Rotary Auction Dessert

Since my husband is a Rotarian, I was asked to make a dessert for the annual Rotary Gala, which includes a silent and live action, as well as a meal. The desserts made were auctioned off by the table! Thought I would share a picture of mine - a Rich Chocolate Cheesecake! I piped semisweet chocolate into tree shapes, then brushed them with Lusterdust (and edible metallic glitter of sorts). I used a chocolate ganache to attach them to the cheesecake. Here is how I made the trees...
Chocolate must be tempered when you attempt to pipe it. The easiest way is to chop the chocolate you want to melt, take 3/4 of it and place in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20 second increments, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted. Immediately dump in the remaining 1/4 of the chocolate and stir until it melts. Once melted, I just pour it into a plastic resealable bag fitted with a small, plain tip (1/8"-1/4" opening) and pipe the chocolate onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. It only took 20 minutes or so for my trees to set up. I didn't attach the trees until shortly before service, I didn't want the moisture of the cake to wilt the trees.

Here is a picture!

Creamy Chocolate Cheesecake