Chocolate with a kick for Valentine's Day

The late Ogden Nash wrote in a poem titled "Reflections on Ice-Breaking," the following immortal words: "Candy/Is dandy/But liquor/Is quicker." A combination of candy and liquor might be considered to not just break the ice but to melt it entirely. Perfect for Valentine's Day.

This inspiration comes straight from the extraordinary new cookbook "The Essence of Chocolate" by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg (Hyperion, 2006), the makers of one of America's premier chocolate brands, Scharffen Berger Chocolate. This book has so much to offer that it feels unfair to highlight just two recipes. It compares admirably with my favorite-to-date cookbook on chocolate, "Bittersweet" by Alice Medrich (Artisan, 2003). Medrich, in fact, originated one of the recipes below and seems to have contributed in other ways to "The Essence of Chocolate."

The pairing of a single-malt Scotch with high-quality chocolate in the unusual truffle recipe here may have appeal for any man in your life (not that women can't be lovers of single-malt Scotches, too). "The Essence of Chocolate" devotes an entire page to the pairing of an aged Scotch and chocolate. Choose a well-aged single malt, avoiding brands with strong smoky or peaty flavors. Take a bite of chocolate, and wait until "the final flavor note has peaked in your mouth." Then sip the Scotch and "you'll notice a burst of flavor." No one knows why this happens, but, "until recently, the remarkable flavors that arise from this unlikely pairing have been a secret shared by a relatively small group of people," says the book. Now we're in on the secret.

For Valentine's Day, consider giving a bottle of a single malt along with a tin of these truffles. If the object of your affection is a guy, you will have the double satisfaction of knowing that you are doing your best to rectify a Valentine's imbalance reported recently by the National Confectioners Association. According to this group, only 6 percent of men receive Valentine's Day gifts despite the fact that men spend double (an average of $130) of what women spend during the holiday. You might pair the homemade Chocolate Liqueur with a gift of martini glasses.

Note: Most standard semisweet baking chocolate is 55 percent to 60 percent cacao. Premium chocolates, like Scharffen Berger, are usually 62 percent cacao and up. These recipes call for the good stuff, and they are worth it. If you try substituting standard chocolate, you may find the result overly sweet.

SCOTCH TRUFFLE HEARTS

For the truffles:

7 ounces of 62 percent semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons single-malt Scotch

For the coating:

12 ounces of 82 percent extra-dark chocolate, finely chopped

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)

Cut a piece of foil large enough to line an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan with 2-inch sides.

Make the truffles: Place the chocolate in a bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Pour over the chocolate and stir gently with a spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Do not stir too briskly or the texture of the chocolate will be cakey and granular. Add the Scotch and stir just to incorporate. Strain into the prepared pan. Tilt the pan to level the chocolate mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Transfer the pan to the refrigerator to soften for 20 minutes. Choose a cookie sheet or a baking dish that will fit into your freezer and line it with baking parchment.

Place a sheet of foil about 12 inches long on your work surface. Remove the hardened chocolate in one piece, using the foil that you used to line the pan to help lift it. Invert it onto the clean sheet of foil, and peel the foil pan-lining from the bottom.

Using a 1-1/2-inch, heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out hearts as close together as possible to avoid an excessive amount of scraps, and transfer to the prepared pan. If the chocolate becomes too soft to work with, cover with plastic wrap and return to the freezer to harden. The scraps can be gently pushed together, spread to an even thickness and used for more hearts, but they may need a quick trip to the freezer to firm up.

Once all the hearts are cut, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until very hard, at least 4 hours or overnight (or pack in an airtight container and freeze up to 2 months).

Coat the hearts: Choose a baking sheet or pan that will fit in your refrigerator and line it with parchment paper.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Cool to lukewarm (100 F to 105 F). Remove the hearts from the freezer one small batch at a time. Place a heart in the center of the bowl of melted chocolate and, using a fork, flip it over and push it under the surface to coat completely. Slip the fork under the center and lift the heart out, tap the fork on the side of the bowl so any excess chocolate drips back into the bowl, and then scrape the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl as you remove the heart. Set the heart on the prepared sheet. Repeat with the remaining hearts. If desired, use a fine mesh strainer to dust the hearts with cocoa. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until the chocolate has hardened.

The hearts can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Serve straight from the fridge or allow to sit at room temperature for about a half hour to bring out the flavor of the Scotch.

Yield: 30 to 36 hearts

Recipe from "The Essence of Chocolate" by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg (Hyperion, 2006)

CHOCOLATE LIQUEUR

2 cups water

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

1 cup vodka

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil, remove from heat and add the cocoa, stirring to dissolve. Pour into a heatproof bowl and set aside. In the same saucepan, combine the sugar and remaining 1 cup water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Stir into the cocoa mixture and add the vodka. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a container (such as a quart mason jar) with a lid. Refrigerate at least 12 hours and up to 3 weeks. (The vodka flavor will weaken as time passes.)

Serving suggestions:

Serve chilled, topped with whipped cream.

To make a chocolate martini, swirl a chilled martini glass with a splash of vermouth. In a shaker, combine 2 parts chocolate liqueur with 1 part chilled vodka. Shake and pour into the martini glass. (For a striking presentation, chill the glasses, dip the rims in vermouth or vodka and then dip them again in a saucer of dark chocolate that has been ground in a coffee grinder.)

To make an ice-cream shooter: Combine 1 cup premium vanilla ice cream with 1/4 cup chocolate liqueur and poor into shot glasses (makes about 10 shooters).

Yield: about 3 cups liqueur

Recipe from "The Essence of Chocolate" by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg (Hyperion, 2006)

Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.