An Edible Geode

I often like to make something special for my friends when the occasion calls for it. Some of you, for example, may recall a giant peanut butter cup that I made for a birthday last year. It was pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself, but you can be the judge:

Always looking to outdo myself (my mother always says, "You do like to challenge yourself"), I started contemplating ways to make a geode dessert for the same friend this year because of her love of (obsession with?) geodes.

Originally, I was going to make an edible geode using a rock candy method over a modelling chocolate base, like this. Then I considered making a geode cake, drawing inspiration from this video. But once I started the Professional Chocolatier program, I knew what I had to do: an edible white chocolate geode Easter egg.

I had seen a tutorial online that provided a basic method to follow, so as I worked my way through the program, I began planning in my head how I would accomplish my goal. Conveniently, last Easter, I had purchased a set of egg molds. One of them was the perfect size for an impressive geode egg. About two weeks before Easter, I painted the mold with green luster dust and then poured tempered white chocolate into it. I then left it to set a few days. I decided to do a second coat of chocolate to be sure that it was sturdy enough to stand up to the application of candy. And then I left it to crystallize again for a few days. Happy with the thickness and sheen, I was ready to apply the candy.

It took me a few weeks to actually locate the right candy, a quest that consumed much of March. I started with blue raspberry Jolly Ranchers and crushed them a rolling pin. Then I went on the hunt for a lighter blue hard candy and a clear one. I was surprised by just how limited the selection of hard candy was. Maybe it's the time of year or maybe hard candy isn't as popular as it once was. Either way, I couldn't find a single hard candy at Bulk Barn that was any shade of blue (other than the Jolly Ranchers I already had). I resorted to buying two sticks of rock candy in a cotton candy flavour that was a pale blue colour. Then I searched the store for a clear hard candy. Again, the options were surprisingly limited. I chose peppermint. When I got home, I cut the rock candy from the stick with a chef's knife and then broke it apart. I once again attacked the remaining candies with my rolling pin, beating them into submission.

I spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to adhere the candy to the egg. I briefly considered melted chocolate, but figured that it either would take too long to set or wouldn't adequately hold the candy. I also worried about it affecting the temper of the already set egg. Likewise, I considered blue candy melts and then abandoned the idea. In the end, I rewatched the tutorial and decided that royal icing was indeed the way to go. I mixed up a small batch and tinted it sky blue with my cake colours.

I carefully painted the inside of the egg with a thick coat. I then placed my candy into the royal icing -- first the Jolly Ranchers in the centre, then a ring of rock candy, followed by a ring of peppermint. Once it started to set up, it became clear that thinning the royal icing and painting a coat over the top was the best way to keep the candy shards in place -- they melted together and became one candy mass.

Then it was time to add some sparkle. First I mixed gold luster dust with vodka and painted the edge of the egg. While it shimmered a bit, it really didn't read as gold. I decided to buy some bronze luster dust to try. Instead of mixing it with vodka to make a paint, I brushed vodka over the edge of the egg and then with a dry brush applied the dust to the damp edge. This method worked much better. I then added a little gold over top to tone down the bronze. Finally, I used pearl luster dust on a dry brush to enhance the candy with some shimmer. 

And then I weighed it. No, this wasn't really a necessary part of the process, but I was curious. It weighted just under a half pound.

After letting the egg cure for a few days, I packaged it for gifting in a cupcake box I picked up at Michaels. And I have to say, I'm thrilled with the results.

So what do you think? More epic than a giant peanut butter cup?

And more importantly, what's next?