Rum and Raisin skewers

Boozy Chocolate Raisins

I loved Cadbury's Fruit & Nut as a child, still do in fact. I would always hunt for the squares with the most raisins in them and give the other pieces to mom :) There's something about the chewy bite of the raisin against rich chocolate that gets me drooling. Of course, now, its the adult version of it - Rum and Raisin chocolates that get me going... hic :p
There's a little story behind these rum and raisin skewers, one that I would love to share with you readers. I recently went to lunch with a few members of a Foodie group that I am part of. A restaurant was chosen and off we went, to meet fellow foodies. We got along like a house on fire and no one could say all the ladies were meeting each other for the first time. After three fabulous courses, we were stuffed like little Ballotines, almost to a point of no return, thanks to the amazing food at Chianti (a must visit if you are in and around Koramangala, Bangalore or even if you aren't as it's worth the drive). We barely managed to finish our dessert and out came a platter of drool-worthy Rum and Raisin skewers. It's safe to say that at the risk of having to lie down there thanks to over-eating, we managed to polish off the skewers as they were so delicious. I came home and days went by, but I couldn't get the skewers off my mind, among the other yum creations at the place. 
Thus, my second, third and many other trips to Chianti took place as I tried to sample all my favourites from the menu. The cherry on the cake were the skewers. But sadly, after my second visit there, the skewers disappeared. I still couldn't get them off my mind and so, I decided to try and make them myself. Seemed relatively simple and so much so, that making them was a breeze. And the taste? An empty plate in less than two minutes vouches for their yum quotient. Best of all, you don't need to bake them or spend hours on them and they are the perfect after dinner bites.
Here's how you can make your own Rum and Raisin skewers.

Rum-soaked raisins skewered onto toothpicks

Covered in a blanket of chocolate

Ingredients: 

• Dark chocolate
• Raisins
• Some rum 
• A teaspoon of water or so (I diluted mine with a wee bit of water as I didn't want them too strong, but you can do away with it for a skewer that packs a punch)
• Toothpicks

Method:

• Soak the raisins in the rum for about an hour or two.
• Pierce them into your toothpicks, about three on each, and place them on a tray covered with foil.
• Melt your chocolate and pour over the skewers
• Wait till they set or pop them in the fridge for 15 minutes if you are impatient like me.
• Gobble away.

Alternatively, you could just arrange the soaked raisins in small piles on the foil and pour the melted chocolate over them, making mini mounds of chocolate-covered boozy raisins.