We couldn’t get enough of great gift and/or entertaining ideas even in the In the Kitchen With column in the lead up to Christmas. Photographer Kristine Sitko has given us the perfect holiday treat, either to pass around on a tray at your next friendly or family gathering. Or, if you go crazy and make too many, package them up with a beautiful bow in a nice piece of porcelain or a vintage cup and saucer, like the fabulous one in the images. The lucky recipient will be your friend forever! Just click here for the Kristine’s Balsamic Chocolate Truffles (with a hint of cherry) recipe or click “read more” below.

This is my last post before taking off for (hopefully) sunny California, my end of year gift to myself! I’ll have my holiday music cued and ready for the loooooong flight. But we’ll be back in 2009 with more fabulous recipes and photography from lots of amazing people. What we have in store for you will knock your socks off! -Kristina

Balsamic Chocolate Truffles (with a wink of cherry)

8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (the best you can find. I heart Valrhona.)
¼ c cream
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 dried cherries
½ c cocoa powder

1) Put balsamic and cherries into a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove cherries and discard (or use later in a salad. You won’t regret it.) Set balsamic aside to cool.

2) Melt chocolate and cream in a double boiler (or a heat-proof glass bowl over a pot filled with water), making sure the water is hot, not boiling. Place melted chocolate in a small bowl and add the cooled balsamic. Mix well. Cool in the refrigerator about 1 hour. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, until firm but moldable.
3) Roll mixture into one inch balls and place on a parchment lined tray. Pour cocoa powder into a shallow dish and roll balls to cover. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container up to one week, but don’t keep them all for yourself. These intense little treats are meant to be shared.

Why Kristine chose this recipe:

As the snow settles in around me, my tastes shift towards the dramatic and these little truffles do drama in spades. Be warned – they are rich, but I’m pretty sure that a small bite of rich can stand up to just about any plate of fine one can throw our way. I hope you enjoy them.

About Kristine, in her own words:

I became serious about photography as a means of supporting my freelance writing career, and soon found that I preferred photography. To me, it’s a means of becoming familiar with the things and places I love most in this world. These days, I run a photography shop, have put together a book of my fine art series, Smoke and am working on a new blog, the information for which will appear on my etsy site shortly. I specialize in travel and lifestyle photography, but am happy to photograph anything that I consider beautiful in hopes of understanding it better.

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