Double-dipped Chocolate-covered Cherries

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Drain the cherries and pat as dry as possible with paper toweling,
then place them on a candy or cake rack covered with paper toweling
and allow them to dry for at least 24 hours. Cover a cookie sheet  with
wax paper.  Place a small pile of cornstarch on the counter and have
handy a bowl  of water and paper towels for wiping your hands. With
cornstarch-dipped fingers, pull off a small portion of fondant,
flatten it a bit, and pat and wrap it around the cherry. (Be careful
to leave the stem intact, but if it falls off, simply stick it back
down into the cherry and the chocolate will eventually hold it in
place.  Place the fruit on the cookie sheet. Continue covering fruit in
this  manner. The cherries will need to be chocolate coated no later
than 45  minutes after being covered in fondant, or the fondant will
begin to  melt. It is best not to do too many at once.  Melt the
chocolate. For the most professional job, place cherries  upside down,
with their stems hanging downthrough the wires of the  rack. Press the
fondant into a rounded shape if necessary, then coat  the bottom halves
of the cherries by brushing them with thick  chocolate. Place the rack
in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to harden  chocolate.  Place wax
paper on a baking sheet. Turn the cherries right side up on  the rack.
Place a fork under a cherry and dip the fruit in the  chocolate. Place
cherries on the paper lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate the tray
briefly.  To double-dip the cherries, spoon chocolate over the upright
cherries  and swirl the chocolate around the step in a pretty whisp of
a  patter. Then take a pastry brush and coat the stems with chocolate.
When chocolate is hard place cherries in a covered container and keep
in a cool place for 2 weeks to mellow. At the end of thi time, the
fondant will have melted and transformed itself into a liquor.  Basic
Fondant Servings: 1 pound  4 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups cold water 1/4 tsp.
cream of tartar Kirsch or  Grand Marnier  Clear a large space on a
counter or marble pastry slab. Splash it  with cold water, and have a
cup of cold water and a clean pastry  brush near the stove. Place sugar
and wate rin a saucepan. Stir over  very low heatuntil the sugar has
melted and the liquid is clear. Turn  up the heat and continue stirring
until the syrup reaches a boil.  Stop stirring and add the cream of
tartar. Dip the pastry brush in  cold water and wash down the sides of
the pan, then immediately cover  the pan and let the syrup boil
bigorously for 3 minutes. Uncover,  insert a thermometer, and let cook
rapidly to soft-ball stage (240F)  Immediately take the saucepan to the
counter or slab. Run a wet hand  over the moist surface to redampen any
dru spots, then carefully pour  out the syrup onto the counter. Do not
pour out the last bit of syrup  and do not scrape the pan clean (That
would add overcooked,  crystallized sugar.) Let the syrup cool. To work
the syrup most  effectively, have 2 scrapers at hand. Start scraping
the outer  portions of syrup into the center and keep turning the mass
over and  over itself until it starts stiffening and lightening in
color. Keep  working the sugar until it is perfectly white and so thick
that it  can be kneaded. Knead briefly, then divide into 2 portions
Flavor  half with kirsch or Grand Marnier to taste (sprinkle on the
flavoring  and knead it in). Leave the other portion unflavored. Wrap
both  fondants tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a covered
container. Moisten 2 sheets of paper toweling and fit them over the
fondant. Cover the dish with the lid and let the fondant mellow inthe
refrigerator for at least 4 days before using.  File
ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmkah001.zip

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 222
Calories From Fat: 91
Total Fat: 11.3g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 5.1mg
Potassium: <1mg
Carbohydrates: 33.7g
Fiber: 2.3g
Sugar: 0g
Protein: 1.6g