Food Network: Gelatin Molded Champagne Bottle

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Gelatin Molded Champagne Bottle
Recipe courtesy Jacques Torres

Ingredients
Bottle Mold and Chocolate Bottle:
800 grams (1 3/4 pounds or 5 1/2 cups) gelatin powder
10 1/2 cups water
11 1/2 cups sugar
32 ounces bittersweet chocolate, tempered

Decorated Label and Gold Top:
4 ounces white chocolate plastic
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
Cocoa butter
Powdered food coloring, as needed
Edible gold dust
Fruit-flavored liqueur

Special Equipment, see source link for information:

Silkscreen kit
Aluminum flashing
Champagne bottle

Directions
For the Bottle Mold: Combine the gelatin and water in the bowl and let
bloom. Add the sugar and place the bowl over a double boiler. Melt until the gelatin and sugar are
dissolved and the mixture is smooth and clear. Skim the top, if necessary, and discard.

To make the container in which you will create the gelatin bottle mold, you will need a piece of
aluminum flashing that is at least 3 inches longer than the height of the bottle and wide enough to
wrap around the bottle 1 1/2 times. Curve the flashing, creating a container the bottle can lay in
with at least 1-inch of space on all sides. Seal the open sides completely with duct tape and tape a
wooden spoon or spatula along the top of the flashing on each side to add extra rigidity to the
mold. The final product should look like the template.

Pour a 1-inch thick layer of the hot gelatin liquid into the bottom of the mold. Place in the
refrigerator and allow to set. When the gelatin is very firm, remove from the refrigerator. Heat the

remaining gelatin so it is a liquid consistency if it has started to solidify. Place the champagne
bottle on top of the firm gelatin. Pour the remaining gelatin liquid over the bottle, covering the
top by about 1-inch. Let this sit until the gelatin begins to gel. Move it to the refrigerator and
allow to set until the gelatin is very firm. When it is firm, remove it from the refrigerator cut
the duct tape on the ends and peel away the aluminum flashing so you are left with only the bottle
completely encased in gelatin. Using a sharp paring knife, slice the mold the long way into two
identical halves. Remove the champagne bottle.

For the Chocolate Bottle: Fill one half of the mold with chocolate. Place a wire rack so it sits on
top of (not inside) a deep roasting pan. Overturn the filled mold onto the wire rack. The excess
chocolate will drain from the mold. Allow the chocolate to set slightly. This is important because
once the chocolate starts to harden, about 5 minutes, scrape the edge clean with a paring knife.
When the chocolate sets, it shrinks or retracts from the sides of the mold. A clean edge will keep
it from sticking and cracking as it shrinks. You can place the mold in the refrigerator for several
minutes to help the chocolate to harden. Repeat with the other half of the mold. Unmold both
chocolate bottle halves by pulling the gelatin away from the chocolate. If you are not going to fill
the bottle with candies or truffles, use tempered chocolate to glue the two halves together to
create the bottle.

For the Decorated Label: You can either paint the label freehand or use a silk screen kit. Either
way, start by using a rolling pin to roll the chocolate plastic about 1/8-inch thick. If you are
going to paint freehand, use a paring knife to cut a square the size of the label you would like to
make. Mix up your paints by combining the cocoa butter and the powdered food coloring in a 6-to-1
ratio, respectively. Add the cocoa butter slowly until you achieve a medium thickness. The best way
to store and warm your paints while you are using them is in a yogurt machine. Use a paintbrush to
paint the label.

If you are using a silk screen kit, start by melting the unsweetened chocolate over a double boiler.
Hold the silk screen over the rolled out chocolate plastic. Using a plastic scraper with a straight
edge, apply about a teaspoon of melted chocolate to the silkscreen, and gently pull it across the
design. Carefully lift off the silk screen. It will dry almost immediately. Using a paring knife,
cut out the label.

For the Gold Top: Combine the gold dust with the liqueur in a 6-to-1 ratio, respectively. Use the
gold paint to coat the top of the bottle to represent the gold foil typically found on champagne
bottles.

Directions
*Please note: If you are planning to use a silk screen kit to make the
label, this should be the first thing you do. Using a silk screen kit involves getting the label
design transferred to a silk screen, which can take days to weeks, depending on the manufacturer of
your kit.

Directions
How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You
Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):

Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again
without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top
of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.

One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the
microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very
careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees

F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and
milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of
lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an
immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize,
along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A
glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.

Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted
chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the
temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an
immersion blender for this, or a whisk.

The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is
poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a
spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins
to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed
thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too
high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is

reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.

A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper
or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and
show a good gloss within a few minutes.