Zorra of Kochtopf has organized a special Valentine’s Day recipe round up (drinks, desserts, main courses and even menus). I wanted to participate by making a simple treat – chocolate-covered cherries. What could be simpler than that?

Well, I thought it would be easy enough to make. However, as usual, I had another cooking adventure.

Basically you soak maraschino cherries in brandy, dip them into melted chocolate, and viola – it’s ready.

I bought the stemmed cherries yet when I removed them from the jar; I found that half of the stems had fallen off.

The recipe calls for melting chocolate squares in a pan, using a candy thermometer. I don’t have one of those. Is it really important to use a thermometer for melting chocolate? Someone please tell me.

Since this was my first time, melting chocolate and the recipe doesn’t clarify the process, I didn’t know there was a special way to melt them. I used semi sweet chocolate chips and a bar of milk chocolate and simply put it in the pan under medium to high heat. Mistake #1.

The chocolate chips and chocolate bar that I used

After a while I noticed that instead of turning into a nice smooth brown consistency, my chocolate started to dry up, looking like a crusty porous, looking-like chocolate bread.

I took it off the stovetop and decided to put it into the microwave. I figured that it would melt faster. Mistake #2.

I left it in the microwave for a minute. Mistake #3.

When I opened the microwave door, billows of smoke swirled out and spread throughout the kitchen and out towards the hallway ceiling, where the smoke alarm is located. Please, please don’t set it off, I prayed.

I tried to fan the smoke away and moved the bowl of burnt chocolate to the stovetop. Now, it looked liked a charcoal remnant of volcano lava. The only thing missing was that tinge of red glowing fire underneath the black substance.

Soon a chorus of “What’s burning?” sounded.

“Nothing!” I replied.

“I smell something burning!”

“Nothing’s burning!”

We had to open all the windows in the apartment, including the bathroom. Burnt chocolate doesn’t smell good.

My burnt chocolate also known as lava rock

What should I do? Give up and eat plain cherries? No, I didn’t think so.

I still had half a bag of chocolate chips and half a chocolate bar left. Hope still remained. Determined to make my Cordial Cherries, I tried to figure out what I’d done wrong with the melted chocolate. I looked at the back of the chocolate chips bag and realized that it had instructions for different types of uses, including melting chocolate.

What was the secret? Well, not really a secret, since it was printed clearly for all to see – add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the chocolate and heat under very low heat, stirring, and occasionally removing the pot from the heat and returning it back to the stove top. Ahhh! My chocolate melted beautifully without problem.

Melted chocolate — success the second time around

Now came the easy part: Dipping the cherries into the chocolate. For the cherries without stems, I’d read someone’s suggestion of sticking toothpicks into the cherries. It worked very well.

The recipe also calls for soaking the cherries in Brandy. I didn’t do that but my chocolate covered cherries still tasted good.

Paz

Here’s the recipe below from Southern Living, February 2002:

Cordial Cherries

1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries with stems ½ cup brandy (optional) 1 (8-ounce) package semisweet chocolate baking squares, chopped Drain maraschino cherries, and return to jar. Pour brandy, if desired, in jar; cover with a lid, and freeze 8 hours. Drain cherries, and pat dry, reserving brandy for another use.

Melt two-thirds of chocolate baking squares in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until a candy thermometer reaches 115°. Remove from heat; add remaining chocolate, and stir until candy thermometer reaches 89° and chocolate is smooth.

Dip cherries quickly into melted chocolate, coating well. Place cherries on wax paper, stem sides up, and cool.

Yield: 2 ½ dozen

Note: Brandy-soaked cherries can be left in the freezer for up to two days before you dip them into the chocolate.