Food Network: Chocolate Balloon Centerpiece

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Chocolate Balloon Centerpiece
Recipe courtesy Jacques Torres and MrChocolate LLC.

Ingredients
32 ounces dark chocolate, tempered
16 ounces white chocolate, tempered
Cocoa butter
Powdered food colors

Special Equipment: Balloons

Directions
Please consider a few things before you begin this
project. First, not every balloon works. They don't always release. If you can
find the strong punching bag type balloon, choose that one. Some people are

allergic to latex so be aware that most balloons are made from latex.

Inflate the balloon. Secure it closed with a ribbon (you will need to untie this
later). Dip the bottom of the balloon in the dark chocolate. This will create a
base. Set the wet chocolate onto a parchment paper-lined surface. Make sure it
stands straight. Let the chocolate set until firm.

Place dark chocolate in a cornet. The next step will be easier if you have an
assistant. Have the assistant hold the balloon horizontally in front of you while
you pipe chocolate lines from top to bottom all the way around the surface. When
complete, drizzle more lines diagonally across the existing lines. Apply a bit
more chocolate near the top opening and near the bottom to provide extra support.
This will form a bird cage effect. Let the chocolate set. When the chocolate
begins to harden, release a little bit of the air from the balloon, but just

enough so the balloon retracts slightly (about 1/8-inch from the outside).
Carefully set the chocolate covered balloon aside. Depending on your room
temperature, it will take a good 10 minutes to set.

To make the balloon flowers, inflate 10 small balloons and close them with
ribbons. Your presentation will be more interesting if you inflate them to
different degrees to make different sized flowers. Dip each balloon anywhere from
1 to 3 times to create a different number of petals on each. To accomplish this,
dip the balloon once, spin it slightly, dip it again, etc. Set each dipped
balloon on a parchment-lined sheet pan and allow the chocolate to set.

When set, pop the balloon and remove the deflated balloon from the flower. Use
cocoa butter paints to decorate the insides of the flowers. Let the paint set. If
you made different sizes, you can layer the balloon flowers by setting one inside

another. Use chocolate to "glue" them together.

Slowly deflate the large balloon that is inside the large chocolate cage by
untying its ribbon. Carefully pull the deflated balloon through the hole at the
top. Use tempered chocolate to "glue" the chocolate flowers onto the large cage.
Reserve one to cover the hole at the top. Your guests will certainly be
fascinated by your creation.

Ingredients
How to Temper Chocolate:
From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make at Home, by Jacques
Torres

Directions

Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been
melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white
(that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the
chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.

One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and
then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most
of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature
of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your
bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk
chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the
amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's
residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually,
chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets,

mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains
heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.

Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small
pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate
to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4
of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a
whisk.

The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted
chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is
spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81
degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate
is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until

the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too
high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the
correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and
makes a big mess.

A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate
to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been
correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few
minutes.