If you're planning some home baking this Easter weekend, or looking for ways to keep the kids busy, then master chocolatier Paul Young has shared his recipe on how to create a batch of creme eggs at home.
With many of us not visiting the shops as much, or at all, home baking and cooking have become ways to unwind, and these creme eggs are a great sweet treat that are relatively easy to make.
Paul has shared this recipe, which was created in collaboration with Sainsbury's, on daytime TV show, This Morning and it's available to watch online.
1kg dark chocolate
500g fondant
100g caster sugar
Dash sugar syrup
½ tsp yellow gel food colouring
Over a bain marie, melt the chocolate to a maximum temperature of 55°C. Do not let the water boil or simmer, but keep it hot and allow the chocolate to melt for at least two hours.
Pour two thirds of the chocolate on to a marble slab, leaving the rest on the heat. Spread evenly over the slab with a palette knife and scrape back together with a triangle scraper.
Repeat this action until the chocolate cools to 27-28°C and begins to harden.
Scrape the cool chocolate into the warm chocolate and mix well until fully incorporated. The temperature should now be a working temperature of 31-32°C.
To check if the chocolate is tempered, dip the end of your palette knife into the chocolate and place aside to set.
It should set with a shine and be crisp. Once you have your bowl of tempered chocolate, maintain the working temperature by warming briefly on the bain marie.
Clean your egg moulds well with cotton wool until shiny. Fill the moulds with chocolate until they overflow.
Scrape off any excess chocolate, then tap the mould on the counter to release any air bubbles.
Put the mould aside for a few minutes until the chocolate starts to set.
Tip out any excess chocolate and scrape the mould to create a clean finish. Refrigerate for 15 minutes until the chocolate has set and released from the mould.
Meanwhile, grate the fondant into a mixing bowl. Put the sugar in a pan with 100ml water and simmer for one minute.
Allow to cool until just warm and add to the fondant, mixing well until it becomes a smooth paste.
Place 4 tbsp of the fondant in a small bowl and add the yellow food colouring, mixing until evenly coloured.
Remove the eggs from the mould and place on a clean tea towel so they don’t roll away.
Carefully spoon or pipe the fondant into the egg, leaving room for the fondant yolk, then add the yolk.
Using your finger or a piping bag, apply a small amount of chocolate around one half of the eggs. Swiftly bring two halves together to seal the fondant.
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