How Do You Make a Hollow Chocolate Easter Bunny?

Every Easter you can buy all sorts of hollow chocolates like; chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, and so on. The funny thing is that the hollowness seem­s to actually give them a different taste or texture somehow. A hollow rabbit is definitely a different eating experience than a solid one!

­There are two common ways to make a hollow egg or rabbit:

1) If you are using a mold that is open at one end - Fill a mold full with melted chocolate, let it sit for a moment or two and then pour the liquid chocolate out. Some of the chocolate will have solidified on the inside of the mold. This is also a common technique for making filled chocolates (chocolate covered cherries or cremes). It works well if there can be a hole in the figure (usually on the bottom) when you get done.


2) If you are using a complete mold - open the mold, fill it with some melted chocolate, close the mold and turn it so that the liquid chocolate coats the entire inside of the mold. Then open the mold after the chocolate has solidified.
You can try the second approach if you have some chocolate and a plastic Easter egg that opens at the middle. Melt the chocolate and pour some into the plastic egg. Close the egg and rotate it in all directions to coat the interior evenly. Open the plastic egg and remove the chocolate. If you find it sticks, coat the inside of the plastic egg with a bit of oil or butter first­.­

Easter Chocolate Truffles

Easter chocolate truffles are not only another delicious way to enjoy chocolate this Easter but they also make the perfect Easter chocolate gifts.

These dark chocolate hot cross buns are fun and more than generous in their size - one is definitely enough.

The chocolate centre is lightly spiced and has plump raisins just like a real Easter bun!

Happy Easter,
Pam

Look before you taste!

When you are tasting a new wine, something you may look at is the colour and consistency of the wine in your glass. With chocolate, although we are looking at different attributes, it is surprisingly not that different. The more beautiful the piece of chocolate, the more pleasure you will probably receive from eating it. Visual appearance can tell you a lot about the quality of the chocolate and what to expect when you taste it. The surface appearance provides indicators of proper tempering (pre-crystallization), handling and storage.
Three main indicators are listed below;

The white, powdery looking coating on chocolate is an indication of ‘cocoa butter bloom’ (meaning the chocolate has been improperly stored). Depending on how extensive the bloom is, and how long the bloom has been on the chocolate, the taste and texture can both be affected.

Secondly, an irregular white coating (that resembles remnants of sugar crystals) is an indication of ‘sugar bloom’. This means moisture has condensed on the surface of the chocolate, drawing sugar crystals from the chocolate toward it. When this occurs, the texture of the chocolate has been compromised, and you should have no expectations of a high quality tasting chocolate.

Finally, look for pinholes in the chocolate surface. When chocolate is poured into a mold, air bubbles will sometimes form. Molds should be shaken or placed onto a vibration table to remove all the air bubbles before the chocolate hardens. If this is not done properly, air bubbles will remain resulting in pinholes on the surface. Usually they are tiny and do not affect the quality of the chocolate, but it does indicate the molding process was rushed – something you would not expect from an experienced chocolatier.

The next time you purchase your favourite truffle or chocolate bar take a closer look…

Savour & Enjoy