Smashing Pumpkins

I was away in Ottawa this week for a music conference, so my usual Tuesday night chocolate study didn't occur. And while I certainly hit our capital city with the intention of finding and buying new chocolate to try, my conference schedule was so busy that shopping didn't happen. Other than a Fleur de Sel bar from Hummingbird Chocolate that I picked up in the airport, I didn't stumble upon any other chocolate to bring home. Very disappointing!

But I did come upon "smashing pumpkins" at Rocky Mountain Chocolate in the Toronto airport on my second attempt to return to Sydney. These certainly caught my eye, if only for the price tag of $60 which seemed a little steep. (No, I didn't buy one. With the way people drag so much stuff on board flights these days, it would be impossible to safely stow this in an overhead bin and transport it to one's final destination.)

These hollow chocolate pumpkins are filled with popcorn. And as the name implies, you smash them and eat them. I especially liked the variation of the chocolate skull with a gummy worm hanging out of the eye socket. 

Smashing these sorts of chocolate pieces has become popular in the last few years. Perhaps the most common is a large geometric heart on Valentine's Day -- often they are sold with a small mallet. It's a fun concept and a delicious treat if they are made with real chocolate (and not compound chocolate as is often the case). 

I've seen large moulds for these sorts of pieces before -- most recently a brain mold -- but I've never purchased one myself. I have a bit of a mental block because of the volume of chocolate that would be required for some of these molds (perhaps because the chocolate I use is so expensive). A few years ago, I purchased a set of silicone molds for a chocolate gingerbread house. But once I realized how large the finished house would be, I came to the conclusion that it was unlikely I'd ever make it -- unless I was hosting a Christmas party where part of the event was smashing the house and everyone present helped to eat it. Sure, it could be made more cheaply and easily with compound chocolate, but then it wouldn't taste as good. And while I love the look of chocolate show pieces, I hate the idea of wasting ingredients on something that won't be eaten -- even if those ingredients are cheap or fake chocolate. (And if you're wondering, I am one of those people who eat the gingerbread house after Christmas, soaking the hard cookie in a cup of tea. Waste not, want not.) 

So, no chocolate show pieces for me for now -- and no giant chocolate molds. But I have to be honest -- if I found a giant skull mold, I think I'd be very tempted.