Rum-soaked figs, covered with chocolate.

An evolving recipe, based on those found on Italian sites.  Very easy. 

Ingredients:

33 oz. (approx) dried figs (Mission figs work well; Calimyrna are OK, but large)

12-oz. bag of Ghirardelli "60% Cacao Bittersweet Chips"

1/2 stick (2 oz.) unsalted butter

1/4 cup milk

1 liter dark rum

Procedure:

Put all the figs in a pot.  Add enough rum to cover them (adding some water, if needed).

Heat the figs/rum, covered, almost to boiling (you don't want to drive off the alcohol), and keep the pot at that temperature for about 20 mins.  Remove from heat.  Let the pot sit on the stove several hours, or overnight, to let the rum be absorbed.  The figs should be plump and soft, with a strong rum flavor.

Put the soaked figs in a colander over a bowl, and let them drain overnight in the refrigerator.  Save the fig-infused rum for [your imagination here].

Set up a bain-marie.  (That's a double-boiler using a pot and a heat-resistant bowl with a greater diameter.  Put as much water as you can in the pot, without it touching the bottom of the bowl.  Bring the water to a boil and remove the double-boiler from the heat.)

Put the chocolate, butter, and milk in the bowl of the bain-marie.  Stir until everything is melted together.  While that's melting, set out a baking sheet, a few plates, anything flat; and cover each with a sheet of waxed paper.

Get your colander of rum-soaked figs.  For each fig: take it by the stem, swirl it in the melted chocolate, place it on the waxed paper.

Put the covered figs in the refrigerator overnight.  Keep them covered and cold, and they'll be good for weeks.