Garlic Coffee with Chocolate Mint Fingers

(SERVES 6)

• 225 g/8 oz/1 block plain (semi-sweet) chocolate suitable for diabetics
• 25 g/1 oz/ ¼ cup raisins
• 100 g/4 oz/ ½ cup very low-fat soft cheese
• Artificial sweetener granules
• Peppermint essence (extract)
• A few drops of green food coloring
  
• 900 ml/1 ½ pts 3 ¾ cup strong black coffee
• 60 ml/4 tbsp Irish or scotch whisky
• 150 ml/ ¼ pt/ 2/3 cup low-fat double (heavy) cream

Line the base of a 20 cm/8 in square shallow baking tin (pan) with non-stock baking parchment. Break up half the chocolate and place in a bowl over a gentling simmering water. Stir the chocolate all the time and as soon as the bowl is hot and the chocolate is beginning to the melt, remove the bowl from the pan and continue to stir until melted. Spread over the baking parchment in an even layer. Chill. Put the raisins in a cup and snip with scissors until finely chopped. Place in a bowl with the cheese and sweeten to taste with artificial sweetener granules. Add peppermint essence, a drop at time, until a good flavour is achieved. Add a few drops of green food colouring. Spread this mixture over the set chocolate and chill again until fairly firm. Melt the remaining chocolate in the same as way before. Spread on the cheese, using a wet palette knife is necessary. Chill again until firm. Using a knife dipped in very hot water, cut the slab into sixteen 5 cm/2 in long fingers. Carefully lift out on to a serving plate. To make the Gaelic coffee, put an empty teaspoon in each of six wine goblets and pour in the hot coffee. Sweeten to taste with sweetener and add 10 ml/2 tsp Whisky to each. Remove the teaspoons. Using a clean, cold spoon, hold it just above the surface of the coffee, rounded side up, and pour the cream slowly over the back of the spoon so it floats in a layer on top of the coffee. Repeat with each glass. Serve with chocolate mint fingers.