I've been trying to pick a recipe for this Easter - and I am stuck for choice. I've whittled it down to 10 from about 80 .... that was hard. Take a look at these and help me to choose.

I know that some people think that chocolate is 'bad' and 'fattening' - well it doesn't have to be bad, in fact can be very good for you and of course it's fattening if you eat too much .......

Remember two things if you make any of these recipes :

• report back here and let me know how you got on. Send your photos, I'll add them to the Hub.
• use dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate - so much better for you as is white chocolate.

1. Chocolate Spaghetti & White Chocolate Sauce
2. Chocolate Boxes
3. Chocaholics Fantasy
4. Chocolate & Orange Terrine
5. Chocolate Truffle Pizza
6. Hand-Dipped Chocolates
7. Ginger & Chocolate Souffle
8. Pear Mousse & Chocolate Sauce
9. White Chocolate & Chestnut Cheesecake
10. Rum Truffle Cake

Makes 4 servings

CHOCOLATE SPAGHETTI:

• 2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted, cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups bread flour
• chocolate rosettes, if desired

WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE:

• 2 oz white chocolate
• 2/3 cup whipping cream

Add melted chocolate to eggs. Make pasta using chocolate-egg mixture and bread flour. Let rest for 30 minutes

Roll out pasta. Roll pasta sheets through a spaghetti cutter. Put a towel over back of a chair. Spread spaghetti out to let dry for 30 minutes.

In a large pan of boiling water, cook spaghetti until just tender to the bite. Drain spaghetti. Make sauce. Serve spaghetti with sauce. Garnish with chocolate rosettes, if desired

Note: To make sauce: Put white chocolate and cream into a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Made with square chocolate mints, these little chocolate boxes make a delightful desert. The number that you make is limited ONLY by the number of chocolate mint squares that you buy and manage not to eat before prepararion !

• chocolate mint squares - look for dark chocolate ones
• plain cake
• strawberry jam or red currant jelly
• brandy, orange liquer, or port

Cut plain cake into squares the same size as the chocolate mints. Cut each square of cake into 1/2 inch slices. Homemade butter cake or a bought plain cake can be used.

Warm a little strawberry jam or red currant jelly with a dash of brandy, orange liqueur or port. Cool slightly and spread over the sides and top of cake squares, leaving the underside unglazed.

Whip cream until thickened; just before serving, spread over each jam-glazed square of cake, covering the top and sides. Place 4 chocolate mints around each cake and place each on a serving plate. Decorate with strawberry fans or sugared flowers.

Makes 1 servings

• 1 scoop Chocolate Supreme Ice Cream
• 2 chopped walnuts
• 1 scoop White Chocolate Ice Cream, or French Vanilla Ice Cream
• 3 tablespoons hot fudge sauce, or 2 tablespoons melted unsweetened chocolate
• melted unsweetened chocolate
• 1 scoop chocolate gelato
• 1/4 cup whipping cream, whipped
• 2 walnut halves
• chocolate covered cookie

In a tall parfait glass, assemble Chocolate Supreme Ice Cream. Top with 1/2 of chopped walnuts and White Chocolate Ice Cream or French Vanilla Ice Cream. Top with 1/2 of Hot Fudge Sauce or chocolate. Add Chocolate Gelato. Cover with remaining chopped walnuts.

Top Chocaholics Fantasy with whipped cream; drizzle remaining Hot Fudge Sauce or melted chocolate over whipped cream. Add walnut halves and cookie.

Makes 6 servings.

FILLING:

• 12 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• finely grated rind of 1 orange
• juice of 1 orange
• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• 6 oz semisweet chocolate, broken in pieces
• CRUST:
• 1/2 recipe Special Cheesecake Pastry

GARNISH:

• 4 drops orange food coloring
• 2 oz marzipan
• 8 cloves
• 2/3 cup whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease an 8" x 4" loaf pan and line with waxed paper.

To prepare filling, beat ricotta cheese, brown sugar, egg and orange rind and juice in a large bowl until smooth. Bring whipping cream to a boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until melted; blend into cheese mixture. Spoon filling into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, to prepare crust, on a lightly floured surface, roll Special Cheesecake Pastry to a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle same size as top of pan. Lay dough over partially-baked cheesecake and crimp edges. Bake 20 minutes more. Cool before removing from pan.

To garnish, knead food coloring into marzipan. Shape in 6 to 8 small balls. Roll on a fine cheese grater to simulate orange skin. Push a clove into top of each "orange." Whip cream until stiff. Pipe (with a pastry bag) a whipped cream rosette on each serving. Place an "orange" in each rosette. 

1 recipe Traditional Pizza Dough

TOPPING:

• 1 recipe custard topping
• 3 oz baking chocolate, melted
• 8 oz sponge cake crumbs
• 1 tablespoon apricot jam
• 3 oz white chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
• white chocolate curls, to decorate

Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Bake dough 20 minutes until golden. Cool.

Meanwhile, make topping.  In a bowl, combine custard and melted dark chocolate.  Chill until firm.

Make truffles:  combine cake crumbs, jam and white chocolate in a bowl until a stiff paste is formed.  Divide mixture into small balls and roll in the chopped almonds to coat.

To assemble pizza, spread chocolate-flavored custard on top of baked crust and arrange truffles around the edge.  Sprinkle with white chocolate curls.

Makes 30 pieces. 

• 3 oz ready-to-roll fondant icing (sugar paste)
• rose, violet flavourings
• pink, violet food colourings
• 2 oz white marzipan
• 6 Brazil nuts
• 6 whole almonds
• 6 squares semisweet chocolate
• 6 squares white chocolate
• 6 squares dark chocolate
• 6 maraschino cherries
• 6 creme de menthe cherries
• crystallized rose, violet petals

Cut fondant in 2 pieces. Flavour 1 piece rose and colour it pale pink with food colouring. Flavour the second piece violet and colour pale mauve with food colouring.

Roll out fondant to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut in shapes using cocktail cutters. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Shape marzipan in various shapes by rolling bite-sized pieces between hands in balls, logs or ovals. Arrange on a baking sheet. Let dry several hours or overnight. Toast nuts until golden brown.

Melt each chocolate in different bowls over hand-hot water, stirring until melted. Using a fork, dip 1 center at a time into chocolate. Tap to remove excess and place chocolate on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Leave plain, mark top with a fork or decorate rose and violet centers with crystallized petals. Continue to dip all centers, using white, dark or milk chocolate. Using a pastry bag, pipe some chocolates with threads of chocolate.

Makes 6 servings.

• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa or carob powder
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 cup crystallized ginger

TO GARNISH:

• chocolate leaves, if desired
• candied rind, if desired

In a stainless steel bowl or top of a double boiler, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy.

In a small saucepan, mix milk and cocoa or carob powder; scald. Pour over egg mixture; beat thoroughly.

Place bowl or top of double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Stir slowly and continually 10 minutes or until custard slightly thickens. Remove from heat; cool. Stir in cream if using ice cream maker.

In a food processor/blender, process ginger to a thick paste.

Pour custard into ice cream canister. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Add prepared ginger paste just before ice cream firmly freezes.

FREEZER METHOD: Stir ginger paste into custard. In a small bowl, lightly whisk cream. Fold into custard mixture. Pour mixture into several undivided ice trays; cover; place in freezer; freeze until firm, 3 to 6 hours. Using a fork, beat 2 times while freezing. Store in a covered container. Garnish with Chocolate Leaves and Candied Peel, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

• 1/2 cup medium-dry white wine
• 1/3 cup superfine sugar
• 2 strips pared lemon rind strips
• 3 Conference or Bartlett pears
• 3/4 cup fromage frais or ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons Poire William liqueur
• 2 envelopes (1/4 oz/ 7 g) powdered gelatin
• 3 tablespoons water
• 4 oz semisweet chocolate
• 12 roses leaves
• 2 1/2 tablespoons strong black coffee

Put wine, 2 tablespoons of sugar and lemon rind into a saucepan; stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Peel, core and slice pears; add to syrup and poach gently 15 minutes. Cool and discard lemon rind. Strain mixture through a sieve, pressing pear pulp through back of a wooden spoon.

Drain fromage frais, then beat in egg yolks, and remaining sugar.  Beat in 3/4 cup of cream, liqueur and pear puree.  Dissolve gelatin in water.  Stir a little pear mixture into dissolved gelatin, then stir gelatin into rest of pear mixture.  Whisk egg whites until stiff, then fold into pear mixture.  Divide among 6 ramekins and chill 6 hours.

Melt chocolate in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water.  Brush underside of each rose leaf with melted chocolate; place on waxed paper in a cool place; reserve remaining chocolate.  When chocolate leaves have set, carefully peel away rose leaves.

Warm reserved chocolate, if necessary, until melted, then stir in coffee and remaining cream to make a thin sauce; cool.

Turn mousses out on to individual plates, top with chocolate leaves and pour sauce around.

Makes 10 servings.

CRUST:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 3/4 cups crushed chocolate wafers

FILLING:

• 12 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 cup sweet chestnut puree
• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• 4 oz white chocolate, broken in pieces
• 2 tablespoons cognac
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

GARNISH:

• 4 oz white chocolate, grated
• 2/3 cup whipping cream
• 12 pieces candied chestnut
• sugar
• angelica pieces, cut in "leaves"

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease an 8-inch springform pan. To prepare crust, melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in crushed chocolate wafers. Press mixture in greased pan. Set aside.

To prepare filling, beat ricotta cheese and chestnut puree in a medium-size bowl. Bring whipping cream to a boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until melted. Stir in cognac; blend into cheese mixture. Beat in eggs and flour until smooth. Spoon filling into prepared crust. Bake in preheated oven 1 hour or until set. Cool before removing from pan.

To garnish, sprinkle white chocolate on cheesecake. Whip cream until stiff. Pipe (with a pastry bag) a border of 10 to 12 whipped cream rosettes around edge of cheesecake. Roll candied chestnuts in sugar; place in rosettes and decorate with angelica "leaves."

Makes 10 servings.

• 7 squares semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground almonds

FILLING & ICING:

• 7 squares semisweet chocolate
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 2 squares white chocolate, grated

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Butter and flour a 2-1/2-inch deep 8-inch-round cake pan. Line bottom with a circle of waxed paper.

Place chocolate and butter in a bowl over hand-hot water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add rum and stir well.

Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until thick and pale. Remove bowl from saucepan. Continue to whisk until mixture leaves a trail when whisk has been lifted. Stir chocolate mixture into egg yolk mixture until evenly blended. In a small bowl, mix flour and ground almonds. Add to chocolate mixture; fold in carefully using a spatula.

In a bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff. Fold 1/3 at a time into chocolate mixture until all egg whites are incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake in oven 45 to 55 minutes or until firm to touch in center. Turn out of pan and cool on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, melt 4 squares of chocolate with 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a bowl set over hot water. Stir in rum until well blended. Let stand until cool. To prepare icing, whip 1/2 cup of whipping cream in a bowl until thick. Add 1/2 of rum-chocolate to whipped cream and fold in until smooth.

Cut cake in half. Sandwich together with chocolate icing and spread remainder over top and sides. Chill cake and remaining rum-chocolate mixture in bowl. Melt remaining chocolate with whipping cream in a bowl set over hot water. Stir until smooth and cool until thick. Spread chocolate mixture over cake to cover evenly. Shape rum-chocolate mixture into 16 truffles. Coat in grated white chocolate. Arrange truffles on top of cake and chill to set.