Adventures in Living a Healthy, Juicy Life
Here’s a delicious recipe to share with your sweetie on Valentine’s Day – or any day that you feel like sharing something special with anyone you love. Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! – Cheryl Ragsdale
Chocolate Covered Strawberries –
A Delicious Combination!
The dipping of lush red strawberries into chocolate for the making of different types of desserts has been a common practice for many years.
As a matter of fact, no one can quite recall when this tempting dish was first created. However, the idea of mixing sweet and tart has led to this dish becoming a particular favorite of many people!
Since fruits are our top vitamin providers, dipping different fruits into chocolate has become a favorite method of creating a healthy, scrumptious dessert!
The different types of fruits that can be covered with chocolate are: apples, apricots, cherries, strawberries, peaches, grapes, and a variety of other tropical fruits. In today’s world, strange and exotic tasting chocolates are favored more than the normal chocolate bars.
In fact, different chocolates are being tried out and released into the market every year, with claims of exotic tastes to tempt the jaded palate! Bearing this in mind, the makers of chocolate covered strawberries create new recipes, with a special flair used to bring out the tart sweetness of the berry, mixed with the melting scrumptiousness of the chocolate covering!
In some countries, chocolate covered strawberries are created using dried strawberries. Although these do taste wonderful, there is nothing quite like the taste of freshness! If you’re ever on a tour to Malaysia, make sure you visit their chocolate industry. While the actual chocolate is rather standard, the fruits that are dipped in it are so varied, it boggles the mind! However, you ought to be prepared for dry, tart and spicy!
So where was this art of making chocolate dipped strawberries first born? Although it isn’t exactly known, there are some wild theories that this practice first began with the Sultans in the Arab World. However, considering the fact that strawberries seem to be found mostly in wet climes, this theory doesn’t seem to be valid!
Chocolate covered strawberries are a treat in any season and more so when they’re out of season!
When creating this wonderful dish, make sure that you’ve got the freshest strawberries in the market! Perfectly ripened ones have a taste that’s out of this world, but ensure that there are no stragglers with green on them, or you might just be serving more tartness than sweetness!
What you need to create this wonderful dessert
30-40 fresh, ripe strawberries (with the green stalks cut off)
250 g of Chocolate chips or your favorite chocolate bar whether dark or milk chocolate
Approx. 40 thin skewers of bamboo
How to make chocolate dipped strawberries:
- First of all, wash the strawberries with warm water, to remove any dirt and germs. Let them dry out gently, but completely, or the chocolate won’t take.
- Place the chocolate chips or favorite chocolate bars in a small pan. Take a larger pan, and add some water, and then put it to boil.
- Cover the smaller pan containing the chocolate to prevent any moisture from mixing with the chocolate, since this may cause it to seize. Place the smaller pan atop the larger one, but not so that the water from the larger one overlaps the smaller pan.
- Alternatively, just place the chocolate chips or chocolate bars in a glass bowl, cover and use the microwave to melt it. A minute should be enough!
- After the chocolate has melted, place each strawberry onto a skewer, and then dip into the melted chocolate. While removing the strawberry, rotate the skewer to form swirling patterns as well as to cover any nooks left with chocolate.
- Turn the strawberry upwards by inverting your hand to let the chocolate settle with an extra bite at the tip!
- Place the dipped strawberries on absorbent paper after the chocolate has hardened slightly.
- And you’re done!
For the ultimate chocolate sensation, chocolate dipped strawberries should be eaten the same day that they’re dipped, for the ultimate decadent delight! Storing these in the fridge is done, but not advised since the chocolate may firm up in a haphazard manner.
Chocolate covered strawberries can be served as an elaborate dessert, normally set within a silvered tray, and eaten with a chilled glass of red! However, having chocolate dipped chocolates for high teas or during breakfast is also a wonderful idea (even if it isn’t mother recommended)!
Ordering chocolate dipped strawberries is best done online, or from a delicatessen closest to you!
Colleen Maguire
Writer, Traveler and Chocolate Lover
For More Delicious Chocolate Ideas and Tastes:
http://www.UltimateChocolateShoppe.com
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Flaunt Your Flaws!
On Fridays, I’m joining Staci from justbloggled.com to provide a forum to discuss what we find to be “not quite right” about ourselves. The objective is to celebrate what supposedly “doesn’t work”. For instance, I have really big feet – haha! Staci complains about having a flat butt.
Juicy strawberries! What a wonderful way to think of fruit on Valentine’s Day. What’s that you say? You can’t imagine your husband waxing rhapsodic over a few strawberries dipped in chocolate? Hmmm…is anyone else available to enjoy your strawberries with you?
There must be someone cute and fun to enjoy your Valentine’s Day strawberries with you!
I used to think that not having a boyfriend / husband on V-Day was the end of the world. A serious FLAW!
Now, I just think that I don’t have a boyfriend or a husband. What I do have are lots of people to share love and smiles and strawberries with every day of my life.
What could be better than that?
Talk to me! Leave some good comments. Comment box is on the right hand side of this post half-way down the page.
Stay tuned! This could get really good. If you’d like to join in by submitting a guest post on a “flaunt your flaws” topic, please send me an email – cheryl@thatgirlisfunny.com
photo credits: boy, girl, woman, strawberry
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A really easy but mouthwatering dessert, do any types of chocolate work better than others?
This is a truly delicious dessert! When I make this I like to add marshmallow to the skewer also. Its lovely. You should try it! mmmm!
Twitter: thatgirlisfunny
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Hi Chris,
Even more sweetness! Sugar shock here we come
Cheryl´s Last Fabulous Post [type] ..UFC 118 – Which Fighters Did Cheryl Meet
I LOVE strawberries! I just wish they were in season around here.
Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!
.-= The Only Girl´s Last Fabulous Post blog ..My Brush With Job Fame =-.
Twitter: thatgirlisfunny
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I love having my SITStahs visit me! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Twitter: MeganJoyGirl
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I love your site! I just read your “about” page, and frankly am blown away by the woman you are. I have an overwhelming urge to bow to you. (*bow*)
Your site is fun, and even though I told myself I need to stop adding new blogs to my weekly reading (b/c I have about 30 or 40 I try to keep up with each week!), you’ve been added! You’re far too interesting not to add, and I thank you for your awesome comment on my guest post at The Jungle Of Life.
Have a spectacular Valentine’s Day!
.-= Megan “JoyGirl!” Bord´s Last Fabulous Post blog ..Underwear in the Jungle! =-.
Twitter: thatgirlisfunny
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Hi Megan,
Thank you so much! I feel honored. Have a happy “static-free” Valentine’s Day! lol!
Twitter: getinthehotspot
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Hehe, I have big feet too but then I’m five foot eight so I need something of a reasonable size to help me stand up. Better to think of the shoe manufacturers who ignore long-footed ladies like us as the flawed ones.
I’m also a bossy know-it-all. Of course you could put a positive spin on that (well-informed leadership qualities) but then it wouldn’t be a flaw would it and it’s our flaws that make us interesting:)
Twitter: thatgirlisfunny
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Hi Annabel,
I like the way you think. There’s nothing wrong really. It’s just we want the opposite of what we’re given sometimes. Our flaws make us human and keep us interesting. God gave us the right size feet so we can keep our balance.
This is wonderful! Thank you sooooo much for making this easy enough for someone like me to be able to create these yummy treats! (“kitchen-challenged”) What an awesome idea for Valentine’s Day!
As always, Cheryl “you got da magic”!
Thanks again for the terrific post!
Fred
.-= Fred´s Last Fabulous Post blog .."Blizzard Burpees" =-.
Twitter: thatgirlisfunny
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Hi Fred,
Always nice to hear from you! Did you know you hold the position of having made the most comments – 18 to be exact – on my blog? Yay! Spoil your wife with some strawberries on Sunday. I’m coming over to visit you and see what these blizzard burpees are about. Sounds challenging to say the least. mwah!