Rainbow Chocolate Flower
Makes 1
You will need one of these plastic fillable ornaments to make this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
For the petals
⅔ cup white chocolate chips, divided, melted in the microwave in 20 second intervals
1½ cups powdered sugar, divided into five ¼ cup portions
4 drops each of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple food coloring
6 tablespoons water, divided into 1 tablespoon portions
For the base
¼ cup white chocolate chips, melted
1-centimeter strip of aluminum foil
1 2-inch wide bottle cap
For the centerpiece
1 chocolate wafer cookie
2 tablespoons white chocolate chips, melted
1 homemade or store-bought chocolate chip cookie
10-15 blueberries
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 strawberry, sliced into a fan
For the sauce
½ cup chocolate hazelnut spread
½ cup heavy cream
PREPARATION
To make the petals:
Open up the plastic ornament and fill the halves evenly with the melted white chocolate. Rotate the halves so that the chocolate coats the entire surface evenly. Cool the halves for 5 minutes until the chocolate is beginning to harden, but make sure that they do not harden completely.
Using a small knife, carve 3 lines into the halves to create 4 petals, making sure the lines intersect at the top and the bottom of the halves. Freeze for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the petals from the plastic ornament and set aside. There should be 8 petals total.
In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of the powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of water and 4 drops of red food coloring, stirring until smooth. Repeat with the other colors so that there are 6 bowls of colored sugar total.
Using a chopstick, paint each color onto one of the white chocolate petals. Repeat with the other 7 petals.
To make the base:
Place the strip of foil on a flat plate. Drizzle the melted white chocolate evenly over the top, and spread the chocolate flat with the back of a spoon or a knife. Lift the chocolate-covered foil strip out, and wrap it around the bottle cap. Freeze for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the strip of foil from the hardened chocolate ring and set aside.
To make the centerpiece:
Spread a tiny bit of the melted white chocolate in the center of the chocolate wafer cookie, then place the chocolate chip cookie upside-down on top. Using a chopstick, spread a ring of melted white chocolate in a circle around the edges of the chocolate chip cookie. Working quickly before the chocolate hardens, place the blueberries in a circle on top of the melted white chocolate. Place the scoop of vanilla ice cream in the center of the blueberry ring, then top with the fanned strawberry. Set aside in the freezer.
To make the sauce:
In a medium bowl, combine the hazelnut spread and heavy cream. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until sauce is glossy and smooth.
Assembly:
In a medium-sized bowl, place the chocolate ring in the center. Drop about a tablespoon of chocolate hazelnut spread in the middle of the ring. Place the centerpiece on top of the hazelnut spread, pressing down to ensure it is touching the bowl. Slide one of the petals in between the centerpiece and the chocolate ring, making sure it is stable. Repeat with the other 7 petals.
To serve, pour the hot chocolate sauce around the chocolate flower, and watch as the rainbow flower petals slowly bloom outwards and reveal the centerpiece inside!
recipe by Alvin Zhou
