FOR THE BOWLS-
Ingredients:
- Small "water bomb" balloons, or the smallest balloons you can find
- Chocolate candy coating or tempered chocolate
Preparation:
1. Start by melting the chocolate candy coating ortempering chocolate. You don't want to use untempered chocolate, because it will get soft at room temperature and your bowls might not hold their shape nicely. Set the melted coating or tempered chocolate aside to cool so that it is no longer warm to the touch.
2.While the chocolate is cooling, blow up the balloons to the size you want your bowls to be and tie them off. There's a chance some balloons might pop or bowls might break, so make a few extra just in case. Cover a baking sheet with waxed paper or foil.
3. Hold the balloon by the knot on top and slowly dip the bottom of a balloon in the room temperature chocolate. Move gently to acclimatize the balloon to the temperature. Dip it until the chocolate is the depth you want your bowls to be.
4. Gently remove the balloon from the chocolate, and set it carefully on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until you've dipped all of your balloons, plus your extras.
5. Let the balloons sit at room temperature until the chocolate or coating is entirely set. Once the coating is set, refrigerate the tray briefly to make the chocolate hard—this will make it easier to remove the balloons.
6. To get the balloons out, first press around the sides gently, breaking the seal between the balloon and the chocolate. Then hold a balloon below the knot and gently cut a slit above your fingertips, so that you can control the flow of air as it escapes. Slowly release the air from the balloon, and as you do, the balloon will pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it pops, peel off a portion of it still stuck to the balloon and continue gently pulling it away. If you have difficulty, let it sit and come back to it later—the balloon will often start peeling away on its own after it sits.
7. Once all your chocolate bowls have had the balloons removed, fill them with ice cream, mousse, whipped cream, cold dessert soup, or candies, like in this Pot of Gold recipe. Store chocolate bowls between layers of waxed paper at cool room temperature