Since she was a child, Carmen Rueda loved to cook and work with chocolate, “I have always liked to see the shapes you could get with this incredible product,” she says.

Her passion for chocolate was also demonstrated by her participation in two Spanish World Chocolate Masters qualifiers in 2014 and 2017. “The first time was magical because I really didn’t know the amount of precession that I needed, there were less tasks during the competition so everything had to be perfect”, she explains.

Since 2021 she has been working as executive pastry chef at the dessert restaurant, Brix Desserts in Dubai where she fully uses the opportunity to show her mastery with chocolate with creations such as this refreshing bonbon that combines the aromatic touch of rose with the citrus elegance of  yuzu.

Rose and yuzu bonbon

Rose Jam

• 200 g water
• 10 g rose petals
• 20 g sugar
• 4 g yellow pectin
• 5 g lemon juice

In a pot, place water and bring to a boil, add the rose petals and let it rest for 24 hours in the chiller. In a bowl place sugar and pectin. Sieve the infusion and bring to a boil. Add the sugar and pectin and bring back to a boil. Add lemon juice and cool down. Place in a piping bag and reserve.

Yuzu Ganache

• 170 g cream
• 187 g yuzu juice
• 120 g invert sugar
• 800 g white chocolate

In a pot, place cream and invert sugar and bring to a boil. Add yuzu juice. In a bowl place the white chocolate. Place the liquids on the white chocolate, let the white chocolate melt, and blend it with a hand blender. Cool down and rest in a piping bag.

Montage

Spray the mold with rose cocoa butter and yellow. Make a white chocolate shell. Pipe the rose jam first, let it set in the chiller for two hours. Pipe yuzu ganache, rest in the chiller for eight hours, and seal with the white chocolate.