Yesterday I stopped by Godiva, one of the finest chocolate shops in the world, and they were taking orders for its never well-praised chocolate covered strawberries. Is there anything more romantic than that to celebrate Valentine's Day? Only doing your own strawberries for your loved ones and here's how.
My strawberries have a Latino twist: I add some rum and orange liquor from Venezuela and it's worth it every drop! A few considerations: Make sure the strawberries have their stems, make sure they are at room temperature and perfectly dry so the chocolate sticks to them. Once the chocolate is melted, cover the strawberries as soon as possible so there will be no need to reheat it.
Chocolate-covered strawberries
Ingredients for 20 big strawberries
20 big strawberries with their stems, rinsed and dried
5 ounces (140 grs) of semi sweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli premium baking bar)
1/4 cup of fat free half and half
2 Tbs. of rum and orange liquor Rhum Orange Liqueur
Directions
Have all ingredients at room temperature. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the chocolate in a small sauce pan and melt it on low to medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes. With a wooden spoon, stir the chocolate to make sure it is perfectly smooth and fluid.
Once the chocolate is fluid, turn off the heat and add the half and half. Stir until incorporated.
Add the rum liquor and stir until incorporated.
One at a time, grasp the berries by the stem and dip them in the chocolate, swirling to cover them evenly. Place the strawberries in the baking sheet.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to get hard.
Serve the strawberries at room temperature.
Image via Enriqueta Lemoine
