2oz(60g)dark chocolate(semisweet, 60-75% cacao is ideal. Some good choices: Valrohna, Callebaut, Guittard), in bars, broken into pieces; wafers; or block form (see Notes for cutting tip)
Pit a cherrythrough its side, leaving the stems on (see Notes), and immediately dip it by its stem halfway into the melted chocolate. Place on a silpat or parchment paper-lined plate or baking sheet. Repeat.
Refrigerate, covered with a bowl, for about 20 minutes, or until set.
Serve on a plate together with plain cherries.
Tip - for cutting block-chocolate for melting - Use a long knife, preferably serrated, to shave the chocolate from the block by pressing down on the knife using both hands.
Melting chocolate
Avoid melting chocolate over direct heat. The best method is over a water bath using a bain marie / double boiler. If you don’t have one, you can easily make your own with a bowl over a smaller saucepan — just watch out for the steam.
Fill the bottom pan a quarter of the way with water, and heat to almost, but not simmering.
Add the chocolate to the top bowl, and place it on top of the sauce pan of hot water. The top bowl should not touch the water in the bottom pan.
Stir the chocolate occasionally as it melts. Take the bowl off the heat as soon as melted. Do not overheat the chocolate.
Tip - Don't allow even a drop of water to touch the chocolate once it starts to melt. If this happens, and your chocolate seizes up into a solid mass or clumps, you can try fixing the seized chocolate by stirring in a teaspoon at a time of boiling water.
Pitting Cherries
A cherry/olive pitter makes easy work of pitting the cherries. For an ad hoc solution, you can sit the cherries on top of an empty bottle, and poke the pits through the cherry into the bottle with a skewer, chopstick or straw.
To keep the cherries fresh, pit each individual cherry at the same time as you dip them.
Safety Tip: Before dipping each cherry in the chocolate, double-check to ensure that its cherry pit has been extracted.