makes
3
prep
30 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Mid
makes
3
serves
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 600 g good-quality white chocolate (A)
- 600 g good-quality milk chocolate (A)
- black oil soluble colour
- 300 g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 300 g good-quality milk chocolate (B), roughly chopped
- 300 g good-quality white chocolate (B), roughly chopped
Setting time: 10 minutes
Refrigeration time: 15-20 minutes
Instructions
1. Polish 2 Easter-egg moulds with cotton wool. Prepare a large mixing bowl or sheet of baking paper on the bench (to catch chocolate drips).
2. Melt or temper the white chocolate (A) and milk chocolate (A) and add in some sieved black colour. To temper the chocolate, place it in a plastic bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until you have 50% liquid and 50% pieces of chocolate. Stir it vigorously without additional heat until all the chocolate has melted. If you have some resistant buttons you can gently heat the chocolate with a hairdryer while stirring.
3. Mix the chopped-up pieces of white, milk (B) and dark (B) chocolate through the tempered chocolate.
4. Fill the egg mould with the mixed chocolate and scrape the top surface and sides of the mould with a metal scraper or palette knife. Tap the mould on the bench to eliminate any air bubbles. Turn the mould upside down over the prepared bowl or baking paper and tap out the centre using the handle of the scraper. Be careful not to make the shell too thin.
5. Once the centre of the chocolate has been tapped out, scrape the mould while it is still upside down. Turn the mould over and ensure the top surface of the mould is scraped clean.
6. Prepare the bench surface with a sheet of baking paper and place the mould top, open side down. Leave to set at room temperature for 10 minutes. Turn the mould over and scrape the top again. Place it into the fridge for 15-20 minutes to fully set and allow the chocolate to contract from the mould.
7. Warm a tray in the oven to 50°C. Pick up the egg halves and slightly melt the edge of each half on the warm tray and join them together. Once joined together, slightly melt the base with the heated tray so the egg can sit on a flat surface.
8. Warm a lint-free cloth with water and wash the outside of the egg. Keep rinsing the cloth as you go with more warm water until you reveal the granite finish. Rinse the cloth well and make a bowl of ice water to dip the cloth in. Dip the cloth in repeatedly until the surface becomes shiny. The egg can be made weeks in advance and wrapped in cellophane or stored in an airtight container.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
