See how happy they look?

Well, yours truly will become one of those smiling faces sometime in 2008 thanks to an awesomely thoughtful Christmas gift from the wife. That’s right - she reserved a spot for her and I to attend a class of my choosing at New York’s Institute of Culinary Education.

If you spend a little time on the ICE site, you’ll notice the almost overwhelming number of classes they offer to the amateur chef. I could spend years there and still not run out of things I want to try. Thus, the dilemma: which to choose?

Since I love chocolate, but know the least about it, I’m highly considering this one:

OLD-FASHIONED CHOCOLATE DESSERTS

Learn to make long-time favorites that are sure to please. These recipes aren’t just classic; they’re foolproof! You’ll learn such favorites as Chocolate and Coffee Pots de Crème; Old-Fashioned German Marble Cake; Vermont Farmhouse Devil’s Food Cake; Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Frosting; Perfect Chocolate Loaf Cake; Black-Bottom Pie with Chocolate Crust; and Chocolate Coconut Custard Pie.

What do you think? If you were me, which class would you choose?