Nipples of Venus

For Valentine's Day, hubby and I decided to stay in and eat something a little naughty!  It was all inspired by NoRecipes' Dinner and a Movie Event.  This month's movie was Chocolat.  Hubby and I hadn't seen this movie since it first came out and I had forgotten just how good it was.  Juliette Binoche plays Vianne, a woman who moves to a small French town in 1959 to open up a chocolaterie at the beginning of Lent.  She befriends the townspeople, some of who struggle pitting their Lenten willpower, against their desires of the flesh through their temptation by chocolate.  In the movie, Vianne makes Nipples of Venus and tries to tempt the very stoic and well restrained Comte de Reynaud with them.  

I have had the cookbook My French Kitchen written by Joanne Harris (the author of Chocolat) for over a year now and had yet to make Nipples of Venus.  What better reason to make them for a viewing of Chocolat? (and a little naughty fun!).  I do not confess to be a chocolatier and my Nipples of Venus did not turn out as firm as they are supposed to (okay, so maybe they are aged Nipples of Venus?) but they were still extremely rich and wonderful and decadent (Venus aged well) and a fun dessert.  Give them a try!

Nipples of Venus adapted from My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris

Ingredients:

8 oz. bittersweet (above 70 % cacao) chocolate, chopped

1 1/4 c. heavy cream

3 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate (above 70% cacao) chocolate, chopped

2 oz. white chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1.  Melt the 8 oz. of chopped bittersweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water.   

2.  Heat the heavy cream in a separate saucepan until nearly boiling (but not).  Add the heavy cream to the melted chocolate and mix until evenly blended.  Leave to cool for 2 hours.

3.  When cooled, use an electric mixer to beat the mixture until it becomes stiff and holds it's shape.

4.  Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper or use non-stick cookie sheets.  Put the chocolate mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip.  Pipe nipple shapes (about Hershey kiss size) onto the parchment paper or non-stick cookie sheet.  Refrigerate to chill and set (at least 20 minutes)

5.  Melt the 3 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water.  Drizzle chocolate over the nipples.

6.  Melt the 2 oz. white chocolate in the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water.  Drizzle the white chocolate over the nipples.

(The official way to make this dish, which I couldn't quite do because my Nipples of Venus were too soft, is to take the Nipples, dip them in the chocolate, let that set up, then dip just the very tip in the white chocolate to look like nipples.  My way was still tasty, if not quite as naughty!)