It's fun to decorate with chocolate! This video (watch the step-by-step video here) shows you how easy it can be to make an edible chocolate nest (or chocolate bowl) to hold your favorite chocolate candies for any occasion for your table display—especially perfect for Easter to display chocolate eggs! Even better, this technique uses only real chocolate, but does not require that the chocolate be tempered. Make several of these to adorn a table. Kids will love helping with this one, too.
Makes 1 small chocolate basket/nest
1 cup (140 g) 55 to 61% cacao premium dark chocolate
Special Equipment:
1 small bowl, about 3 inches in diameter, such as a ramekin or individual metal brioche mold
1 (12-inch) pastry bag or large sandwich bag
Chef Zach’s Notes:
You'll get the best results using a premium “couverture” chocolate (it contains more cocoa butter and therefore more fluid). For this video, the specific couverture I used was Valrhona 61% Extra Bitter.
Don't have a pastry bag? Use a large sandwich bag with the corner snipped off.
The small bowl I used was an individual-size metal brioche mold measuring 3¼” across the widest part, 1” tall, and 1¼” across the bottom's (viewed as the top in the video) narrowest part. I chose this bowl because it’s flared and fluted (making a more random pattern) and has a flat bottom (to help better form the nest's bottom). But you can choose any small bowl (glass or metal best) of any size you like (if you go larger, just use more chocolate). Also ensure the water just barely comes up over the top of the bowl so that it will make it easier to make a flatter bottom (If the bottom of your nest still isn’t flat enough, just secure it on your display tray in another way.)
The chocolate will set hard. It stores best in a cool/cold environment (and loves the refrigerator) even after dusted and will store for a long time and stay in good condition as long as it’s not exposed to moisture or above normal temps. Handling it too long at one time could cause the parts under your fingers to begin melting, so handle it briefly and move it around carefully.
The nest will stay firm at normal room temperature and will be firm enough to hold your chocolates for an indefinite period of time. There is no risk of melting as long as it’s not exposed to too warm temperatures (as is normal with chocolate). And the cocoa powder dusting stays in great shape as long as it’s not exposed to moisture.
A chocolate with cocoa butter that is only melted and not tempered will tend to “bloom” (gray streaking from the cocoa butter) over time. The light dusting of cocoa powder will mask this if it occurs; there is no harm to the chocolate.
Yes, the bowl can be eaten! You’ll notice the chocolate is slightly softer now than the chocolate used to make it.