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Bitter Sweets
1/2 cup raisins, seeded 1/2 cup dates 1/4 cup chopped nuts 1/4 cup Maraschino cherries 6 squares unsweetened chocolate Chop raisins, dates, nuts and Maraschino cherries fine. Mix well and form into balls. Melt chocolate in double boiler. Dip fruit balls into melted chocolate and place on oiled paper to cool. Sweetened chocolate may be used, if preferred.
A no-cook fruit center in a chocolate shell, and about as simple as candy gets. The only real technique is handling the chocolate.
- Chocolate squaresBaking chocolate came in 1-ounce squares, so 6 squares is 6 ounces. Modern bar chocolate is sold by weight, so weigh out 6 oz of unsweetened or, if you take the alternative offered, a good bittersweet.
- Dry the cherriesMaraschino cherries carry a lot of syrup, and water in the fruit mixture will thicken and seize melted chocolate on contact. Drain them, blot dry, then chop.
- Working the fruitChopping raisins and dates together turns them into a sticky paste that holds a ball without any binder. Oil or lightly dampen your hands, or dust them with confectioners' sugar, so the mixture releases.
- The double boilerKeep the water below a simmer and do not let it touch the upper pan. Unsweetened chocolate scorches easily and steam condensing into the bowl will ruin the batch.
- Setting the shellOiled paper means paper brushed with a neutral oil; parchment or a silicone mat does the same job better. If the chocolate is untempered it will set soft and streaky at room temperature, so chill the dipped balls briefly and keep them cool.
- Unsweetened means unsweetenedA 6-ounce coating of unsweetened chocolate over dried fruit is genuinely bitter, which suits the recipe's name. Many cooks today will prefer the sweetened chocolate the recipe permits.
- YieldThe recipe gives no yield; about 1 1/2 cups of chopped fruit will make roughly 30 to 36 small balls at about two teaspoons of filling each. Store them covered in a cool place with paper between layers.