It almost looks like art, doesn't it?

We are all well aware of the many powers of chocolate. It's utterly sinful and gorgeously tasty and has effects on the human body that you would never expect from a bunch of dried, crushed kernels.

Depending on what you do with it and what you combine with it when cooking with it, you can make just about anything. Sweet dishes are the simple result. Savory dishes are the surprising ones. Everything else is up to your imagination. Fondue, cake, pudding, pana cotta. Candy, cookies, breads, milkshakes. Marinades, sauces, garnishes. Or enjoy a chunk of pricey, dark chocolate with a glass of the reddest of red wines. So many different tastes and textures, there's really no end in sight!

A few months ago S. and I went out for dinner. We were celebrating being married, being happy and simply being stress free for a short period of time. Dinner was delicious (I had shrimp; he had chicken), the wine was scrumptious, everything was perfect. But dessert? Dessert was other-worldly. We shared a molten chocolate cake with delicious Valrhona chocolate ice cream...I thought I was going to die it was so good. At that moment, sipping the last of my wine, enjoying a warm, gooey delicious chocolate cake with my brand new husband, I vowed to learn how to make these delicacies.

This past Friday I honored that particular pledge. And at the same time I broke one of my few food commandments: never bake something new when you're having guests. Never a good idea, but sometimes it has wonderful results and sometimes it kicks you in the butt. Sometimes you kick your own as guests look solemnly at a fallen souffle or slimy panna cotta that hasn't had enough time to rest in the fridge.

This time however was different. Kat and Scott arrived, drinks were served, a gorgeous fruit plate (put together by S.) proffered and enthusiastic conversation ensued. By the time the basketball game was almost over I had the oven preheated and the cakes went from batter to molten in eleven short minutes. Served with a simple raspberry fool and coffee, they were, in a word...divine. Molten chocolate that oozes out of the cake when the crust is cracked, melding with sour raspberries and slightly sweetened whipped cream. Chocolate is somewhat like a good marriage...when it's right, it's right. And you know when it happens.