Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

Valentine’s Day rolls around every year, and this marketing gimmick heaven for businesses makes you want to throw up. If you haven’t overdosed on hearts everywhere, you will on flowers and Hallmark cards. So this year, I explicitly requested to keep it simple. Forego the formalities and focus on the good stuff – family and chocolate covered strawberries, of course! However, if you want to do the whole nine yards, let’s start with music first!

“Strawberries, cherries and the angels kissing spring?”
Not cheesy enough? Ok, let’s try another.
“ Are you lonesome tonight? Do you miss me tonight?” C’mon…Elvis rules! Too old-school?
How about…..” Despacito!” Luis Fonsi version , because exotic words in a language you don’t understand, always fires things up, right? ( The flip side of your son taking Spanish class is him explaining the meanings of the words, and ruining it for you)

Music set. Now, let’s dive in to dessert.

These chocolate covered strawberries are super easy to make, so please don’t pay an arm and a leg to retailers to buy them. Make it yourself! Now, I will say that it does take some practice to get these perfectly right. I’ve made some that are too cakey, others that are too thin, and then there’s always the fact that the chocolate doesn’t adhere well to the berry and falls off mid way between the plate and your mouth. But, I’m happy to say all that is behind me. This one is sure to please!

Ingredients:

1 dozen strawberries
6 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips ( playing devil’s advocate: Yes good chocolate is necessary, but even the store brand is fine for this. Save the good stuff for munching on later!)
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream ( if you don’t have cream, you can even substitute evaporated milk)
Pinch of salt ( will balance out all the flavors. If you are using salted butter, then eliminate this)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon butter

1. Wash the strawberries gently and pat dry with a paper towel. Arrange on a wax-papered cookie sheet and stick in the fridge while you prepare the chocolate sauce. This will make sure that all moisture is taken away from the skin of the strawberry making it easier for the chocolate to adhere.
2. Put the rest of the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl. Put on top of a double-boiler. I prefer this because the heat is even and gentle. However, if you are in a hurry, pulse in the microwave at 30 seconds intervals twice, and then once for 15 seconds ( 1 minute 15 seconds total). Make sure to stir in between intervals.
   

   

   

   

   

   
3. Once the chocolate is smooth, set aside to bring down the temp just slightly. You don’t want the strawberries to burn!
   Dip the strawberries in the sauce. I hold them from the leaves gently, and use a spoon to pour some of the sauce on it . Give it a gentle swirl and let excess sauce drip back in the bowl.
4. Lay the strawberry on the wax paper sheet. Do not move once you put it down because that will mess up the chocolate covering on it. You’ll notice a small pool of sauce in the place where the berry meets the paper. This will help later on to remove the berry from the paper without tearing apart the chocolate covering.

   

5. Once all the berries are dipped, and arranged on the wax paper, stick it in the fridge to cool. It should be set in an hour. You can even do this overnight, just remember NOT to cover the strawberries tightly for they’ll start getting moisture droplets on top.
6. Once the chocolate on the strawberries is set, you want to put them on a more presentable platter. DON’T pick up the berry and yank it off the sheet. It will tear off the chocolate from the back. Instead, gently peel back the wax paper from the little pool of sauce I mentioned above. As you peel off the paper, the fruit is set free without injury!
   

   
7. If you want to get artsy, take some melted white chocolate and drizzle it over. Or dip half the berry in dark chocolate and the other half in white.
   Lastly, pray that your kids don’t gobble all of these up and perhaps leave a couple for you and your better half!

For other Valentine treats, try this Mille Crepe Cake!