Auld Lang Syne

I thought these truffles were a very sweet ending to a very sweet year! 2008 was a great year filled with exciting and memorable accomplishments. Happy New Year's Eve everyone - have a safe and happy night!

Champagne Truffles in Toasted Almonds

Makes about 3 dozen

1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Champagne
1 tablespoon Cognac (Purchased an airplane sized bottle from a local liquor store so I didn't have to buy a whole bottle)
toasted almonds, for rolling

Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Immediately pour hot cream over the chocolate in a medium bowl;

stir until smooth.

Stir in the Champagne and Cognac. (The mixture will be considerably thinner and you will need to stir for longer in order to incorporate the liquor.)

Refrigerate until chocolate mixture is firm enough to roll into balls, about 1 hour.

Using a small melon baller or ice-cream scoop, form 1-inch balls.

(Work Quickly - the chocolate is still soft and will melt if you spend too much time rolling each ball.)

Place in Freezer for 25 more minutes.

Roll each ball in chopped toasted almonds,

and transfer to rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate truffles at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days before serving.