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Chocolate Balloon Centerpiece




Source of Recipe


Adapted from Jacques Torres and Mr. Chocolate.com


Recipe Introduction


You will need two people for this operation, since one has to hold and rotate the balloon. You will also need lots of room in your fridge, and a piping bag. If you can find the strong punching bag type balloon, choose that one. An important safety note: Some people are allergic to latex, an ingredient in most balloons.



List of Ingredients




About 20 to 30 ounces dark chocolate, tempered
1 big balloon.


Recipe



1. Inflate the balloon to about 1 to 1 1/2 feet across. Secure it closed with a ribbon (you will need to untie this later).
2. Dip the bottom of the balloon in the tempered dark chocolate. This will create a base. Set the wet chocolate onto a parchment paper-lined surface. Make sure it stands straight. Let the balloon sit in the fridge for a minute or two until the chocolate is firm.
3. Place tempered dark chocolate in a piping bag or a cornet (a piece of parchment paper rolled into a cone, with a cut tip). Have your assistant hold the balloon horizontally in front of you while you pipe chocolate lines from top to bottom (north pole to south pole, so to speak) all the way around the surface as they rotate the balloon. Let the balloon sit in the fridge for a few minutes. When complete, drizzle more lines across the existing lines, creating a web pattern all around the balloon. Apply a bit more chocolate near the top of the opening and near the bottom to provide extra support. Let the chocolate set.
4. When the chocolate begins to harden, release a little bit of the air from the balloon, just enough so that balloon retracts slightly (about 1/8" from the outside). (This may already have happened in the fridge, since the balloon will contract a bit). Carefully set the chocolate covered balloon aside. Depending on your room temperature, it will take another 5 minutes or so to set.
5. 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 a chopstick to unstick the balloon from the base if necessary).
Yield: 1 big chocolate centerpiece.