Treat yourself, and some lucky guests, to a little decadent extravagance with a golden chestnut and dark chocolate egg - well worth every step.

Recipe Rosa Matto | Photographs Brendan Homan | Styling Natalie Homan

Golden chestnut and dark chocolate egg
makes 10

to line easter egg mould
100g dark chocolate, melted

for chestnut mousse
6g gelatine sheets
2 tbsp rum
500g sweetened chestnut puree^*
100g white chocolate, melted over simmering water
250ml cream, whipped

Soften gelatine in warm water for 5 minutes. Squeeze dry and in a saucepan over very low heat, dissolve gelatine in the rum. Remove from heat and gently, but thoroughly, mix in puree, melted chocolate and whipped cream.

for praline
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 tbsp cold water

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved.
Increase heat to high. Bring to the boil. Boil, without stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until mixture turns golden. Remove from heat. Set aside for 2 minutes to allow bubbles to subside. Pour onto prepared tray. Allow to cool. Break praline into small shards.

for dark chocolate ganache
75ml cream
75g dark chocolate

Bring cream to just under boil. Pour into a bowl, adding dark chocolate in 3 batches, mixing well after each addition. Finally add praline shards. Shape into 10 balls of about 3cm in diameter. Allow to set completely.

to assemble
Melt dark chocolate and using a small, clean pastry brush, paint the inside of an egg mould. Allow it to set, then paint moulds a second time. Set.
Pipe or spoon chestnut mousse into chocolate-lined egg mould, allowing space for chocolate ganache in the middle. Keep edges neat.
Insert ganache balls and put moulds into fridge to set.
When eggs are set, remove from mould and put two half eggs together. Use a hot metal spatula to smooth the join.

Spray with edible gold paint and then dust with edible gold dust.^** Set upright and make a spun toffee nest.
These decorated eggs will keep in the refrigerator for three days, but spun toffee must be made an hour or so before serving.

for spun toffee
500g caster sugar
1/2 cup (175g) glucose syrup
2 tbsp water

For toffee, combine caster sugar, glucose syrup and water in a saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5-6 minutes until light golden in colour, then remove from heat. Place base of pan in a bowl of iced water to cool slightly – this stops the cooking process.

To create spun sugar, place a large sheet of baking paper on kitchen bench. Hold two forks together, back-to-back, and dip into toffee. Working quickly from about 30cm above the bench, flick forks from left to right drizzling toffee onto the paper to create fine long threads. If you have a helper, oil two wooden spoon handles: one of you can hold the spoons about 10cm apart and the other, from a high point, and flick toffee across the spoons using a fork, this creates longer strands.

While toffee’s still warm, gently wrap the threads around themselves to form a nest to sit the golden egg in.

* Can be purchased from Foodland

** Both available from cake decorating shops

 

 

 

This article first appeared in the September 2023 issue of SALIFE magazine.