Black Forest Tartlets with Chocolate Cherries

Chocolate-dipped cherries + cherry-cream filling + chocolate cup = tasty morsel.  They were fun to eat, but they took some time to assemble.  Worth it for a Valentine's Day dessert, but I don't think we'll be making these again anytime soon.

The first step was painting chocolate layers into little foil cups.  Kate did the first round and I did the second.  We made a dozen, and I promise that the one in the photo at the top is the best of the bunch.

The second step was dipping cherries in the same chocolate.  Easy enough, but I haven't learned the trick to cooling them without a flat puddle of chocolate attached to the bottom.

The third step was making the cherry filling.  It starts by dissolving gelatin in cherry preserves over low heat.  Then I whipped heavy cream until it had stiff peaks.  The tricky part is folding the mixture into the cream without losing the fluffiness.  My final product, as you can see, wasn't nearly as uniform or appetizing as the photos in the magazine.  Luckily, it still tasted good.

Once everything was chilled, I started assembly by using tweezers to remove the foil from the chocolate cups.  I then spooned a dollop of the cherry filling into the cup and topped it with a cherry.  Three to a plate and our holiday dessert was ready!

(Cuisine Lite, p 96.)

• 1 1/2 C Chocolate Chips
• 4-6 tsp Vegetable Shortening
• 12 Maraschino Cherries
• 1/2 C Cherry Preserves
• 1 Tbsp Maraschino Cherry Juice
• 1/2 tsp Gelatin, unflavored
• 1/4 C Heavy Cream
• 12 Small Foil Candy Cups

1. Microwave Chocolate Chips and 4 tsp Shortening in a bowl on high for 1 minute. Stir, then repeat microwaving for 30 seconds until chips are melted.  Add remaining Shortening as needed.
2. Brush sides and bottom of Foil Cups with melted chocolate, then freeze for 1 hour.  Repeat, paying special attention to the sides.  Freeze until ready to assemble.
3. Dip Cherries in chocolate to coat and freeze on wax paper until ready to assemble.
4. Heat Preserves, Cherry Juice, and Gelatin in a saucepan over low heat until gelatin dissolves, stirring frequently, around 3-5 minutes.  Cool before adding to cream.
5. Whip Heavy Cream until it forms stiff peaks, the fold cherry gelatin into cream.
6. Gently remove foil from chocolate cups, then add a dollop of cherry filling and top with a cherry.  Serve immediately.