i've heard of many chocoholics...

...but I ain't ever seen no 'chocohol'. We got an epidemic, people: people who like chocolate and don't understand word endings. They're probably 'overwork-aholled'.

-Demetri Martin, Comedian

I've taken up a lover and his name is chocolate (He has yet to meet the parents. But I think they'd approve). Over the past week or so, I've been lusting over chocolate desserts. Last Thursday, I made these delicious truffle tarts with a raspberry surprise in the middle. They are quite a fantastic way to use up that old box of Fudge-Os.

Today, some friends came over to bake these heavenly molten lava cakes. Rich and satisfying, these are best served straight out of the oven. We had a few timing issues, but this is a rather forgiving recipe. Although the bottom of the cakes were a little undercooked, those ooey gooey chocolate centres made us overlook the mistake. Now if only chocolate could hide all of our mistakes...

Butter, chocolate and egg yolks - just a heart attack waiting to happen

At this point, I was tempted to eat the batter itself!

Garnishing the molten cakes with strawberries...

All ready to eat!

I just love taking glamour shots of food.

Paula Deen's Molten Lava Cake

Ingredients (makes about 6 servings)

I've converted some of the weights to fit the metric system. Darn Imperialists.

• 170 g bittersweet chocolate
  
• 50 g milk chocolate
  
• 150 mL butter
  
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
  
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp flavoured liqueur (we used Grand Marnier, but I'd also like to try it with Chambord)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Grease 6 ramekins.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave in 15 second spurts, stirring occasionally.
4. Whisk in flour and sugar to chocolate mixture.
5. Stir in eggs and egg yolks, blend at low power until smooth.
6. Add in vanilla and orange liqueur.
7. Divide the batter into the ramekins and bake for 17 minutes (the original recipe calls for 14 minutes, but ours were still a little too runny. This is the step the requires the most precision, so you may have to play around with your timing to get it right.)
8. Loosen the sides of the cake with a knife, and invert ramekin onto a plate.
   
9. Garnish with strawberries, and enjoy!
   

secrets from the recipe box I: truffle making

From top:
Dark Chocolate Orange Truffle (dark chocolate ganache with orange extract, enrobed in white chocolate); Hazelnut Chai Truffle (milk chocolate ganache with hazelnuts and chai tea, rolled in cocoa powder); Peppermint Crunch Truffle (mint chocolate ganache with crushed candy cane pieces, enrobed in dark chocolate); Sugar and Spice Truffle (milk/dark chocolate ganache with cinnamon and nutmeg, rolled in turbinado sugar);

I received the most adorable recipe box as a Christmas present this year, and I've already begun to fill it with some of my most cherished (read: foolproof) recipes. Today I thought I'd share my yearly Christmas tradition*... truffle making! I've found a lot a random truffle recipes online and in cookbooks, but this one that I've adapted from a Sobeys catalog seems to have the best consistency. Not to mention it is practically foolproof (unlike those chocolate covered cherries we tried to make last year, eh Steph?)

*this is the second time I've made truffles at Christmastime, thus officiating it as a "yearly tradition".

Foolproof Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients (makes about 18 small truffles)

• 150 grams good-quality chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup 35% whipping cream
• flavouring agents - cinnamon, nutmeg, flavoured liqueurs, peppermint extract, orange extract, the possibilities are only limited by your creativity!
• fine cocoa powder for coating
  
• optional: chocolate for coating truffles
  

Directions

1. Heat the whipping cream in a small saucepan, until bubbles just begin to break the surface.
2. Pour heated whipping cream over chopped chocolate.
3. LET SIT 5 MINUTES (this step is extremely important! Otherwise, the layers will separate and you will be left with a oily, gooey mess. I would know - this has happened to me twice...damn my impatience!)
   
4. Stir the whipping cream and chopped chocolate until mixture (called ganache) is smooth. If you are adding any flavouring agents, now would be the time to mix them in.
   
5. Refrigerate for 1.5-2 hours, or until ganache is hardened.
6. With a melon-baller, scoop out small balls of ganache and roll into a ball with your hands.
7. Roll the ganache in cocoa powder until completely covered.
8. If you would like to cover the truffle in a coat of chocolate, skip step 7. Instead, heat the chocolate in a double boiler (or in a microwave at low power, in spurts of about 30 s). With a small spoon, dip the ganache ball into the melted chocolate until completely coated. Set on wax paper and refrigerate until chocolate has hardened.