DIY Network

Nature's Gifts These projects are all naturals for gift-giving. From "Creative Juice" episode DCRJ-709

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Edible Gold-Leaf Pears and Chocolates

These incredible, edible treasures are a cinch to make and taste like a million bucks.

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Edible Gold-Leaf Pears and Chocolates

Materials:

edible gold leaf sheets
vinyl or latex gloves
small paintbrush
pears, plums, grapes, strawberries, etc.
chocolates
strips of gold tissue paper (approximately ½ sheet)
20" square of clear cello
ribbon
cardstock
pear stamp
stamp pad
hole punch
optional – embossing gun & powder

1. Cut gold leaf sheets into small (approximately 2" x 2") squares (figure A). Wearing vinyl or latex gloves, place a square, gold side down, on a piece of chocolate. Use the bristle end of a small paintbrush to burnish the tissue side of the gold leaf onto the chocolate (figure B).

Figure A

Figure B

2. To apply gold leaf to a pear or other fruit, use the same technique used for the chocolate, using the smooth side of a paintbrush handle to burnish the gold sheet onto the fruit (figure C). Press any loose flakes firmly to the fruit (figure D). Highlight small areas of the fruit with smatterings of gold (figure E). Citrus fruits do not work well with gold leaf because of the high oil content in their skins.

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

3. To create a cushion for a pear, fold a strip of gold tissue in half; fold 1" accordion pleats, lengthwise, into the paper (figure F). Place the pear on one end and roll, wrapping the fruit with paper. Gather any extra paper at the bottom of the pear (figure G).

4. Place the wrapped pear in the center of a cellophane square; gather the cellophane around the pear and tie with a ribbon.

5. To create a gift tag, emboss or stamp a pear onto a piece of cardstock. Cut out the pear shape, punch a hole in the top and tie the paper pear to the bag with ribbon (figure H).

Figure F

Figure G

Figure H

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