Chocolate Easter Egg Recipe and Technique from Chef Oriol Balaguer on StarChefs.com

EASTER TREATS: HOW TO MAKE A CHOCOLATE EGG
Chef Oriol Balaguer of Estudi di Xocolata i Pastisseria - Barcelona, Spain
As demonstrated at Estudi di Xocolata i Pastisseria
By Kelly Snowden

Chocolate eggs are an Easter week standard in Spain, just as they are in the United States. They are traditionally purchased for children by their godparents, but Chef Oriol Balaguer makes them so large that an entire family could feed off of one for a week. Small or large, these decorative holiday sweets are part of what marks the beginning of spring.

STEP 1: Make sure that the two halves of your mold are at room temperature. Temper the chocolate and keep it at a temperature of 90ºF.

STEP 2: Fill the molds with chocolate, shaking and tapping them to make sure all parts are covered. The longer you take to do this, the thicker the egg shell will be. Pour out the excess.

STEP 3: Place the molds in a refrigerator for 20 minutes. The chocolate will harden and retract from the mold.

STEP 4: Take the molds out of the refrigerator and gently remove the chocolate halves. Brush melted chocolate lightly along the edges of the mold, then put the two halves together to form a seal.

STEP 1	STEP 2	STEP 3	STEP 4

An assistant to Chef Balaguer preparing to make a chocolate egg.	The mold after the excess chocolate has been poured out.	The eggs, ready to be popped from their molds.	The egg after the two halves have been brought together.

Examples of Egg Designs from Chef Balaguer's Studio

Chocolate “Coral” Easter Egg
Chef Oriol Balaguer of Estudi di Xocolata i Pastisseria - Barcelona, Spain
Adapted by StarChefs.com

*Chef Oriol Balaguer uses ice cubes to create a “coral” textured chocolate egg.

Yield: 1 large egg

Ingredients:

Method:

Temper chocolate by heating chopped chocolate over a double boiler. Stir constantly until chocolate is fully melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring. Once chocolate has reached a temperature between 110° and 120°F, allow chocolate to cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally until it reaches a temperature in the low 80s. Re-heat the chocolate until it reaches about 90°F. Maintain the temperature, stirring and pouring the chocolate until it falls off a spatula in a thin line. Take the two sides of the egg mold and fill them with small ice cubes. Pour the chocolate over the ice cubes, then place the mold in a refrigerator. After a few hours, drain the water from the mold. Take the two sides of the egg and gently remove them from the mold. Heat the chocolate up again and lightly brush it onto the flat sides of the egg. Fit the two pieces together and allow the melted chocolate to cool, forming a seal between the two halves.