcome: my homely effort and a photo of what they were supposed to look like. As you can see, size wasn’t the only problem.

This side-by-side really makes me laugh. War of the Roses.

I re-watched the video and think I’ll try it again. With a fail under my belt, I think the next batch will end up better.