Mint Chocolate Flourless Cake (picture below)

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
10 eggs
32 oz. good quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted
2 tsp. mint extract
Powdered sugar
Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)
Chocolate mints; coarsely chopped

Grease the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper; set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until blended; beat at medium speed until very light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, heating after each addition until well blended. Add melted chocolate and heat at high speed until mixture is thick and velvety, about 1 minute; beat in mint extract.

Pour batter into prepared springform pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cake is set and a sharp knife inserted halfway between the center and the edge comes out almost clean, 60 to 70 minutes (cake will have cracks around the edges). Cool cake in pan on a wire rack about 5 minutes. Carefully loosen side of cake from pan with a sharp knife and cool completely (cake will sink in the center). Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, 6 to 24 hours.

Remove side of pan; remove cake from bottom of pan and peel off parchment paper. Holding cake carefully at an angle, sprinkle side with powdered sugar. Place cake on a serving plate. Pour Chocolate Ganache in the depression in the center of the cake and swirl it with a spatula, or leave it as a pud- dle in the center. Let cake sit for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature until ganache is set. Sprinkle coarsely chopped mints around the edge of the ganache. Serves 16 to 20.

Chocolate Ganache: In a small saucepan heat 2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream to boiling. Remove from heat and add 8 ounces good quality semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, stirring until melted. Makes 1-1/2 cups.