Globecooking recipe : Chocolate & Chestnut Truffle Hearts (France) #happyeggtastemakers

The Happy Egg Co made me into a Happy (Easter) Bunny this year by sending me a fabulous cookbook : Totally Chocolate by Eric Lanlard. The book promises 60 deliciously seductive recipes and after having a quick flick through, all I can say is wow, they're weren't kidding !

It is even signed by the lovely chef himself which is rather cool.

They sent through a lovely recipe for Peanut Butter & Chocolate Egg Cups that Eric Lanlard aka Cake Boy has created exclusively for The Happy Egg Co. I had every intention of making this over Easter using up the leftover Easter eggs but ... well, that's just the problem. Leftover Easter eggs? Is that even a thing ?! As I flicked through the book, I came across this recipe for Chocolate & Chestnut Truffle Hearts which leapt out at me because it uses chestnut puree.

I happen to have had a tin of chestnut purée - or crème de marrons - cluttering up the cupboard for months and had no idea what to do with it. Problem solved.

I opened it up and had a tentative taste - it's extremely sweet and has a very slight nutty flavour. Should be interesting with chocolate. Here's the recipe if you fancy giving it a go :

Eric Lanlard's Chocolate & Chestnut Truffle Hearts

ingredients :

125g dark chocolate

125g butter

30g sweetened chestnut paste

1tsp vanilla extract

2tbsp chestnut flour (I didn't have any so used plain flour)

4 Happy Egg Co eggs, separated

optional : chopped glacé chestnuts, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Break the chocolate into pieces in a bowl .

Add the butter and melt over hot water or in the microwave.

Mix in the chestnut paste and vanilla then add the (chestnut) flour. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time.

In a perfectly clean bowl, whisk up the egg whites to soft peaks and fold into the chocolate/chestnut mixture.

Divide the mixture between silicon muffin cases.

Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until a knife comes out clean.

They're quite dense but very moist and they have a pleasant chocolatey flavour with a slightly nutty undercurrent coming through. Delicious - and absolutely perfect for using up my tin of chestnut puree !

Eric Lanlard isn't the only person that The Happy Egg Co have been working with. They have also partnered up with food stylist and photographer Marte Marie Forsberg to share her top tips for making your food look as good as it tastes.

Her top tips to consider are : Light, Composition, Styling, Colour and Food. I put this into practice and took my cakes outside to make the most of the soft evening light, as well as the vibrant pink flowers on the patio.

I also had a go at composition, putting the cakes next to the recipe book and also the tin of chestnut paste.

I have to admit though, my favourite photo of the cakes is this candid one of Pierre, cheekily tucking into one behind my back while I was setting up the photos !

Disclosure : This is my entry into the #happyeggtastemakers food photography blogger challenge. I received a voucher for some Happy Eggs.

As this used up a tin of chestnut puree that has been lurking in my cupboard for ages, I'll link it up to the #KitchenClearout challenge. Fancy having a rummage in your kitchen cupboards, fridge, freezer or spice rack to see what needs using up? See what you can make with it then come and share on the #KitchenClearout linkie :)

I'm adding this to the Bloggers Around The World challenge focusing on French recipes