Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Maybe the day's over-rated, but I think Valentine's Day sparks the lover in all of us! Serving up chocolate covered strawberries any day can re-kindle that spark! (That reminds me: I need to order strawberries and get some organic material on the berry patch! Maybe I'll be able to sell some great dipping strawberries at our farm market this summer. According to Brad Bergeron at the fruit and veggie school, the best-tasting June-bearing strawberries for this climate are the Early Glow.) 

Today I'm fulfilling my promise to surprise some people with a special home-made treat, using my own recipe for dipping chocolate:

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 oz. baking chocolate

1 T. butter

3 T. heavy cream

(Hint: Prepare what you're going to dip. If you're using strawberries or some other fruit that you wash prior to dipping, allow to thoroughly dry before you dip! This is enough chocolate dipping sauce for 2 dozen strawberries.)

Everything goes in at the once. Use a heat-proof bowl and a wooden spoon to slowly melt the chocolate, butter, and cream over a smaller pan of simmering water OR use a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Allow to cool. It will thicken as it gets cooler, and this is what you want. Just stir occasionally to keep it smooth. 

While you wait, grease and line a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with parchment or baking paper. This will keep the paper from curling up or slipping. When the chocolate is cool, thick and smooth, you're ready to dip:

The berries are washed, blotted and ready for dipping.

Hanging out on parchment. Leaving some of the berry showing is just plain pretty. Don't worry if each one is different.

Allow the chocolate to set before packaging. If you're just going to dive in and eat them all, don't bother!!!

You can use this thick, gooey dipping chocolate for lots things: angel food cake, marshmallows, cherries, bananas, raspberries. 

Store the left-over dipping chocolate in a jar or a squeeze bottle, such as a re-cycled honey container. Enjoy! Make somebody's day!!!