R IS FOR RUSSIA

Since my parents are visiting, I’ve asked them to bring me all the pretty Russian candy from my childhood. Here’s the first one: a volcano-shaped bittersweet chocolate truffle with a whole hazelnut on top. The Russian take on gianduja, which may not be as luxurious as its Italian counterpart–the praline is made with roasted peanuts, after all, and I’m not entirely trusting of the products that the Russian candymakers use. But peeling off the golden foil as you dent in the soft chocolate shell brings me back to when I read fairy tales and imagined magical candy to look exactly like this.