Chocolate Cornflake Clusters

Line a large baking sheet with wax paper. Put the cornflakes in a large bowl and pour half of the tempered chocolate over them. Using a rubber spatula, quickly fold the cornflakes into the chocolate until they're evenly coated; add the remaining chocolate and fold gently until all of the cornflakes are generously coated with chocolate.

Working quickly and using a teaspoon, scoop the chocolate-covered cornflakes onto the prepared baking sheet and shape them into free-form clusters with a second teaspoon.

The clusters can be stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks, if you can resist eating them.

Tempering Tips Tempering melted chocolate ensures that it will set up firmly with a glossy sheen. Any leftover chocolate can be tempered again later.

1. Chop 1 pound of room temperature chocolate into 1/2–inch pieces.

2. Put 2/3 of the chocolate in a glass bowl. Microwave at medium–high power for 30–second periods, stirring with a rubber spatula in the intervals, until 3/4 of the chocolate is melted, about 1 1/2 minutes.

3. Stir the chocolate until completely melted, then scrape it into a clean, dry, room temperature bowl. Measure the temperature of the chocolate with an instant–read thermometer; it should be between 100 and 115 degrees. Add the remaining chocolate in large handfuls, stirring constantly until the chocolate is at 88 degrees. If the chocolate becomes too cool, melt a few more tablespoons of chopped chocolate and stir them in to raise the temperature.

4. Dip the tip of a knife in the chocolate; the chocolate on the knife should begin to set within 1 minute. Use at once.

When matching chocolate with wine, it is essential for the wine to be sweeter than the chocolate. The rich, fruity sweetness of a late-bottled vintage port makes it the perfect partner for the bittersweet chocolate used in all the recipes here. For the record, Jacques Torres likes a good dry red Bordeaux with all of his chocolate confections.