The different types of Easter chocolates
When we talk about Easter chocolates, there are several types.
Eggs, chickens and other bells, which are casts, often made in two parts assembled together, the interior of which is hollow. In stores, these are the chocolates that are topped with praline eggs or even fried foods.
The small eggs are, for their part, filled with praline for the most part, sometimes with ganache or even caramel. Sweet treats that also require the use of a mold to make them.
Finally, the fries are an assortment of small chocolate pieces that often represent seafood and fish (fish being a Christian symbol). Usually, these chocolates are neither filled nor hollow, and are made from 100% of the same chocolate (milk, dark or white).
How to make chocolate eggs with a mold?
If you have a mold, making Easter chocolate eggs is just a formality. However, if you want a very shiny piece, it is advisable to temper your chocolate before pouring it into its mold. In addition to its shine, tempering allows you to obtain a smooth finish but also a clear break. But tempering chocolate – that is, playing the roller coaster with the temperature curve – requires a little time and, above all, a cooking thermometer.
You can also temper your chocolate more easily by melting 200 g of dark or milk chocolate in a bain-marie before adding 100 g of additional chopped chocolate off the heat. As soon as everything is melted, pour it directly into its mold, and leave to set for approximately 2 hours.
If you want to make hollow eggs, once the chocolate is poured into the mold, you pour off the excess material, then let it set. Then, unmold the two egg parts, and briefly melt the edges of the egg halves on the bottom of an upturned pan previously heated. This way, the edge melts slightly and we can assemble the two parts. We hold the whole thing in place for a few moments in our hands, before gently placing the egg and letting the chocolate set completely.
How to make chocolate eggs without a mold?
The easiest way to make chocolate eggs without a mold is to use… real eggs!
So we bring chicken eggs (you can also use quail eggs to make small eggs but the exercise is tricky), a cardboard egg box, and melted chocolate at the right temperature.
We start by piercing a hole with the tip of a knife on the sharpest part of the egg, we widen it delicately until we obtain a diameter of approximately 1 cm in diameter. Empty the egg into a container (which we keep for another recipe), rinse the inside of the shell and leave to dry completely. We then pour a large quantity of melted chocolate inside the shell, and rotate it in all directions so that the chocolate covers the surface. The excess is poured through the opening. Place the filled shells vertically, opening upwards, in the egg box. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Then all that's left to do is organize an egg hunt to find them. Once shelled, the chocolate eggs can be chewed!
You can also use chocolate eggs as a base for a special Easter dessert. All you have to do is wait until the shells are set, before shelling them, and garnishing them, for example, with homemade praline, mousse, or even ganache.
Happy Easter !
