You can't read The Year The Swallows Came Early and not mention food. Chocolate covered strawberries, to be exact.Groovy is an expert at making them. Her friend, Marisol, is an expert at decorating them with white chocolate swallows. I am an expert at eating them.Here is a recipe from the internet. Better yet, here is Kathryn Fitzmaurice's recipe from Groovy:
Eleanor Robinson's
(perfected) secret recipe for
chocolate-covered strawberries
~~~
INGREDIENTS:
- 10-15 large ripe strawberries with the stems intact (as gigantic as you can find)
- 8 ounces dark (semisweet) chocolate
- 4 ounces milk chocolate
- 1/4 cup shortening (Crisco)
DIRECTIONS
ask an adult to help
ask an adult to help
- Wash and dry strawberries
- In a medium-size saucepan (or a double boiler) on low heat, melt the dark and milk chocolate and shortening. Stir constantly.
- Using the stem as a handle, dip each strawberry into the chocolate mixture and twirl it until it is mostly and evenly covered with chocolate. Do not cover the stem part.
- Place the berry on a tray lined with waxed paper to dry.
- Refrigerate for 39 minutes or more.
- Serve.
P.S. To draw the swallow (like Marison did), after your strawberries have hardened for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, melt a small amount of white chocolate (1/2 cup of white chocolate chips works well for this) mixed with a teaspoon of shortening. Dip a toothpick into the mixture while it is still warm, and let the white chocolate drip off onto your strawberry into a pattern. (It is a good idea to practice first on a napkin.) Place strawberries in the refrigerator again until the chocolate is hardened.
Thanks, Groovy. I think I will.
OK, my mouth is watering and is only 5:30 in the morning! This book has been making its way through blogdom here lately. It sounds wonderful (and so do the strawberries!)
ReplyDeleteSandy, you've been seeing it a lot on blogs because it's part of the Children's Book Blog Tour. It's fun to get everyone's perspective on the same book. I wish I'd had time to make some of the strawberries to go with my post. But, I probably would have eaten them before photographing them.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't that recipe sound great :)
ReplyDeleteWell I don't think Marisol and Eleanor were as good at decorating their strawberries as the person who made the ones in your picture! But it's something to aim for! Thank you for such a wonderful tour, Becky!
ReplyDeleteI meant, Meredith! (was looking at Becky's photo when I sent the last message.) :)
ReplyDelete"I am an expert at eating them."
ReplyDeleteYou make me laugh.
Now I'm craving chocolate-covered strawberries. Those look so yummy!
ReplyDeleteOh My Goodness!! I used to make chocolate covered strawberries but haven't in ages because my husband is allergic. I'll have to tuck away this recipe, though, for a rainy day.
ReplyDelete