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This 'Dragon Egg' Dessert Will Blow Your Mind

Ever Wondered How To Make A Chocolate 'Dragon Egg'? This Dessert Is Pretty Impressive

Video by Tom Compagnoni

It may seem unassuming at first, but once the Dragon Egg is cracked open before your eyes, you instantly realise why this dessert served at Saké restaurant in Double Bay is so coveted.

Creating a Saké Dragon Egg is no simple feat -- the mystical dessert takes no less than three days to make. Each step is intricate and temperature controlled, and is certainly not something many of us would want to try making at home.

The dessert’s components change seasonally, with this summer edition proving to be the most popular so far.

In a nutshell, the Dragon Egg consists of a Valrhona French premium dark chocolate shell (yes, you can eat the shell) filled with toasted chocolate crumble, edible soil, dehydrated passionfruit yoghurt chips, chocolate mousse, passionfruit curd, chocolate-coated popping candy with gold dust and mango caramel. You have to wonder how they can fit so many delicate elements in one egg. It’s beyond our imagination, and it’s stunning.

On day one the chocolate shells are made, which involves carefully tempering a large amount of silky dark chocolate. Day two requires the careful making of the intricate components that fill the egg -- the creamy chocolate mousse, tangy passionfruit curd and rich mango caramel.

“We make the eggs and each of their components fresh,” Saké Double Bay executive chef Wayne Brown told The Huffington Post Australia.

“For the chocolate mousse we make a ganache and then fold through the cream.”

The chocolate mousse is then set with the passionfruit curd, creating a fusion of summer tanginess with rich mousse, along with the other meticulously-made elements. The dehydrated passionfruit chips alone take overnight to make and marry beautifully with the passionfruit ice cream the Dragon Egg sits on.

On day three, all of the components are assembled inside the egg.

“The components need to be in the right position so when you break it open, it’s the right way up,” Brown said.

The eggs are then gently sealed and polished with a shiny chocolate glaze. To finish, a light shimmering of gold dust is sprinkled over the outside of the egg, giving it its dragon-like appearance.

Upon serving, the eggs are delivered to the table and served under a pouring of liquid nitrogen -- this makes the eggs brittle enough to break open with a spoon in a mesmerising display of chocolate decadence. It’s a sight to make even Daenerys Targaryen squeal.

Finding what elements, flavours and textures work best is a process not to be overlooked, with Sake working hard to find the best combinations.

“I like focusing on one main flavour and using different textures,” Brown said.

The Dragon Egg is exclusive to Saké Double Bay, but will be available as part of the Chef’s Signature Menu at Saké Hamer Hall in Melbourne, Saké Eagle Street Pier in Brisbane and Saké The Rocks during the long Easter weekend from Good Friday.

Get cracking: there will only be 50 available at each venue and you do not want to miss out on this visual and culinary feast.

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