Easter Eggs

In the process of organizing and inventorying my molds earlier this month, I realized that while I had intended to purchase a second polycarbonate Easter egg mold last year so that I could produce 24 pieces at a time, I had in fact never placed the order. I immediately hopped on Amazon and clicked "add to cart." The delivery estimate was a day in April. After Easter. I pulled out a few different egg molds to use instead, including a silicone one.

I also spent a week or so contemplating the flavour for this year. In the past, I've made strawberry, raspberry, peanut butter (one gianduja and one fudge), orange creamsicle, and even cream eggs. This year I was thinking I might try making a strawberry lemonade flavour, but at the end of the day pistachio white chocolate gianduja won out. Pistachio is having a moment, after all, thanks to the Dubai chocolate craze. My hunt for pistachio paste led me to the tiniest jar known to man. It cost $9.99, but at least I was able to buy it locally. Ingredients acquired, I was ready to make Easter eggs just as soon as the spirit moved me. 

Mid-month, I was pleasantly surprised when the mold I had ordered arrived several weeks ahead of schedule. Armed with two polycarbonate Easter egg molds, I decided there was no time like the present and gathered my tools.

I had much more success tempering chocolate using my microwave this time around. No overheating the chocolate for me! I shelled the two molds and let them set. Then I combined equal parts of white chocolate and pistachio paste to create the gianduja centre. My math, however, failed me. The recipe I reviewed said that 500g would fill 92 standard size bonbons. That's about 5.4g per piece, which meant that 300g should fill 55. Now, eggs are larger than standard bonbons, but there were only 24 of them, so I thought that should be enough to fill the eggs without having leftovers. Alas, I filled 19 eggs and was left with 5 empty shells. I decided to make 100g of peanut dark chocolate gianduja with the idea that I would keep these alternatives for any recipients who didn't like pistachios. I left them to crystallize overnight.

The following day, I used a chalk marker to write on the side of the mold so that I would know which eggs were peanut and which were pistachio. I tempered 300g of dark chocolate to cap the eggs and once they were set I prepared to unmold them. I started with the mold that only contained pistachio centres. Clearly I nailed the temper, because before I had fully inverted the mold, the eggs toppled out onto the tray. Luckily, none cracked. I pushed them aside. Not wanting a repeat, because that would make it impossible to know which eggs were peanut, I placed a cutting board over the second mold and inverted it. I then very carefully transferred the eggs, keeping the five peanut ones separate from the rest. Time will tell if my method actually worked!

The final step was to wrap them in foil. Naturally, I went with different colours to identify different centres. Dark blue for peanut and purple or light blue for pistachio. They look great! 

I have to say that I feel much better about the production of these eggs than I did about my assortments at Christmas. Maybe it's because I had more time, or because I know my microwave better now, or because I was in a very Zen space this time, but the tempering went smoothly, I was able to work very cleanly, and the eggs unmolded without any effort. A very successful production run!

And I can't wait to taste one on Easter Sunday.

Viral Chocolate

As someone who doesn't use TikTok (simply because I already have too many social media platforms to follow), I often find myself late to the party when it comes to viral food and beverages. The Dalgona coffee of the pandemic, the baked feta pasta that followed, the devilled egg flights more recently -- I eventually heard about them (and tried a few), but sometimes more than a year after the trend peaked. So, it shouldn't be surprising that it took a few months for the viral "Dubai chocolate bar" to come onto my radar. 

Actually called "Can’t Get Knafeh Of It," this thick bar filled with pistachio cream, tahini, and toasted kataifi originated at FIX Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai. Why it went viral over thousands of other bars in the world is anyone's guess. Yes, it was beautifully produced. It was also expensive. And the exclusivity factor -- at the time they were only available in Dubai and Abu Dhabi -- had its own exotic allure. Content creators who couldn't get their hands on one turned to making their own versions. One blogger noted that the DIY version became so popular that it caused a "nationwide pistachio cream shortage" (but didn't offer any proof of that claim). Curiosity sparked! 

No, I didn't make one myself. That would be too much of a commitment, even for me. I'd have to track down a Middle Eastern ingredient called kataifi that is similar to shredded phyllo pastry. I also didn't buy the original "Can't Get Knafeh Of It." It has been imported by shops in the United States (and perhaps in Canada), but it's still not particularly easy or quick to get. So, instead I bought a copycat bar that was imported from Istanbul, not Constantinople (if you know, you know). 

The bar arrived in a rather posh black box with gold foiling. Surprisingly, the chocolate was in perfect temper, with no evidence of bloom, despite its journey. Inside, as anticipated, was the crunchy kataifi filling with its characteristic green colour from the pistachio. Unlike many of the content creators online, I did not break the bar in half with my hands or crush it to make the filling ooze out. Instead, I used a hot knife to slice through it. Hopefully you appreciate the clean cut as much as I do. 

The flavour, I'm sorry to say, was unremarkable. The milk chocolate was smooth and not overly sweet. The filling had little flavour, which was unexpected. It would have benefitted from some something -- anything! -- that would have enhanced the flavour (more salt or sugar or tahini). The real appeal, however, was in the texture and the sound of the bar while biting through the layers. (Sorry, no ASMR video to share.) The crunch factor was off the charts and was the perfect foil to the smooth chocolate -- and that rather than the flavour is what made it moreish. Perhaps that is also why it went viral.   

Was it worth trying this bar? I suppose so. Would I go out of my way (or pocketbook) to have one again? Probably not. But if I'm out and about and happen to stumble upon kataifi, then perhaps I'll purchase it and try to make my own version in an effort to make a better bar. 

Until then, I hope your new year is off to a sweet start!

Rocher

Think back to your childhood. When a box of Pot of Gold chocolates was opened at Christmas, what piece did you go for first? A caramel perhaps? One of the flavoured creams? Maybe the large solid piece in the centre? All good options, to be certain, but my go to was the coconut cluster in the little paper cup. I loved it. The sound of the paper being peeled away from the chocolate. The crunchy texture of the coconut combined with the creamy milk chocolate. Perfection.

Nut clusters are the unsung heroes of chocolate assortments. While truffles and caramels and creams are more technical to produce and much beloved for their smooth centres, it's the nut cluster that that dares to be different and provide the contrast in a collection. Most years, I've included one in my own Christmas boxes for this very reason. A cashew cluster, a peanut and raisin cluster, a craisin and pistachio cluster, a coconut cluster -- they've all been delicious. And, conveniently, they are incredibly easy and fast to produce. 

As it turns out, the fancy term for a nut cluster is rocher. I learned this tonight while reading Greweling's Chocolates and Confections. Certainly, I've heard and seen the word before (we're all familiar with the famous Ferrero Rocher), but I never gave it much thought or looked for a definition before. Rocher is the French word for boulder or rock. And, when you think about it, a mound of nuts held together by chocolate does give the appearance of a boulder or rock.

As I continued my reading, one of the rocher flavour combinations suggested was macadamia nuts and crystallized ginger. Frankly, that sounds divine to me. As a dried apricot lover, I can't help but wonder if they would be good paired with almond slivers. So many options, so little time!

What fruit and nut flavours would you combine?