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Chocolate-dipped Strawberries with Cacao Nibs

3/20/2016

This isn't a very precise recipe - there's a lot of eyeballing involved because I think everyone knows what they should do with leftover chocolate or strawberries. However, I've typed this up to provide some tips on melting chocolate, which can be tricky or daunting, particularly if using any random chocolate as opposed to the specially formulated kinds advertised as being easy to melt for dipping. I absolutely love the crunch that the cacao nibs add - because they blend right into the chocolate's flavor, the added texture reminds me of Magic Shells ... except with your own customized flavor of chocolate.

quality chocolate (percentage to taste)
strawberries
cacao nibs
(optional) powdered sugar

Rinse any dirt and detritus off the strawberries. Pat dry and then let them continue to air dry on a paper towel (make sure they are dry before dipping them - water and chocolate don't mix). Cover a cooking sheet or some plates with parchment paper or foil.
If using a microwave, heat the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at medium power for 20 seconds at a time. Make sure to scrape and stir the chocolate each time before heating again. Do so until MOST of the chocolate is melted - at that point, just keep stirring, and the remaining little pieces should melt themselves without the microwave's help. If, partway through dipping the strawberries the chocolate gets too thick, heat it again at medium power for 10 seconds.
If using a stove and the bain marie method, pour about an inch's worth of water into a small pot, and then use a metal bowl that can sit on top of the pot without the bottom touching the water. Heat the pot until the water is lightly simmering (this may be less than you think - when you cover the pot with the bowl, the higher pressure can bring the water to a higher boil than anticipated). Put the chocolate into the bowl, and make sure to mix it while it melts. When removing the bowl, have a kitchen towel handy - steam will have gathered on the bottom of the bowl, and it can drip down and burn you if you don't mop it up immediately. Remember to be careful not to let any steam or drips of water get inside the bowl. (I like to keep the pot simmering on the stove while I dip the strawberries - if the chocolate gets too thick as it cools, I just set the bowl back on the pot for a few seconds, stirring, and then I'm ready to dip again.)
Pour the cacao nibs into a small bowl. Dip the strawberries in the melted chocolate to coat them, then dip one side of the strawberries into the cacao nibs. (I find you don't really need more than one side to be covered, otherwise they can be overwhelming.) Set the strawberry, non-nibbed side down, on the parchment paper to cool and set.
Once you have dipped and covered all the strawberries, if you are impatient to eat them, you can move the cookie sheet or plates to the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes. Dust with powdered sugar if you wish for presentation.

Notes: It's easy to burn chocolate, which is why there is so much care to make sure you don't overheat it, and to constantly stir it around. However, there's no need to worry about tempering the chocolate, so it's a fairly straightforward process to melt it.

If you have leftover chocolate (and want to save it as opposed to simply licking it off the bowl), you can pour it out onto a parchment-lined plate or just a piece of foil and leave it in the fridge to harden for some homemade chocolate pieces. Clean-up of the chocolate bowl can be a tough process - I've found the best way is to first wipe out the bowl with a paper towel before the chocolate gets too set, and then to make sure to wash it with hot water. If you use cold water, the chocolate will merely set, and smear under scrubbing without coming off. If I'm handwashing after using the bain marie method, I just use the hot water from the pot to rinse out the bowl.

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Phyllo Pie Crust

3/16/2016

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I love the delicate crunchiness of phyllo, and always wanted to try it out in a pie. It's not the easiest thing to work with in terms of both handling and baking with fillings, but perseverance found a way! Presentation-wise, I think a deep dish pie pan looks more interesting than a standard pie, but either way, this is an interesting twist on the conventional crust. Just be prepared to serve it with both a knife and a fork - for all of phyllo's flakiness, it's not the easiest to cut through with just the edge of a fork, particularly the bottom of the crust.

1/2 package of phyllo dough (defrosted)
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
(optional) sugar

Using the melted butter, coat the pie pan.
Lay two strips of parchment paper, about 2" wide each and long enough to overhang the pan by another 2", in an "x" across the pie pan and gently press them in. Also butter the parchment paper.
Set the oven to 350 F.
Lay out the phyllo dough flat. Cover your work surface with foil (you only need enough for a little more than half the size of a phyllo sheet). Carefully separate out one of the phyllo sheets and lay one half of it on the foil area. Gently brush butter over half the sheet. (If you wish to sweeten the crust, you can sprinkle some of the sugar over the buttered area.) Fold the other half of the sheet over it and lightly press them together.
Drape the halved phyllo sheet in the pie pan and gently ruffle it as you press it in - the ruffles not only add visual interest, but will keep the phyllo sheets from compressing and baking into one single mass (particularly on the bottom). You can choose to fold the corners that overhang the pan's edge under themselves, or leave them extending out (just keep in mind that extended corners tend to be very delicate and burn easily - be prepared to cover them with a heat shield during baking if necessary). Gently brush butter over the top of this layer.
Keep layering and buttering the sheets until the entire pie pan is covered. Continue until you have used up the phyllo sheets.
Bake the phyllo crust for about 10 minutes, check if it needs to be turned in the oven, and then continue for another 5-10 minutes until it turns golden (keep a close eye on it so that it does not burn). Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then using the parchment strips, lift the crust from the pan onto a wire rack to prevent the bottom from being steamed into softness.
When filling, it's best to let everything cool down (the crust and the filling) to room temperature so that steam isn't trapped between the filling and the crust.

Notes: You may wish to keep the phyllo covered with a sheet of saran wrap so that it doesn't dry out - I personally find though that if I work efficiently and steadily, that I don't need a covering sheet.

I tried this method initially by baking the filling inside the raw phyllo and having both bake at the same time, but this both compressed the bottom too much and made it not as crunchy. Also, since phyllo is prone to getting soaked by wet fillings, you can experiment with "lining" the bottom with something like a mix of ricotta cheese and flour to help buffer the liquids.

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Chocolate-dipped Strawberries with Cacao Nibs

Phyllo Pie Crust

Sweet Enough

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