PEPPERMINT LEAVES CHOCOLATE

To vary, use white chocolate coloured with oil-based food colouring and flavoured with other flavours; make pale pink leaves, for instance, with strawberry oil flavouring

Chocolate leaves are the perfect finishing touch for cakes or deserts. They also make an elegant decoration for a plate of chocolates for your dinner party. Choose leaves that are perfect, shiny and heavily veined such as rose, camellia or gardenia leaves, or ivy.

Clean and dry leaves. Melt chocolate by the standard method and add 2 to 3 drops peppermint oil flavouring. Paint the back of each leaf with chocolate, place on a tray and leave to set. Gently peel leaves off chocolate.

150g (5 oz) dark compound chocolate
2 to 3 drops peppermint oil flavouring leaves of your choice