Food Network: Las Vegas Centerpiece

	Print 3x5 Recipe Cards
	Print this recipe out and cut along the dotted lines to add this 3x5 recipe card to your personal collection.

Las Vegas Centerpiece
Recipe courtesy Jacques Torres

Ingredients
48 ounces white chocolate, tempered
Cocoa butter, melted
Powdered food coloring, as needed
48 ounces bittersweet chocolate, tempered

Special Equipment, see source link for information:
Acetate sheets
Textured plastic
Transfer sheet
14 to 18-inch round aluminum disposable deli tray

Directions
For the Castle Turrets: Cut a strip of acetate that is
6 1/2 by 18-inches, and spread an 1/8-inch thick layer of white chocolate onto it.
Let the chocolate set until firm yet pliable, but not hard. Next, roll it,
chocolate inside, lengthwise into a long tube, but not overlapping the chocolate.
Tape it closed, place in the refrigerator and allow the chocolate to set
completely. When set, remove from the refrigerator, and peel off the acetate.
Using a hot serrated chef's knife, cut the tube into 1 (8-inch) long tube and 2
(5-inch) long tubes. Set aside.

For the Conical Roof Tops: Cut two circles of acetate that are each 7 inches in
diameter and one that is 6 inches in diameter. Make a 3 1/2-inch cut toward the
center in both of the 7-inch circles, and a 3-inch cut in the 6-inch circle.
Overlap the two cut sides of each circle to make a cone shape and tape it closed.

Mix the cocoa butter with the powdered food coloring to the desired consistency
and paint the inside of the mold. (It is best to use yogurt machine to store and
warm your paints.) Using a ladle, fill the cone with white chocolate. When it is
full, empty the excess back into the bowl of chocolate. The inside of the cone
should be evenly coated. Wipe the edge of the plastic cone clean and place it
upside down on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Once the chocolate starts to harden,
about 5 minutes, scrape the edge of the cone clean again with a paring knife. You
can place the cone in the refrigerator for several minutes to help the chocolate
to harden. Repeat with the other cones. When the chocolate sets, peel off the
acetate. Set the cones aside.

For the Dice: Place an acetate sheet on your work surface with the long side
facing you. Using an offset spatula, spread about a 1/4-inch-thick layer of white
chocolate onto the sheet and wait until the chocolate begins to set. Using a

rolling cutter or hot sharp chef's knife, cut equal size squares in the amount and
size desired. (You will need 6 squares for each die.) When the chocolate has set,
carefully peel away the acetate. It should release from the chocolate quite
easily. Use white chocolate to glue the squares together to form the cube. Fill a
cornet with bittersweet chocolate and draw the dots on the dice.

For the Roulette Numbers: You will need to perform the following process once
using white chocolate and once using bittersweet chocolate. Place an acetate sheet
on your work surface with the long side facing you. Using an offset spatula,
spread about a 1/4-inch-thick layer of chocolate onto the acetate sheet. Wait
until the chocolate begins to set. Using a rolling cutter or hot sharp chef's
knife, cut squares in proportion to your castle. When the chocolate has set,
carefully peel away the sheet. It should release from the chocolate quite easily.
Fill a cornet with bittersweet chocolate and draw the numbers onto the

squares.

Directions
For the Playing Cards: Place an acetate sheet on your
work surface with the long side facing you. Using an offset spatula, spread about
a 1/4-inch-thick layer of white chocolate onto the sheet. Wait until the chocolate
begins to set, then using a rolling cutter or hot sharp chef's knife, cut 2 1/4 by
3 1/2-inch rectangles. When the chocolate has set, carefully peel away the card.
It should release quite easily. Using a small paintbrush and cocoa butter paints,
paint the faces on the cards.

For the Castle Walls: place a piece of textured plastic on the work surface in
front of you. Using an offset spatula, spread about a 1/4-inch-thick layer of
white chocolate onto the acetate sheet. Let the chocolate set until firm yet

pliable but not hard. Carefully peel away the sheet. It should release from the
chocolate quite easily. Using the tip of a hot paring knife, cut the desired
design at the top of wall.

For the Sparklers: Place a transfer sheet on your work surface with the long side
facing you. Using an offset spatula, spread about a 1/4 inch-thick layer of white
chocolate onto the transfer sheet, completely covering the design. Allow the
chocolate to set. Using the tip of a paring knife or cookie cutters, cut out
whatever shape you desire. Let set completely. Remove the parchment paper and set
aside. To make the sticks, roll up a piece of parchment paper tightly, tape it
closed and stand it up on end inside the tube inside a roll of paper towels. Fill
the parchment paper with white chocolate and allow it to harden. When hardened,
peel off the parchment paper and "glue" the top of the sparkler to the stick with
white chocolate.

For the Base: Overturn the deli tray and, using a clean wide paintbrush dipped in
bittersweet chocolate, completely cover the outside of the tray, sides and all.
Allow the chocolate to set and apply as many coats as needed to create a 1/3-inch
thick coating. Allow the chocolate to set completely. Turn the tray back over and
carefully lift it away from the chocolate.

To Assemble: Set the base right-side up on the work surface in front of you.
Position the roulette wheel squares along the edge about half way around the
circle, alternating dark and white. Use a cornet filled with bittersweet chocolate
to glue each piece into place. Position the turrets as desired. Use bittersweet
chocolate to glue each piece into place. Glue on the roofs. Add the walls between
each turret and glue into place. Decorate with the dice and cards as
desired.

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.