How do you like your eggs on Easter morning? We like our’s with a twist!
Well this year you too can celebrate Easter in STYLE with Harvey Nichols, who have teamed up with award winning Chocolatier and Cake of the Year 2013 winner, Lucie Bennett to create a rich Belgian chocolate equivalent to dippy egg and soldiers.
The hen-sized chocolate egg has a sweet and creamy inner Baileys Chocolat ganache to mimic the yolk of a soft-boiled egg. The ganache is housed within a hand-painted, decorative dark chocolate shell, with ornate swirls that mirror the Rococo-inspired bottle design of Baileys Chocolat Luxe. The indulgent Baileys Chocolat Easter Egg is served with toasted chocolate brioche fingers which you can dip into the rich, buttery and creamy chocolate or if you prefer you could scoop the ganache out with a small ceramic spoon. This is the perfect grown-up treat to finish your Easter lunch or sweeten up your shopping trip.
The Baileys Chocolat Easter Egg is available in Harvey Nichols stores between the 11th and 22nd April, so make sure you stop by this Easter Weekend before they’re gone! Whilst they may be limited edition in stores, Baileys has released the special recipe so it can be recreated and enjoyed at home after the Easter holidays!
If the rich and creamy Belgian chocolate leaves you wanting more then grab your apron and Bailey’s Chocolat Luxe and let STYLE etc know how your eggs turn out!
Happy Easter from STYLEetc!
Baileys Chocolate Luxe Easter Eggs Makes 8 eggs (16 half’s)
Ingredients
- 150g 65% Good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 175g Whipping cream
- 25g soft brown sugar
- 20g Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 140g Baileys chocolate Luxe
- 750g Good quality dark chocolate 65-70% for tempering
Equipment
- 1 x polycarbonate chocolate egg mould
- 7cm eggs
- 1 x metal scraper
- 1 x digital thermometer
- 1 x large egg box
- 1 x disposable piping bag
- 3 – 4 paper piping bags
- 1 x paintbrush To decorate edible metallic paints or dusts.
Method
1.To make the ganache weigh chocolate into a stainless steel bowl and weigh the cream and the soft brown sugar into a saucepan. Bring the cream to the boil, make sure the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat and leave to cool for a minute.
2.Pour the cream onto the chocolate and mix until fully emulsified. Add the butter and mix until completely combined. Allow the ganache to cool before stirring in the baileys chocolate Luxe. Cover and leave to set in a cool dry place for 1 hour.
Tips Pouring boiling cream over the chocolate will cause the chocolate to separate making the ganache split, the same will happen if you over mix the ganache.
Tempering chocolate using the Seeding method
1. Weigh two thirds of the chocolate into a metal bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir continuously until melted 45 – 50°C
2. Take bowl chocolate off the heat and dry bowl with a tea towel. Add in the other third and stir until melted. 31-32°C this is the working temperature for chocolate and means it is in temper and ready to use. If the chocolate becomes cool rewarm to working temperature.
Tips. When tempering chocolate always use a stainless steel bowl. Ceramic will hold residual heat and will hinder the cooling of the chocolate. It is Easier to temper larger amounts of chocolate. Be patient and practice. If you don’t get it right the first time try again. You can re temper several times with the same chocolate.
Casting and decorating
1. Polish the egg mould with a piece of cotton wool. Pour chocolate into each cavity and fill to the top, tap the mould on a solid surface to remove air bubbles. Leave mould to sit for 3 minutes. Turn mould upside down over the bowl of chocolate and gently tap the side with the handle of the scraper. Scrape the excess chocolate off by scrapping away from you along the mould.
2. Place the chocolate mould upside down on a sheet of baking parchment. Place in fridge for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove the mould from the fridge and set aside. Leave for a further 15 minutes. In the meantime fill the piping bag with the ganache. Cut the tip off the piping bag to create a small hole.
3. Gently tap the eggs out of the mould. As the recipe makes eight whole eggs you will need to re polish and re cast. Cover the egg box with a piece of cling film. Sit the egg half’s in the egg box bases facing up. Fill each half with ganache. Smooth down the ganache with the small pallet knife. Place half’s together. Fill a Piping bag with chocolate and pipe small beads of chocolate around the join of the eggs allow leave to set. Decorate eggs with edible metallic food paints or dusts.
Tips. Make sure you work in a cool environment. Be careful not to leave the casted eggshells in the fridge for longer then suggested, as this will cause a sugar bloom. Be careful not to over handle the eggs, as you will leave fingerprints on the chocolate.
Store eggs in a cool dry environment and consume within 7 days Chocolate brioche fingers Makes 1 medium loaf 8-10 slices
Ingredients
- 225g strong white bread flour
- 25g cocoa powder
- 25g Caster sugar
- 3g salt
- 5g Instant yeast
- 125g Whole eggs (2 1⁄2 medium eggs the extra egg can be used for the egg wash)
- 70g Full fat milk
- 125g Unsalted butter room temperature
Equipment
- 1 x medium loaf tin
- 1 x plastic scraper
- Mixing machine with dough hook attachment
Method
- Weigh the flour in to a mixing bowl ad
ding the sugar and salt. Weigh the yeast separately. Weigh eggs into a jug, beat with a folk until broken down. Warm the milk until tepid start the mixer on a slow speed and add both the eggs and milk into the flour when combined increase to a medium speed on the mixer for 5 minutes the dough should be smooth and elastic. - Gradually add the softened butter t
o dough and increase to a mediums peed f or a further 5 minutes occasionally scraping down the bowl to make sure the butter is completely incorporated. The dough will be really soft compared to bread dough. Scrape into a glass or plastic bowl, cling film and refrigerate overnight. - Lightly grease a medium bread tin. Turn dough out and gently knock back, shape and place into the loaf tin Leave dough in a warm place and allow to double in size (about 2 and a half hours)
- Preheat oven to200C/180Cfan/
400Fgas mark 6.Lightly brush the top of the loaf with egg wash. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes and then turn out on a wire rack.
Toast and serve with your Baileys Chocolat Luxe Easter eggs
Images from
By Emma Dooley
