Chocolate-covered grapes

If you have to take something sweet to a party in the next few weeks, I’ve got a great recipe for you. It’s from a very fun cookbook, "Happy in the Kitchen" by Michel Richard, fancy chef. I have read through every page., though there are not really that many recipes I could actually make in it: they are sort of science-y, and take a number of steps. But everything is so clever and appealing that I really considered buying the home meat slicer he is into for all kinds of creations. (the fact that there is no room in my kitchen for any such thing stops me.) But I did make these: chocolate-covered grapes. It sounds fussy, but it’s not. It’s simplicity itself. I served them after a dinner party, after dessert, for that hanging-around the table, finishing up the wine portion of the evening. What’s cool about them is that they look like rich little chocolate truffles, but they’re light, and they’re a real surprise to bite into. People acted like they couldn’t possibly eat one, then popped them in their mouths one after another. (Exactly what Michel says in his recipe introduction. )

1 pound cold firm seedless grapes
4 ounces 60% semisweet chocolate, melted, at body temperature
1-2 Tablespoons cocoa powder.
Wash the grapes and dry them well. Place them in a large bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the melted chocolate to the grapes, one tablespoon at a time, stirring thoroughly with a spatula. When it's all added and begins to set, sprinkle cocoa little by little on the grapes and gently stir, so they're coated with the cocoa. Spread on the baking sheet, and refrigerate until hard, or up to 1 day.