I came home after work today and since I had pre-made dinner for tonight yesterday, I had some time available to me to make a dessert. With the strawberries in the fridge and a passel of dark chocolate I was given for Christmas I made some happy-glad morsels that are a hit in this house. Dark chocolate dipped strawberries! Who wouldn't like them?
I had 3 pounds of fresh strawberries I bought yesterday, and a pound of dark chocolate which has a ton of nutrition as we all know, okay calories (same-same), so the mating ritual began in earnest.
I melted the chocolate in the microwave, first breaking it up into small pieces and setting it at medium power for 1 minute. I removed it, gave it a bit of a toss, and then placed it back in the microwave for another 1 minute, stirred it a bit and then once again for a minute. When I removed it the last time it was a little melted and some solid chocolate remained so with some stirring and residual heat it came together into a very nice little pool of liquid love. Strawberries love to dive in little pools of love you know.
I had already placed the berries into cold water to clean them of dirt and fuzzy stuff (seeds) and then placed them on a thick towel to allow them to dry. Once dried they will accept the chocolate easily. If not dry they will rebuff the melted chocolates advances so ensure the berries are dry completely before tossing or telling them to get in the pool.
I use a cookie tray lined with parchment paper to place the dipped berries on. To prepare the tray place a drop of melted chocolate on the tray at each corner and then place the parchment paper onto the tray. The chocolate will set up and act as glue to prevent the parchment from sliding off the tray. This is very important.
Parchment paper is very slippery and so is a cookie tray and combined with strawberries, when placed upon them, it can add up to an unfortunate incident should you tilt the tray ever so slightly. This I know to be true folks. I have seen such a mess on my floor and it is not a sight you want to behold. So glue your parchment paper to the cookie tray. Use my lack of brilliance as your guide...
Dip the berries into the melted chocolate, holding them by their hair, er, stems. Hold the dipped berry over the bowl to allow to drain a bit then place on the tray. Repeat procedure until all the berries are coated with dark chocolate love. As a group they will be very happy to chill out in a cool place for an hour or so to allow the chocolate to set.
If you get the chocolate too hot it will not keep set at room temperature, which is not a good thing if you are looking to present them at a party. I am no chocolatier by any means and it is a special skill that takes a long time to master so if you don't melt it correctly just be prepared to keep it in a cool place until it is served. No one will complain. Trust me.
Place the finished product on a serving tray to serve to all those assembled chocolate lovers then sit back and enjoy the looks on their faces as they quickly snarf down all the dark chocolate covered happy-glad parcels. You don't eat a chocolate dipped strawberry daintily or slowly. You snarf them, so you can get more before they are all gone and that is acceptable etiquette, never mind what Eloise would say.
For this batch our little buddy came over to sample and to give me his opinion of my efforts. When he is in the house grandma and grandpa are blessed with giggles, screams and hugs. Life as it should be. When I watch someone eat what I have taken time to make and when they enjoy it to the fullest it makes all the effort worthwhile, I just wish I had more of the family close by to do it for...
Apparently our nearly 2 year old judge has deemed them acceptable and the chocolate on his face, hands. clothes, the floor, towels, and the dog are his way of telling me that he is satisfied with this version of grandpas dipped strawberries...
Oh, Susan likes them too....