Category: Strawberry

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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Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bars

7/8/2015

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This was taken (with some very heavy adaptations) from an idea on Cooking.com. However, I found quite a few problems with the original recipe after eyeballing the ingredients, so I played around with the proportions just going by previous experience of what recipes for my rhubarb pie and other crumbles called for. In the end, the first attempt was probably a B+, but it wouldn't take much to get it into the A range on the second try!

Base and crumble topping:

8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
1.25 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Fruit mixture:

2 cups chopped rhubarb
1.5 cups chopped strawberries
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, blend the base ingredients together with a fork or your fingers until the butter is no longer visible and the mixture is loose and crumbly. Transfer about 3/4 of the mixture to the prepared pan. Use your fingers or a measuring cup to press the mixture into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
In another medium bowl, stir the rhubarb, strawberry, cornstarch and sugar together. Pour into the pan. Crumble the remaining base mixture on top of the fruit.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing into pieces.

Note: The flavors tend to take time to blend together. It will taste different the next day, but the crumble may not be as fresh and crispy due to the liquids in the center. So, it's best to enjoy it the day-of, but allow it time to sit and settle.

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Peanut Butter Thumbprints with Strawberry Lambic Jam

1/1/2015

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From a Tasting Table recipe.

Jam:

12 oz strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4" pieces
12 oz bottle strawberry lambic
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Cookies:

1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
1 cup roasted red-skinned peanuts
1 cup strawberry lambic jam

Make the strawberry lambic jam: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the strawberries, lambic and sugar, and simmer, stirring often to prevent from boiling over, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the jam is thick enough to coat a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes. The jam will continue to thicken as it cools.
Make the cookies: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and both sugars on medium speed until the butter is light and airy, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to bring the batter together. Add the peanut butter and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter mixture and mix until the batter starts to resemble cottage cheese.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and both salts.
Add the dry ingredients all at once to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until the dough comes together but still looks shaggy, 20 to 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand.
Stretch out a long sheet of plastic wrap onto a work surface and place the dough on top. Pat the dough into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle, using the bench scraper to square off the sides. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a food processor, pulse the nuts just until they are finely ground.
Cut the dough lengthwise into 5 even strips. Roll the strips back and forth into logs to round out the edges. Each log should be about 9 inches long. Coat each log with the ground nuts.
Cut each log into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece with the ground nuts again to round out the edges, then place the pieces cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet. You should be able to fit 20 cookies per baking sheet.
With the tip of your thumb, make an indentation into the center of each cookie and slightly flatten the cookie. Spoon the jam into the center of each thumbprint.
Bake for 8 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue to bake until the cookies begin to crack a bit on the top and are just set, another 6 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool before serving.

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Chocolate-dipped Strawberries with Cacao Nibs

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bars

Peanut Butter Thumbprints with Strawberry Lambic Jam

Sweet Enough

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