Vol.1, No.3

Chocolate covered strawberry recipe

Chocolate covered strawberries have always been a lush, gourmet treat for special occasions.

Photo Credit: Stephen Walls

By Lisa Thibault Chocolate covered strawberries have always been a lush, gourmet treat for special occasions. Now you can make these gourmet confections yourself for any occasion.

The first step is finding the right berries. Try to find berries that are all of the same average size for a more uniform presentation. Of course a variety of sizes can also make for an interesting presentation as well. The choice is yours to make. Whatever size strawberries you choose, ensure that they are clean, dry and at room temperature before you begin the coating process. Whether to leave the greens on the berries is also a choice you will need to make. Leaving clean, green, attractive tops on your strawberries can enhance the effect of the presentation but if the tops of your berries are discolored, you'll definitely want to remove them.

The next step is deciding what type of chocolate you would like to cover your strawberries with. Most craft supply stores carry candy melts (bags of small round chips of chocolate). These melts come in a variety of flavors and colors. You'll want to choose milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate to go with your strawberries. For a more festive chocolate covered strawberry, you may very well want all three.

The tools you'll need for making your strawberries are quite simple. A simple hot plate or stovetop with a double boiler will do. Place water in the lower pot, heat it to boiling and then lower the heat to a low simmer. Once the water has boiled, place one flavor/color of candy melts in the top pot. Stir the melts until, with stirring, they dissolve into a smooth liquid.

The fun begins once you have your chocolate melted. Gently insert a candy making fork (or a fondue fork) into the berry just under the greens where the punctures won't show. Once the berry is securely on the fork, gently dip it into the chocolate, covering the whole berry up to about one-quarter inch from the top. Remember not to keep the berry in the chocolate any longer than necessary. Once the berry is covered, pull it out of the chocolate and lightly shake it to remove any excess chocolate. Then place the berry carefully on a sheet of wax paper, for the chocolate to set, while you dip the rest of your strawberries. Once all of your berries have been dipped, if the chocolate has not set (solid) then place them carefully in your freezer. The freezer should only be used as long as necessary to "set" the chocolate. Do not allow the berries to freeze.

If you would like something a bit more formal than a simple chocolate covered strawberry, you can try the following variations:

Double Chocolate: Using two double boilers, melt milk chocolate in one and dark chocolate in the other. Dip each strawberry in one chocolate, let it set, then dip each berry in the other chocolate only halfway, leaving enough of the first chocolate exposed to display the two-toned chocolate dip.

Tuxedos: Carefully set each berry on a sheet of plastic wrap the way that you would like it when it is finished. The side touching the plastic will be referred to as the back and serve to provide orientation for the left and right sides. You will need two double boilers (one for white chocolate and another for dark chocolate. First dip each strawberry up to about one-quarter inch from the crown into the white chocolate first. This will be the "shirt". Once the white chocolate has set, dip the left side, then the right in dark chocolate, leaving a "v-neck" in the front. This will be the "jacket". Once that layer of chocolate has set, use a toothpick dipped in the dark chocolate to draw the bow-tie and buttons on the white chocolate.

Artistic: Using dark, milk and white chocolate, dip one third of your strawberries in the dark chocolate, one third in the milk chocolate and the last third in the white chocolate. Once the initial coat of chocolate has set, drizzle the other flavors in zig-zag patterns over each of the strawberries.

Once you have mastered the basics of chocolate covered strawberries, there is no end to what you can create with a little imagination. You'll soon be looking for any occasion to show of your new gourmet skills!