Strawberries Dipped In Chocolate

Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients:

1 pound/450 g fresh large strawberries with stems
8 ounces/225 g high quality dark chocolate (semi-sweet or bittersweet), chopped
2 ounces/55 g high quality white chocolate, chopped

Method:

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly rinse the strawberries with cold water and arrange them on paper towels. Pat each strawberry dry with dry paper towels to ensure no moisture remains on the strawberries. Be sure the strawberries are completely dry before dipping them into the chocolate since any moisture on the strawberries will cause the chocolate to seize and become firm.

Place the dark chocolate in a small bowl and set the bowl over a small saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir constantly until the chocolate melts. Remove the pan from the heat. Holding 1 strawberry by the green stem, dip the strawberry into the melted dark chocolate. Gently shake some of the excess chocolate back into the bowl.

Place the strawberry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining strawberries and dark chocolate. Allow the dark chocolate to set.
Place the white chocolate in another small bowl and set the bowl over the saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir constantly until the white chocolate melts.

Pour the melted white chocolate onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Gather the sides of the plastic wrap and hold the pouch of white chocolate firmly. Twist the pouch. Pierce the bottom of the pouch with a sharp cocktail stick or skewer and drizzle the white chocolate decoratively over the chocolate-dipped strawberries. Reserve any remaining white chocolate in the pouch for another use.

Let the white chocolate set. The strawberries can be prepared and refrigerated up to 8 hours ahead.