A good egg.

Who knows? But consider the jaw-drop vital statistics of the ultimate Easter egg on view at the Peninsula Hotel: three pastry chefs, 48 hours and 45 pounds of chocolate.

The result stands three feet tall and boasts enough hand-made candy flowers and butterflies to fill a small army of Easter baskets.

Executive pastry chef Deden Putra knows a thing or two about heroic,  look-but-don’t-nibble hotel pastries. He wowed guests in the lobby at Christmas with twin reindeer and a sleigh fashioned from lollipops.  I caught up with Deden and asked him about his latest creation.

What was your inspiration for the egg?

Spring with its cheery colors, good energy and fresh spirit.

What was the biggest challenge creating it?

Transporting the finished product from the kitchen to the lobby. (more…)

A good egg.

Whenever a holiday rolls around, we head to Jumeriah Essex House in the hope of seeing a grand-scale edible work of art. Last Christmas a 10-foot-tall tree constructed from 500 lbs. of white chocolate commanded a corner of the lobby. The year before, a minutely detailed rendering of the hotel in gingerbread doubled as a mouth-watering photo op.

And with Easter nearly upon us? The lobby and adjoining South Gate restaurant are showcasing Faberge eggs rendered in chocolate. Two of the eggs are three feet tall and weigh 35 lbs. All are gorgeous. And yes, they’re edible, but really, it’s much more fun to look at them. (And the signs say Do Not Touch.)

We asked Deden Putra, executive pastry chef at the hotel, all about eggs, crafting art out of chocolate and whether those creations ever get eaten. (more…)