Handmade, homemade

There's nothing quite so luxurious a gift as hand-made chocolates. And you can quickly make up a delicious stash to give away this year and earn a pleasing chorus of "ohs and ahs". Just follow Pauline D. Loh's easy guide.

Chocolates make us melt inside even as they melt in our mouths, being the source of a warm fuzzy feeling that makes it one of the best-loved comfort foods. Dark, delicious chocolates are actually good for us, if we get the best ingredients for the sweets. They are elegant gifts, and always appreciated by adults and children. They are also amazingly versatile and we can create a whole boxful of different flavors, with the variety limited only by creativity and pantry supplies. Use chocolate that has at least 60 percent cocoa butter, or 72 percent if you can get it, and it is worth your while to hunt down a good supplier. There are many specialty baking supplies stores in the major cities all over China, failing which there are the online suppliers. The high percentage of cocoa solids or cocoa butter makes it healthier and frankly, better tasting.

The best chocolate couverture - or high quality chocolate used for molding, dipping or sweets making - is Belgian, Dutch or French. The best is Valrhona, a French chocolate that is known worldwide for its quality.