Art in Chocolate

We've talked a lot about art in its various forms in the past few Marmelade Gypsy posts -- the paintings of the Detroit Institute of Arts, the art of incredible music from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the art of the restored home at the Whitney and Diego Rivera's mural.

But the art is in the every day -- and eating is something we do every day. (And chocolate is something we might want to eat every day!)

Each year the Michigan State University Museum hosts a decadent chocolate party, during which vendors bring samples of all sorts of chocolate confections (and a few other things!) for us to sample.

There is also a chocolate sculpture contest (I couldn't tell you who won, but I'm thrilled to show you the entries!)

But first, I volunteered at the demo room, where Gayle, the pastry chef from our convention center, showed how to make a number of things using three basic ingredients.

Those ingredients are cream, chocolate and an egg yolk, and the proportions are 1/2 c. cream, 1/2 c. chocolate and 1 egg yolk. She demonstrated how you heat the cream to boiling and mix in a bit with the beaten yolk to cook it, whisking like a crazy person. And adding the chocolate. This mixture can then be used as the flavor base for a mousse, a truffle, or as a dessert filling.

We had the opportunity to sample chocolate truffles and white chocolate cream puffs with chocolate ganache...

...and other treats she had prepared before we arrived.

I also learned from her that to keep a ganache shiny, a bit of corn syrup and some good vanilla will do the trick!

She also spoke of a pre-cooked powdered corn starch that she uses in place of gelatin to help give volume to the chocolate mixture in a mousse, and the ease and importance of using scoops for just about everything!

Then on to the party! Here are the sculptures -- all based on the museum's current exhibit "Cabinet of Curiosities."


Each brought a different spin to the story, with working drawers and cabinets.

Even the details were carefully created.

We also tasted from the seven vendors, enjoyed raspberry dessert wines and all in all, came home overloaded on a chocolate high!

All this, and I learned we have a new crepe restaurant in East Lansing.

This could be trouble...

Masks -- Something Sweet

And you thought just because I stuck another post or two in there that I was done talking about masks!

Ah, you'll have to endure a few more mask posts over the course of the next year! And here is another.

Do you like this one?

How about this?

Or this one?

Perhaps you'd like to wear this one to a masked ball!!

And if you did, someone might bite your nose off!

You see, these are all made from chocolate!

All of these masks -- and the sculptures on which they are displayed -- were crafted from chocolate for the MSU Museum's annual chocolate party. In addition to having vendors from area candy shops and bakeries offer samples of everything, ranging from mousse to turtles, fudge to cupcakes, truffles to scones -- and everything in between -- a number of pastry chefs create these chocolate sculptures.

I confess, I love a good cooking contest. "Next Food Network Star" is my favorite show on TV and if I happen to turn on and catch "Chopped," "Worst Cooks in America" or "Iron Chef," I am a willing captive. One I always find amazing are the cake challenges, where everyone is working to a theme.

Well, this theme worked big time. I can't tell you who won -- we didn't stay that long.

(After all, all that chocolate can be a bit too much! Really, it can!)

Then there is the panic of "what if I run into my Weight Watchers leader?" (Of course, she'd probably think the same thing!) And I'd probably grab one of those masks, put it on my face and just keep walking!

But it was a delightful event, and I had to share these beautiful creations with you. After all, you deserve something sweet! Or even a rose!

I really need to find some of that metallic looking powder -- beautiful!