Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Sweet, tangy, refreshing, juicy, and tantalizing red.  Strawberries are hard not to love.  The one thing that can improve perfection?  Chocolate, of course!

Chocolate dipped strawberries are my favorite go-to dessert. Each time I bring these to a dinner party, friends tell me how impressed they are.  The dirty little secret is that they are outrageously overpriced at retail and so simple to make at home.  Simple, fast, and elegant - I encourage you to try it yourself.  They will brighten any cloudy day, even in the Emerald City. 

Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Makes approx. 18 - 20.

Ingredients

• 10 oz. dark chocolate (Note: High quality chocolate is a must for proper melting - no Hershey's!  I recommend Callebaut or Ghirardelli.  Look for cacao content of 60% or more.)
• 1 oz. white chocolate
• 16 oz. fresh strawberries

 Method

1.  Wash and dry the strawberries.  Important: excess water will cause the chocolate to lump or seize.
2. Melt the dark chocolate in glass or stainless steel bowl set atop a saucepan of bowling water (double boiler).  Remove from heat and stir to ensure no lumps remain. 
3. Dip the strawberries one by one in dark chocolate, carefully spacing them at least 1/2 cm apart on a parchment lined baking sheet to prevent sticking.  Let alone to harden at room temperature or by placing in the fridge for about 10 minutes.  
4. Chop and melt the white chocolate in a double boiler.  
5. Using a pastry bag or ziplog bag w/ corner tip snipped, drizzle white chocolate in a zip zag pattern across strawberries.  Strawberries are best eaten the same day.  Note: I do not recommend these be made more than 20 hrs in advance of serving, as the strawberries will get soggy underneath the chocolate shell.