Hello, hello friends!
Isn’t it high time to start thinking about Easter recipes? Even if you already have plenty to choose from here, I still need to refresh my stash a bit!!
So here it is…
Let me introduce you to my Easter chocolate and citrus shells recipe!
My Easter Desserts
Before I tell you everything (the origin of this recipe, my tips, tricks, etc…), here are a few delicious ideas for your Easter celebrations (but not just Easter!! Sweet treats are year-round here at Casserole & Chocolat!).
- No-bake Easter eggs cheesecake style
- Easter chocolate and praline layer cake
- Easter lamb or Lämmele (in Alsatian!!)
- Easter chocolate mousse
- Easter cupcakes
- Strawberry bavarois by Casserole et Chocolat
- and the diplomat cream fraisier.
The origin of this dessert
As always, I’m 100% transparent with you! Even though I had already made an Easter dessert based on the idea of a chocolate egg, these chocolate and citrus Easter shells were inspired by an event I recently attended (the 15th Chefs’ Gathering and 3rd Ambassadors of Receptions meeting organized by Les Traiteurs de France). You can find the details of that incredible evening here.
One of the caterers from the association served a similar dessert, and I felt inspired to offer it for Easter, like a slightly cracked eggshell filled with yummy things. Was that a good idea??
The recipe, of course…
You might be surprised (or maybe not?), but these chocolate and citrus Easter shells are actually quite easy to make. I’d say the most technical part is making the chocolate shells. For the rest, you’ll see—it’s classic “Casserole et Chocolat.”
This dessert is made of:
- chocolate shells
- filled with a citrus mousse (I chose blood orange and grapefruit here, but you can switch it up with clementine, lemon, orange, lime—according to your tastes! Don’t forget to adjust the sugar depending on the citrus you choose. With lime, for instance, you’ll need to add a bit more sugar)
- decorated with a clementine crémeux
- and citrus supremes (you can also use orange or grapefruit supremes).
The chocolate shells
As I mentioned, this is probably the trickiest part of the recipe. If the shine of the shell doesn’t matter to you, no worries. Just gently melt your chocolate in a double boiler or microwave and fill your molds.
If you want a more “pastry-shop” result, you’ll need to temper the chocolate—that is, melt it while controlling its temperature curve.
To do this, melt two-thirds of the required chocolate in a double boiler. Once melted, mix it vigorously with the unmelted chocolate for about 5 minutes. The result is tempered chocolate ready to use. It’s a home cook’s technique—no offense to my pastry chef and chocolatier friends! 😉
Whatever method you choose, make sure your chocolate is evenly thick, especially at the edges. Otherwise, you risk breakage when unmolding. Pour a generous amount of melted chocolate into your molds, then turn them over onto a baking sheet or silicone mat. This prevents the bottoms from being too thick and the edges too thin.
The citrus mousse and clementine crémeux
To get 30 g of blood orange juice, you’ll need 1/2 orange. Be careful not to boil your juices too much—we don’t want them to evaporate…
To get 80 g of clementine juice, you’ll need 2 large clementines.
Other than that, these two preparations shouldn’t give you any trouble. And if you have any questions, just leave a comment and I’ll be happy to reply!
Required utensils:
A small saucepan,
A whisk,
A fine mesh strainer,
An immersion blender,
A silicone mold with 7 cm diameter half-sphere cavities,
An electric whisk,
A piping bag,
and a round tip size 10.
That’s it, friends! I’ve told you everything! Now let’s head to the kitchen, put on that apron, and make my Easter chocolate and citrus shells.
The recipe, Chef!
Easter Chocolate and Citrus Shells
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Loading...Ingredients
- Clementine Cream
- 1/2 sheet of gelatin (1 g)
- 80 g clementine juice
- 22 g butter
- 1 egg
- 35 g sugar
- Shells
- 160 g chocolate (milk or dark)
- Citrus Mousse
- 1 sheet of gelatin (2 g)
- 30 g orange juice
- 20 g grapefruit juice
- 70 g white chocolate
- 200 g heavy cream
- 10 g sugar
- 10 g mascarpone
- Zest of half a lime
Instructions
Clementine Cream
Soak the half sheet of gelatin in cold water to soften it.
In your saucepan (preferably with a thick bottom), combine the clementine juice, sugar, and butter. Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat (3 out of 6) while whisking.
Add the egg and cook over higher heat (4 out of 6), whisking a bit more vigorously for about 2 minutes. Your cream should start to thicken.
Remove from heat when your whisk leaves visible trails in the cream.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove any solids.
Add the squeezed gelatin sheet.
Blend with an immersion blender.
Transfer to a piping bag and chill your cream in the fridge for at least 40 minutes.
Shells
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave by heating for 30 seconds, stirring, then heating for another 30 seconds. Stir again.
Repeat this process until the chocolate is fully melted.
Coat the cavities of your mold (you can use a pastry brush), making sure the layer is even.
Let cool in the refrigerator.
Citrus Mousse
Soak the gelatin sheet in cold water to soften it.
Melt the white chocolate in the microwave by heating for 30 seconds, stirring, then heating for another 30 seconds.
Heat the orange juice and grapefruit juice in a saucepan without bringing to a boil.
Off the heat, add the squeezed gelatin sheet.
Pour everything over the white chocolate and mix until smooth and well combined.
Set aside at room temperature.
Whip the heavy cream into a soft whipped cream. When you start seeing trails, add the sugar and mascarpone.
Gently fold the citrus chocolate mixture (slightly warm) into the whipped cream using a spatula.
Finishing
Unmold your shells and place them on your serving dish.
Pour the citrus mousse into your chocolate shells.
Pipe the clementine cream on top.
Add a few pieces of orange segments.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve!
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