"Egg"-quisite Easter Centerpiece

Dressing up the house, both inside and out, is one of my top five favorite things to do especially during Easter. After spending years assisting my mother, I was quite excited when the opportunity to follow in her footsteps and share the lessons learned with my own daughter arose.

I've spent many hours over the years reading through magazines and books, visiting craft stores, and observing first hand how with a little patience and creativity even the dullest of corners can be transformed into visions of glory with do-it-yourself projects.

Rolling up your sleeves and getting elbow deep in craft supplies may seem intimidating at first to some - as it was to me a few years back. Admittedly I've had my share of flopped DYI projects over the years but I've also had some shining "stars" as well when I resigned myself to stick with what I was good. Table decorations seem to be my niche!

Easter's spring blossoms, pastel shades and the return of butterflies have been my inspiration for creative ways to dress up both living room and dining room tables over the years.

One year I made tissue box covers using plastic canvas and pastel colored yarns that featured 3-D butterflies nestled near the top for my living room end tables. Another year I made an 18-inch Easter egg for the dining room table by wrapping string around a balloon I had blown up into the shape of an egg to which I poured a clear drying glue over and let sit overnight. The next day I popped the balloon, cut an egg-shaped hole into the side and placed Easter grass, small dried flowers and some jellybeans inside. On yet another occasion I made an Easter tree with a tree branch, which had been knocked down from a spring storm passing by our house, stuck into floral foam and placed inside a basket. To my little tree I tied some little painted wooden eggs I had found at the craft store.

I've noticed how much my guests enjoy eating my Chocolate Chip Cookie Christmas Tree after dinner each year so this Easter I'm going to attempt making an edible Chocolate Easter Egg centerpiece for my dining room table, which seems a good idea as giving away Chocolate Easter Eggs has been a long standing practice dating back to the 19th century in Germany and France.

Although it may seem a difficult task to create an edible centerpiece modern kitchens are quite capable of doing most of the hard work for what I have in mind. So, what has my mind planned? Homemade Chocolate Easter Eggs resting upon a bed of twigs intermingled with a few golden eggs and some rose petals scattered about.

For making golden eggs, you will need 4-6 eggs depending on the overall size of your nest, which will be made from twigs or small branches. Wash the eggs. Using a pin, prick a hole into both ends of the egg and blow out the inside into a bowl that you can later use for making scrambled eggs or in another dish of your choosing. I find it is easier to remove the egg if you make the hole at the larger and rounder end of the egg slightly larger than the opposite end. When you've removed the insides from all the eggs, place the shells into a pot of water and boil for approximately 10 minutes. Carefully remove the shells from the water, dry them with a paper towel and set aside to air dry the insides thoroughly. When completely dried, mix the gold dust powder with a small amount of vanilla extract to liquefy the powder for painting on the egg.1 Paint each egg and set aside to dry. Viola, you now have golden eggs without having to climb the beanstalk.

For making the chocolate eggs, you will need egg-shaped candy molds, semi-sweet chocolate chips and a pastry brush having silicon bristles. First wash you mold in warm to remove any dust and thoroughly dry it. Empty your chocolate chips into a microwave safe glass bowl and melting them on medium heat for 10-second intervals, stirring in between each heating session. Once the chips are melted, take your pastry brush and brush the inside of the mold with a thin layer of chocolate. Let the layer harden slightly and repeat brushing thin layers of chocolate inside the mold, allowing each layer time to harden just a bit, until you have reach a thickness of ¼- to ½-inch. Place the mold in the refrigerator to harden completely. Repeat this same process until you have made two halves for each egg you wish to make.

When all your eggs are completely hardened remove them from the mold. To seal the eggs, place 2 halves for a few seconds on a warm baking sheet that has been heated in the oven at 250° to soften the edges slightly and gently press them together until the edges form a seal. Alternatively, you could paint a small coating of melted chocolate along the edges to seal the halves together. Return the eggs to the refrigerator to further harden the sealed edges.

Lastly, prior to your guests arriving arrange twigs and/or branches in the center of the table in the shape of a nest. Distribute both the chocolate and golden eggs amongst the branches as suits your taste. Scatter a handful or two of rose petals amongst the eggs then sit back and enjoy the admiration of your guests. Won't they be pleasantly surprised when dinner has been cleared away and they are given a piece of the centerpiece as a memento of Easter 2009?

* Egg molds and gold dust can be found in craft stores nationwide or wherever Wilton Candy products are sold. They are usually kept in the cake and candy decorating aisles.

References:

Wilton Discussion Forum - edible Gold Paint, retrieved 2 April 2009, 12:55 pm,
http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=3&threadid=118372