Inside the Egg with Pastry Chef Mauricio Santelice

“I like egg shapes. I always like the egg, so I try to create things around it. [Chef] Ralph [Scamardella] wants something that people will say, ‘OH WOW!'”

– Pastry Chef Mauricio Santelice of La Bodegra Negra

Battman had seen this beautiful egg-shaped dessert before, and decided that it needed to be captured on video for The Chef’s Connection. (We like “oh wow” desserts.) After a walk through a confusing maze of hallways, we found ourselves in the lobby of the Dream Downtown hotel, where the tiled lights on the wall provided a perfect backdrop.  Battman set up the camera, and Mauricio arrived shortly thereafter with his plate.

I held off all of my questions about exactly what it was; I wanted to be surprised. Mauricio pulled a chair up next to the counter so he could get the height he needed.

That little pitcher in his hand is full of caramel sauce. And it’s warm.

After what seemed like an eternity, he started to pour.

The white chocolate shell began to melt.

Battman moved in for a close-up.

And the white chocolate egg transformed, as it opened up like a flower, revealing the deliciousness that lurked inside. (Although the deliciousness was on the outside, too.)

After some involuntary oohing and aahing, we made sure to have Mauricio describe his creation for us, so we’d have it on record.

“The concept is to have a white chocolate egg and inside it has some dark chocolate molten cake with horchata ice cream that you can see in the center. We pour Negra Modelo caramel sauce. The effect, it will melt the dome or the chocolate egg and open it as a flower and then surprise you with all the components inside the egg.”

(Horchata is a Mexican rice milk flavored with cinnamon, and Negro Modela is a rich-tasting, robust beer brewed in Mexico.)

Then, because he’s a wonderful person, Mauricio brought out spoons and we sat down to devour every drop.

The last thing left on the plate was the scorpion-shaped chocolate, but it didn’t last long.

While we were there, we made sure to ask him his Deep Dark Secret, and get a shot of his remarkable forest-themed tattoo.

Then we sadly bid farewell to our dessert and our chef, with our bellies full of chocolate and our hearts full of gratitude.

Watch Battman’s video of Mauricio Santelice’s Don Huevo dessert.

Want to taste it for yourself? Visit La Bodega Negra.

Get the story behind Mauricio Santelice’s forest-themed tattoo.

Get the story behind Mauricio’s other tattoo.

Text and photos by Laurie Ulster