Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

This seems a fairly easy recipe, hardly worth posting. And yet, I knew someone once who had no idea how to make this simple yet sophisticated treat. So, I offer it either as instruction or as inspiration ... your pick.

An old friend had once told me she was having a craving for chocolate-covered strawberries, and so she set about trying to make them even though she'd never done so before.

She took some berries and dipped them into Hershey's chocolate syrup ... uh oh. When they didn't set -- because, of course, syrup is a liquid and isn't going to firm up into a solid -- she placed the berries into the freezer, which promptly froze and destroyed them ... sigh.

I don't repeat this story to ridicule anyone -- we all have to learn things, and we all have areas of both expertise and ignorance.

It just demonstrates that what I think is easy may be out of someone else's knowledge base, while something like Sudoku -- so immensely popular, so many people can do it! -- baffles me, because I haven't figured out the key to it yet. Give me a New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle and a few hours, and I'm in my glory!

But I digress ....

So, here's a recipe for chocolate-covered strawberries, which are perfect for a Memorial Day picnic, a romantic evening, a treat while sitting on the front porch on a warm evening with either a good book or a best girlfriend, or "just because."

Really, it's strawberries and chocolate -- who needs a reason???

Now, I also have to share some good news with all of you: a photo I took at Big Bowl Cafe in Chicago, when I was there in October, was selected for the Chicago Schmap Online Guide!!! Here's the link -- Big Bowl Cafe ... :)


Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon butter
6 very large strawberries, greens intact

Lay a sheet of foil onto a plate and lightly grease it.

Place the chocolate chips and butter into a small microwave-safe bowl; nuke for 60-90 seconds, stirring until smooth.

Carefully take one strawberry by the greens and dip it up to its shoulders into the chocolate; let excess chocolate drip off, then place onto the foil-covered plate. Repeat until each of the berries is coated, then refrigerate the plate until the chocolate is set.

Makes 6 strawberries. It's up to you whether you share ....