Valentine's Day Project: Chocolate Liver

“This is the Liver vein which makes flesh a deity” Loves Labors Lost, iv.3.70

The above quote is from Loves Labors Lost, spoken by Berowne (or Biron depending on which edition you're reading) after hearing a poem Longaville wrote for a woman he only recently meet, commenting on the lustful origins of Longaville’s heartfelt ehhem, I mean liverfelt sonnet. 

Shakespeare referenced the liver several times in his romances, and indeed this symbol was nothing new.  For centuries the liver had been revered as the undisputed seat of passion.  Apart of the ‘humor’ system of medicine (more popularly known for the common therapy of blood letting) the liver and the stomach were two organs thought to be able to convert food into ‘humor’ (it was believed an imbalance of one of the four humors, phlegm, blood, black bile and yellow bile, could cause illness) and were regarding as the seats of passion.  Conversely, coward’s liver was thought to contain no blood at all and was thus pale, or ‘lily livered.’  Really, the ancients had good reason for recognizing this massive-blob-like-maroon-colored organ.  Its smack dab in the middle of the abdominal cavity, is the largest organ in the human body (other than the skin) and is the only internal organ that can regenerate itself!  Not to mention the bile that leaks from the gallbladder allows us to digest all that wonderful greasy food.  So really the liver is pretty worthy symbol of love.

For such a long standing tradition the Liver as a symbol of lust sure is all but forgotten today.  I asked my Biology professor if he knew anything about the tradition and he looked confused.  So in honor of Shakespeare, Galen, the Renaissance, and pre-Modern Medicine I am bringing back the Lover Liver this year for Valentine’s Day.  That’s right; I’m making a chocolate liver.

To make my chocolate liver I used an amazing product called Silicone Plastique, a product  my Mom, a seasoned cake decorator, recommended.  Its completely food safe, easy to use and the end product is durable, washable and reusable  It is a bit pricey per pound, however once you have it the possibilities are endless.

Materials:

Sculpting clay- I used the cheapest stuff I could find at Micheals

A cookie Sheet

Sculpting tools (optional and again I used the cheapest set I could find at about $2)

Silicone Plastique

Chocolate Chips

The hardest part about this project is sculpting the liver out of clay in order to make the mold.  My recommendation is to have one picture to reference.  On the cookie sheet make the liver in two parts with your hands, the right and left lobes- it doesn’t have to be perfect, and of course if you mess up you can just ball it up and start over.  Use the tools to refine the shape and lines.  To make my palm sized liver I used about one and one half 2”x2” blocks of clay.  Note:  The clay will be hard, but I broke the block into smaller pieces and squished it flat, then rolled it into a ball, adding a little bit at a time.

Once you have your liver take out your silicon plastique materials.  There are two components to this product and you will need to measure out equal parts of each.  I just eyeballed it myself.  The silicone plastique is a lot like silly putty in feel and will not stick to your hands.  Taking both parts, knead together until the color is homogenous.  Once mixed you have about 10 minutes to get around your form.  Start with a small amount around the details to make sure the putty picks up all of the smaller details.  The add a liberal amount around the entire clay sculpture making sure go over the edges and making sure the mold is thick enough all around.  Mine was approximately a quarter inch thick to half and inch.  There is a tutorial on the Silicon Plastique website here.  The instructions said to let it cure (harden) for at least an hour, but I found my liver needed at least four hours, and for good measure I let it sit overnight.

Once the mold has set the clay liver should pop right out.  Wash your mold and it is ready to go!  For my chocolate liver I kept things simple.  I melted chocolate chips in the microwave and then scooped them into mold.  I let it refrigerate over night and the next day it easily came out of the Plastique mold, and now you have a beautifully formed liver favor to give your sweet someone.