These gorgeous chocolate filled quails eggs are an adaptation from Rococo Praline Hen’s Eggs – from the gorgeous book Rococo; Mastering the Art of Chocolate by Chantal Coady.
Easter was always a really big deal when we were growing up – the Easter egg hunt all around the farm became legendary. Easter Sunday begins with a giant breakfast of boiled eggs and soldiers (toast cut in strips for dipping) and lots and lots of chocolate Easter eggs. The table is crowded with chocolates in every shape and size – including a giant chocolate rabbit from Rococo. Brian Boylan would arrive from across the river with baskets of goodies purchased in London at the Rococo shop – he and Chantal Coady (the founder of Rococo) are great friends. The distinctive packaging of Rococo chocolates – the white boxes with the deep blue fish, shells and bunnies from chocolate moulds really remind me of Easter at the farm.
So let’s get back to the Rococo praline filled hen’s eggs.
To prepare the eggs
30 quail eggs
18 large, fresh organic eggs
Spring loaded egg topper
Syringe – I used a flavor syringe
1. Using a pin and the syringe make two holes at the top and bottom of the quail’s egg. Make the hole at wide end of the egg slightly larger and insert the pin and break up the yolk inside. Insert the syringe full of air into the top hole and gentle push the air into the egg to push the egg white and yolk out. This has to be done with a mixture of force and gentle persuasion – you want to get the insides out without cracking the egg. (Save the cracked eggs – once they are filled with the praline it’s hard to see that they are cracked.) When all the egg is out insert a syringe full of warm soapy water to wash out the inside. Rinse well by syringing in with warm water and then place eggs on a wire rack. Heat the oven to 250 F and place the blown quails eggs, bottoms down, in the oven to dry out all the water for about 10 minutes.
2. I bought an egg topper.
You can see from my first egg (top left hand corner) that it took an egg to get the technique down. It’s a very tricky gadget – you pull back on the stopper and it hits the egg and the vibrations cut into the shell. Supposedly the top comes away leaving a neat edge – it wasn’t easy. I had to use a sharp knife to prize off the top. Set aside the 18 egg whites and yolks to use in another recipe – omelets, meringues, custard, lemon curd or ice cream all spring to mind. If you want to just make 6 eggs you obviously don’t have to top 18 – but it means you can select the most perfect shells!
2. Wash the egg shells and boil them in a large pan for 10 minutes with some blue dye. Dry the shells on a rack and make sure all the membranes on the inside are removed. Select you 6 best egg shells.
To make the praline
250g whole hazelnuts
2 tablespoons baking soda
100g good quality milk chocolate (405 cocoa solids)
30g cocoa butter
200g confectioners sugar
1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 F. De-skin the hazelnuts by placing them in a small pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and add the baking soda. Boil for 5 minutes then drain (the water will be black) and cool under running water. The skins will rub off. Spread the hazelnuts out on a large baking tray and roast for 10 minutes until golden brown.
2. Place the chocolate and the cocoa butter in a bowl and microwave (or use a bain-marie) on low until it melts and reaches 104-113 F.
3. Place the hazelnuts in the food processor with the confectioners sugar and process until the oils from the nuts releases and it forms a paste. This takes about 10 minutes and requires you to scrape down the bowl as you go. If the machine starts to overheat stop and let it cool down.
4. Add the melted chocolate and cocoa butter to the hazelnut paste and process to combine. Transfer to a bowl and then cool the mixture down to 75 F.
To fill the eggs
1. Using a teaspoon fill the syringe with the praline and insert directly (no need to use the needle) into the larger hole at the base of the quails eggs. Gentle push the praline into the egg until it starts coming out of the top little hole.
2. Chill the filled eggs in the refrigerator. Give as gifts in pretty boxes – I used Didier’s paper shredder to make pretty pink nests using tissue paper. I think he’s been watching too much Argo because he was concerned about me using the paper that was already shredded!
3. Place the rest of the praline in a ziplock sandwich bag, snip the corner and use like a piping bag to fill the hens eggs about 1/2 full. The eggs below are too full – the praline is extremely rich and when I serve this for breakfast on Easter morning I will put much less in each egg shell.
The praline should be room temperature rather than cold from the refrigerator – for that rich creamy consistency. You can quickly heat the egg filled praline if it’s cold from being stored in the refrigerator in the microwave.
This would be great as a dessert – with something salty – In the book Coady suggests crispy bacon dipped in chocolate to dip – I’m going to skip dipping the bacon in chcoolate and simply dip it in the praline.
I raced out today to buy more quails eggs – ready to fill for Easter brunch.
Wow, Lucy – what an accomplishment. Have a great Easter!
BTW – your passover dinner looked spectacular!
Lucy I am literally ” blown away” by these eggs! Wow, now that is what I call an Easter Breakfast! So wonderful that you can bring something into your Easter celebration that reminds you of your home – what a wonderful new “tradition” to share with your family (and I think it will definitely become a “tradition” because I can’t imagine your family not clamoring for those praline eggs every year!!)
Wish I’d thought of the blown away pun sooner – brilliant!
Lucy, I love your description of the farm in Devon and your efforts to uphold such wonderful traditions! Can I come to your house for Easter?? I thought it was a treat to get some peeps and chocolate eggs but this is extraordinary! Challenge indeed but the Rococo praline filled hen’s eggs look divine and well worth it 🙂 Bethany
You know you are always welcome – come and help me organize the Easter bunny and a hunt for Minty, Rémy and lots of their friends.
I hope one day I will be able to make a bath of these. Just beautiful Lucy!!
I meant batch… not bath!
ha ha ha – I love the notion of bathing in praline quails eggs – or perhaps just the praline – v sticky!
Can I buy some?
Looking good Luce… Wish you were delivering some to the farm. What did you do with all the left over inside of the eggs? X
Perhaps the Easter Bunny will deliver some – saving that maybe Chantal will send an extra special choc or two avec Brian?!
Dearest Lucy,
Your egg blowing and decorating always left me feeling like a true-to-form, lesser younger sister and now this?! You surpass yourself.
I will not attempt to enter into any such challenges – Fortunately I have one Rococo praline filled hen’s egg left from last Easter that Elsie plans to sneak into Grandpapa’s egg cup… Ssshhhhh!
We miss you and await eagerly to hear and see more wonders of your Easter.
Hettie xX
This is beyond cool Lucy!! What a great post!
These are so gorgeous Lucy! I am very impressed (as always) and wish I was in LA to enjoy them personally and up close! Happy Easter! XX
I think that the new name for this should be an ‘EGG JOB”
I am so lucky to have my own. Thank you and well done!
Now I will have to think of another “Lucy challenge.”
You blew it out of the park!
Okay now I can be known as giving good egg?!
Rococo, I want everything Rococo. Who can resist such beautiful
praline eggs? The combination of hazelnuts and chocolate is my idea of perfection. I know where to come this Sunday…Happy Easter.
Hooray for Spring! And hooray for Lucy! This is so gorgeous. I am going to have to run out and buy ingredients including deluxe ribbons and foils in rich colors. This Easter Bunny is very creative and helpful. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration.
Amazing! I can’t wait to try. What a great challenge to take on! Well done! im impressed. Anything sweet, fun and exciting to do with eggs anytime of the year I love! I’m always looking for fun new exciting ideas. Thanks!
Hope you are enjoying them today. You are wonder woman and I am always in awe of your patience and creativity. xoxo
delightful. what a delicious way to start the chocolately day. days on the farm in devon sound dreamy!
Lucy, these are fantastic! So fantastic that we’ve linked to you from our blog – your pictures are gorgeous. It’s so lovely to hear your childhood memories too.
What we really want to know though is, what did you do with the 70 quail eggs?
Hope you enjoyed the eggs.
Best wishes from all at Rococo Chocolates.
I loved making these – thanks for the inspiration and recipe. I can’t wait to try more from your beautiful book. As for the 70 Quails eggs – I filled 30 with praline and the boiled the rest for 1 minute and served with salt and pepper – delicious.