Chocolate Cornucopia

Make the chocolate fruits: Use a ladle to fill a fruit mold with white chocolate . When it is full, empty it into the bowl of chocolate. The inside of the mold should be evenly coated with chocolate. Wipe the edge of the mold clean on the side of the bowl and place it upside down on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Once the chocolate starts to harden, about 5 minutes, scrape the edge clean with a paring knife. Repeat to make as many fruits as you will need for your centerpiece. For my centerpiece, I used lemons, pears, oranges, bananas, pineapples and apples. When the chocolate has set, remove the fruits from the molds. Make the leaves: Use a pastry brush dipped in white chocolate to coat one side of the plastic leaf. Allow the chocolate to set and then peel off the plastic leaf. Repeat to make as many leaves as you would like. Use the same technique to make smaller leaves for the pineapple stem. Assemble the pineapple stem. I used a plastic dome mold to give my pineapple stem its final shape. You could also use a small glass bowl. Place a small dollop of white chocolate in the bottom of the mold. Add leaves resting the ends in the chocolate and the tops along the side of the bowl. Add another layer. Continue this process to make as big of a stem as you like. When the chocolate has set, pop the stem out of the mold. Paint the fruit and the leaves: If you use an airbrush, simply place a few drops of color in the receptacle of the airbrush and decorate as you are inspired. Use an airbrush to paint the pineapple stem and the leaves green. Use tempered chocolate to adhere the stem to the top of the pineapple. Paint each of the fruit, as you are inspired to do so. Make a base: Place metal rulers on a parchment paper lined surface so they form an open space that measures about 24½ by 16 inches. If you don’t have metal rulers, you could also use modeling clay or wood rulers. Place a very large cake ring or a round of aluminum flashing that is 13½ inches in diameter inside the space. Pour tempered dark chocolate inside the ring and open space to form a 1/2-inch-thick layer. When the chocolate has set, remove the ring and the rulers and peel off the parchment paper. The ring is inside but separate from the rest of the base so you can move the finished cornucopia to any position. Make the base supports: Place metal rulers on a parchment paper lined surface so they form an open square that measures about 8 inches. Pour tempered chocolate inside the space to form a 1/2-inch-thick layer. When the chocolate begins to set but is not yet hard, use a knife to cut a line that resembles 3 half circles end to end. The curves in this piece match the curves in the mold of the cornucopia. When we are ready to set the cornucopia in place, it will rest on these triangles. When the chocolate has set, remove the rulers and peel off the parchment paper.