Tipsy Cherries in Chocolate

Cherries from the Sour Cherry Vodka are the most extraordinary by-products I have ever been left with. After the final, straining stage in my alcohol production I discovered the leftover cherries were slightly crystallized, had a very high alcohol content and were simply addictive. I nibbled on them every time I opened the fridge, wondering what cake or confectionery they could fit into. First, I hesitated a bit with the Sour Cherry and Chocolate Pie, but finally decided to make something consumed in smaller portions (the cherries are tipsy and they make one tipsy too…). A simple combination of cherries and dark chocolate ganache resulted in wonderful adult mini – chocolates.

Apart from the amazing, very rich and strong taste, these chocolates are quick to prepare and impossible to fail. Any soft fruit infused in vodka can be used (provided it tastes good of course!). If you don’t have any home vodka leftover fruit, you can simply infuse fruit in alcohol and sugar mixture for several weeks (which will leave you with a decent home-made fruit alcohol…).

Special equipment:

mini-muffin pan/ individual forms (or any other biscuit forms)

a whisk

Preparation: 15 minutes+several hours in the fridge

Ingredients:

100g dark, good quality chocolate

100g liquid cream

approx. 400g fruit left after the Cherry Vodka preparation

Prepare the ganache. Cut the chocolate into squares and put into a shallow bowl.

Bring the cream to a boil. Put aside for one minute. Pour, still hot, on the chocolate, stirring very energetically and whisking it with a whisk. Stop when the chocolate has melted and a thick ganache is obtained.

Throw the drained cherries into the ganache and stir well.

Put the chocolate-cherry mixture into the mini-muffin pan and let it cool in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Remove the mini-muffin pan from the fridge and take the chocolates out very carefully. Present them upside down (they tend to have very unequal surface, and the bottoms are regularly shaped).