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I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge chocolate fan, but I do love how beautiful it can make even the most ordinary desserts. If you've ever wondered how chefs prepare some of their gorgeous chocolate creations, Ghirardelli lets us in on one of their secrets with this recipe for chocolate dessert cups which I found via bfeedme.com. Using balloons of all things, the procedure is really quite simple - dip inflated balloons partway into melted chocolate and let set in the freezer until solid. The cups can be filled with just about anything - mousse, ice cream, berries, whatever your heart desires. Just be sure to remove all traces of the balloon before serving. If you'd like to try making these at home, the full instructions from the Ghirardelli website can be found after the jump.
Directions
In double boiler over hot water, melt 3/4 pound of chocolate. (Note: Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet, Milk, and/or Dark Chocolate Chips or Bars may be used.) Cool about 5 minutes. Inflate balloons to 4-inch diameter; knot. Holding balloons by knot, dip into chocolate, tipping to cover balloon halfway up with chocolate. Place balloon, knotted side up, on wax paper-lined baking sheet, holding balloon in place until it starts to set. Repeat with remaining balloons to make 8 cups. Place in freezer 5 minutes. Melt remaining 3/4 pound chocolate and repeat dipping procedure; place in freezer 10 minutes. Snip hole in each balloon to deflate; carefully peel away from chocolate. Refrigerate until needed. Use the same day.
Additionally, after dipping, you may drizzle cups with a contrasting color of melted chocolate, or for a second dipping, use contrasting color chocolate, leaving part of first dipping exposed.
(Image & recipe via Ghirardelli.com)
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12-18-2008 @9:22AM vrsa said... I did this last night and a word of caution .. if the chocolate is too hot the balloons will explode throwing chocolate all over your kitchen. I even had a few explode after they were sitting a bit (#6 blew up while I was dipping #9).
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12-27-2008 @4:20PM kathy said... I make these cups alot. But sorry never thought about the allergy thing. I buy water balloons, fill them with ice cold water. The chocolate cooled, then freezes immediately. Then you let it drain and the balloon comes right out. Also they stand so good filled with water.
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5-25-2011 @12:17PM James Talvy said... I saw this also on Marcel Desaulniers show and made them and the first batch the balloons exploded and covered the kitchen and my grandmother with chocolate... the second batch became chocolate covered rubber...
The trick I found which seems to be omitted in most references is a release agent... I used powdered sugar and it worked perfectly.
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3-20-2007 @7:17PM Meg Fortino said... Marcel Desaulniers (or whatever his name is -- French is not my first language), who wrote "Death by Chocolate," demonstrated this technique on his show. I'm not sure how long ago, but it might have been 10-15 years ago -- I'm showing my age!
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3-21-2007 @2:48PM Lee said... I am a pastry chef and we make these cups all the time - they are truely easy - the only tricky part is when deflating the balloon and not having it snap and break the cup!!
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3-21-2007 @12:46AM Chef JoAnna said... Just to be on the safe side, make sure that none of the people who consume the chocolate have latex allergies!
and I'm shocked that's not mentioned on their website, either. :-(
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3-27-2007 @1:54AM Cathy said... I recently discovered the small bowl-shaped silicon molds that come 6 bowls to a mold. I painted them once with melted chocolate, froze them for about 10 minutes, painted another layer of melted chocolate, then froze them for at least an hour.
When you are ready to use them, gently turn the molds inside out. This takes some practice to get it right. I went through 5 sets of molds before I could get a full set (instead of 3 good bowls per set) of chocolate bowls right.
Silicon isn't related to latex, is it?
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