Sunday, March 16, 2008

Almond and Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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I haven't had as much time as I would want to post my recent food expeditions. First, I burnt myself in school with boiling caramel.. I was making creme caramel, a dessert I do not care for very much but that a lot of people adore. The texture of the flan has never really appealed to me, but let me say, it really got me back for it! I was ladling the caramel at the bottom of a ramekin (which is then toppled onto a plate for service) and my finger slipped into the caramel. Needless to say the pain was excruciating. I have since recovered, and still enjoy caramel as much as ever (I plan on making caramel-dipped apples later this week) but I am now that much more aware of the dangers of kitchen life! If anyone would like the recipe for the caramel flans, do ask, I will not hold it against you.

For the time being, just a little delicacy to enjoy on any day. This is actually a really easy dessert to entertain with and I count on experimenting with many more variations involving strawberries, chocolate and nuts (it seems hard to go wrong with any of these).

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Recipe:
8-10 strawberries
A good handful of bittersweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons of butter
1 handful of sliced almonds

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Chocolate burns easily so a double boiler makes sure that the chocolate melts gently. Add the butter in small chunks. Stir once the chocolate is melted. Transfer to a bowl. Crush the almonds into small pieces and place in another bowl. Dip each strawberry into the warm chocolate and then into the almonds and place on a rack covered in aluminum foil. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours. If the chocolate seems a little thick, add a little melted butter or heavy cream to thin it out.

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