We had a wonderful day yesterday filled with family, laughter and most of all the wonder of seeing it through a child's eyes. Our 2 year old granddaughter has been here and it has been magical. I have no idea what I will do to fill the void when she leaves, but I will cross that bridge on the 29th and not a minute before!
I am sharing a recipe that has been in my family for as long as I can remember. Usually my mother makes this for the holidays, but after Dad's death this summer her normal forever changed so this year I made them. (Then forgot about them and left them in the refrigerator during brunch! So much for picking up the slack, huh?)
Mom's Chocolate Covered Cherries
2 cups confectioners sugar
milk added drops at a time
maraschino cherries with stems (small jar)
4 squares UNsweetened chocolate
1 tablespoon shortening
Put the cherries in a colander and drain well
Mix butter and confectioners sugar until it is very well blended. The mixture should be very thick and dry. Add milk a few drops at a time mixing well after each addition until it feels very much like play dough.
Pinch off a small amount (shooter marble size) of the sugar "dough" and make a ball, then flatten it slightly. Put the cherry, stem side up in the center of the flat piece and wrap the cherry with the sugar fondant leaving only the stem showing. Continue until the cherries are all covered. Put on a waxed paper covered plate and stick in the refrigerator until they are very cold.
Set a heat proof coffee mug in a small boiler of simmering water. Add the chocolate and shortening into the mug and let it melt. Remove the mug and set it on a heat proof surface. Stir to blend the chocolate and shortening well (I use a toothpick for this) then hold each cherry by the stem and dip in the chocolate filled mug. Cover the fondant completely with the chocolate and set on a waxed paper covered cake rack. Generally I have to tilt the mug to cover the last few cherries, even so you should have some unused chocolate in the mug after they are all dunked. When all the cherries are covered set the rack in the refrigerator for a few minutes until the chocolate hardens and is set. Then store them in an airtight bag or container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. And don't do like I did and forget about them because now someone will have to eat them all and I
These are really tasty and very sweet in spite of using unsweetened chocolate to coat them. I have friends who hate regular chocolate covered cherries who love these. Give them a try and you might become a convert also. Who knows, this might become a tradition for a family other than mine.
And now the defrocking begins! So long Christmas tree
This is the living room tree just before the unwrapping began. Hopefully tomorrow I will begin the taking down process and life will return to normal for the next 11 months!
I have all the ingredients! How strange is that?
ReplyDeleteThe Queen Anne Chocolate Covered Cherries and all the other chocolate covered cherries are horrid. I cannot stand the white goo inside. I use a table knife or a plastic knife to dissemble and scrape out the white goo. Only the Cella brand of chocolate covered cherries are worth buying for my taste. There is no white goo, just clear juice. Try those sometime. All year long, they can be found on gas station counters for about 39 cents.
I have eaten cellas and they are good!
ReplyDeleteThose look tasty but I too am suffering from sugar/food overload. Carbs carbs carbs. I take Christmas crap down on January 1 and give the house a good scrub. I tried to take it down earlier one year and hubby vetoed that as likes it up for New Years Eve.
ReplyDeleteI have everything down Dec 31. I like to start the new year with a clean slate.
ReplyDeleteAs for food I am ready for vegetable soup and more vegetable soup.