Chocolate-dipped Strawberries

I debated whether it was worth posting this as a "recipe".  But there are tricks you should know before making chocolate-covered strawberries at home.

First of all, these do not keep.  You get 24 hours maximum before the berry separates from the chocolate.  Make these last when you have a party.

Always wash the berries before beginning, then pat dry.  Very dry.  Moisture will not only prevent the chocolate from sticking, it will accelerate the spoilage process.

You can melt the chocolate in the microwave.  Put semi-sweet chips on Defrost for 1 minute at a time, stirring after each minute.  Once you can stir it smooth and it falls in ribbons, you're ready to go.  It can be reheated if it starts to firm up before you're done.

Before starting, cover a cookie sheet or plate with waxed paper and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes.  This will make the chocolate set up faster and coat more evenly.

The fancy tuxedo design is very easy to do.  You need two bowls, one white chocolate, one dark.  Dip the berry in the white first and let it harden.  Then dip it quickly in the dark on an angle once for one lapel, then once on the other side, leaving a V of white to represent the shirt.  With a piping cone, add button dots and even a bow-tie in dark chocolate.  You could also do stripes, by dipping the berry in a base color, letting it harden, doing another color, etc.  Or roll the berry in crushed nuts before the chocolate hardens, or sprinkles.  Still, nothing beats the classic plain, dark chocolate coating.

Difficulty rating  π