Persephone's Delight

The other day I was discussing cooking with a friend of mine, and he asked me what was in season right now. I mentioned various vegetables, and then I added that I had been seeing pomegranates all over the markets lately. I almost never eat pomegranates, but my friend got really excited and told me I absolutely had to make chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds. "You get the sweet, dark chocolate and then suddenly the tartness of the pomegranate seed like a little surprise!" he rhapsodized.


I agreed it sounded good, but I didn't think I would actually get around to making it. Well, a week or so later, I heard about this contest for... recipes involving pomegranates! I decided that this was a sign from above that I really ought to try my friend's recipe, so I dutifully went out and bought a pomegranate and proceeded to spend my afternoon making little chocolate pomegranate drops.

While it is a bit time-consuming, the end result is delicious and you can freeze them and keep them for a long time, so it's worth making a bunch at once. And so, here is my recipe and contest entry for Persephone's Delight (my own name).

You will need:
One pomegranate
A large bar of high-quality dark chocolate (I used Valrhona 61%)

Slice the pomegranate into quarters and scoop out the seeds onto some paper towels to dry up any extra juices. Cut the chocolate into smallish chunks.

In a large bowl, bring some water to a boil and place another metal bowl over that bowl. Place the chocolate in the top bowl. When the water is boiling, turn the heat down a bit and let the chocolate melt thoroughly, stirring every so often. When the chocolate is all melted, turn off the heat.

Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with wax paper. Using a toothpick, spear a pomegranate seed and roll it around in the chocolate, then place it on the wax paper. Continue doing this until you have:
a) used up all your pomegranate seeds
b) used up all your chocolate
c) used up all the space on your baking sheet, or
d) gotten so tired of sticking each individual seed into the chocolate that you're ready to just dump them all in and call it a chocolate pomegranate stew.


Note that this recipe would probably be a good one to make with friends (lots of them), while sitting around discussing Greek myths. You can also read Eavan Boland's fantastic poem, "The Pomegranate" as an accompaniment to your culinary activities.

Once you have reached point a,b,c, or d above, place the little droplets in the fridge to harden (I also think they taste better cold because the pomegranate flavor is more pronounced against the chocolate).

An hour or two later, and voilà! A delight that would have had Persephone eating far more than four measly little seeds.