Newbie Gourmet

Monday is date-night for me and my hubby, which is basically just one day a week when we agree to be extra nice to each other and either he or I make dinner (or go out) and watch a movie or work on something together. It's just a very relaxing evening for the both of us.

Tonight, I made the dinner and we had, amongst other things, some feta cheese-stuffed mushrooms with balsamic vinegar...but of course there was dessert afterwards. I mean, this is me, people.

Dessert was a very basic (and therefore date-night appropriate) but nonetheless delicious chocolate truffle recipe, which I've made from various recipes I've tried over the years. These truffles remind me of Lindt truffles, the way a hard chocolate shell gives way to the melt-in-your-mouth chocolate inside. They are very rich, so you only need to eat two or three before you've had your fill. They keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, though, so I don't see a need to reduce the recipe.

Ten-Minute Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

10 oz. semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or bar
2 1/2 c. unsalted butter

1 c. milk chocolate chips or bar

Toppings*

*Toppings can be anything you imagine. For the picture, I used Andes mint baking chips, but you can use crushed nuts, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or anything else.

Preparation:

Put the butter in a medium bowl and microwave for one minute, or until melted. Stir in the semi-sweet chocolate with a spoon until completely melted, about two minutes. The mixture should look like chocolate syrup. Refrigerate for thirty minutes, or until completely solid.

When the mixture is solid, use a melon baller or better yet, a tiny scoop, to form the hard chocolate mix into balls and place on a Silpat (or plastic wrap--something nonstick). I usually have to resort to rolling the balls in my hands to make them round. Smaller balls are better because these are rich.

Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave for a minute, or until melted, stirring every thirty seconds. Use a fork to lift the semi-sweet chocolate balls and dip them completely in the milk chocolate. Then transfer them back to the Silpat. Let sit for two minutes, then dip again in the chocolate. Repeat. You want three coats of milk chocolate shell. On the third dipping, sprinkle on your topping of choice before the coating sets.

Refrigerate or eat and enjoy. They are delicious and decadent.