CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES

I brought my favorite last-minute dessert to a function this week and someone asked for the recipe.  I was just going to refer them to this blog but I was surprised that I had never actually posted this.  So, here it is.

Ingredients

Fresh strawberries
Molding chocolate

The most important part of this recipe is the "tricks".  They are easy enough to follow, but if you don't know them you can possibly be disappointed with the results.

1.  Fresh strawberries - Ideally you do this on the day you buy the strawberries.  But let's get real - who ever does that?  So you can wash them and store them in an airtight container in between paper towels.  The longer you wait to use them, the worse the results will be.  So I try to use them no later than the next day.  Bring the strawberries to room temperature for the best results.
2.  Chocolate - The better the chocolate the better the results.  Molding chocolate has some kind of "emulsifier" that makes it more waxy.  If yours is too thick and is not coating the berries the way that you like, just add some solid shortening to it until it is the way you like it.  Start with a tablespoon.  If it gets too runny, just add more chocolate.
3.  I buy chocolate in bulk.  Although your initial outlay may seem a lot ($30-80), that can last for years and it is at your fingertips when you need to make something at the last minute.  If you have a choice, get it with 3 "drips" (marking on the package).  If it is not available locally, you can get it online from Surfas (www.culinarydistrict.com).  The molding chocolate is Callebaut.  Store in a cool place.  If it separates (areas of paleness) you can still use it.  It is not bad and the color becomes even when you remelt it.

4.  Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate.  If you don't have one, then make one by putting a smaller pot in a larger one.  Just make sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the smaller pot.  Don't be skimpy with the amount of chocolate you melt.
5.  Put them down to dry.  Parchment paper works best, but you can use wax paper or tinfoil.  It takes 30-60 minutes to dry in a cool room.  Better not to put them in a refrigerator because the chocolate can be uneven.
6.  Take the leftover chocolate in the pot and put it in a container to harden.  Yo


Now, just dip the strawberries.  Do it with no one around otherwise you will find that they will never make it to your function.

GELATO VS ICE CREAM

Well,  I made gelato.  For 2 days.  And then I started inviting people over to have taste tests.  Because I wanted to see if there was a difference between gelato and ice cream.

So here's what I did.

I have 2 machines, an ice cream maker and my recently bought gelato maker.  I also have an excessive number of recipe books for frozen desserts.  I made four different recipes; two traditional gelato recipes with lower fat contents (crema and mascarpone) and 2 traditional ice cream recipes (chocolate and espresso).  I then put half of each batch in the machines and made them according to the instructions.  Next, I called friends to see if they were interested in participating in my taste test.  The deal was that after they taste-tested everything, they could make their own "ice cream sundaes" with all the toppings.  I didn't have to pay anyone an honorarium to get them to participate!

Here are the very unscientific results.  Because people have flavour preferences, I can't really say if they prefer ice cream over gelato, except to tell you what I have left over and the comments that I heard.

ICE CREAM

Chocolate
2/3 of people preferred the one made in the ice cream machine, but did complain about the texture in both of the batches.  I've never found a recipe where that has not been a problem.  Which is a problem for me, since it seems everyone loves chocolate ice cream.  If there is anyone out there who has a great chocolately ice cream recipe that does not have a grainy texture to it, please share.


Espresso
This came out 50/50 for which machine they preferred.  This flavour was a favorite for many of the tasters.  I wonder if that might be a function of the fact that many of the tasters were doctors, who are known to live on coffee in the early stages of their careers?

Now on to the gelato...............

GELATO

Crema
By a 3:2 majority, this was preferred in gelato form, and was the second most popular.

Mascarpone
This was very interesting.  Just about everyone preferred this one made in the ice cream machine.  No one said this was their favorite ice cream and yet, as I watched everyone kept putting their spoons back into this one "for one more bite".   Not quite sure what this means.  I really liked it and will make it again.  But then tiramisu is a favorite dessert of mine and mascarpone is the cheese that is used to make that dessert.  What also is interesting about this gelato is that it is the only one that doesn't use eggs so it is easier to make than the others.  And I have no egg whites from it to figure out what to do with them.  Perhaps it comes out better in the ice cream machine because the cheese is denser and the ice cream machine puts more air into the dessert.

One of my tasters is a native Italian.  She admitted before the taste test she always preferred ice cream to gelato, and true to form she did in this taste test.  The one kid to participate only wanted chocolate and after much hemming and hawing, she decided, "by just a little bit(e)" she preferred the ice cream.


Gelato is the the healthier choice.  Perhaps Rachel would like to chime in on what she thinks about my results as all the tasters (except the kid and one young adult) were in their 40's and older.  I think that we need to devise a nerdier test with some of her friends, to get a better age range and scientific test to add to her original research on the matter.

(For those of you who want to read more about the difference of gelato and ice cream, see my other blog, DrVickisBytesonTykes.blogspot.com.)

Popcorn!

In Irvine, I had an air popper. When I moved, I didn't want to take it with me, but I still bought real popcorn, and not the microwave stuff. One of my friends makes it by putting it in a paper bag, folding the bag over tight, and putting it in the microwave. I have yet to try that. But I have been making it on the stovetop. The nice thing about this is that nearly every kernel in the pot pops. Even with the air popper, I got a lot of unpopped corn. It only takes about 5 extra minutes (so about 10, total). All you need is a large pot with a lid (the lid is key), and the possibilities for flavors are endless. So far I've made kettle corn (pictured), and savory popcorn with salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Here's the general idea.



1. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil or butter in a large pot. For kettle corn, I think butter is better; for savory, olive oil.
2. As the butter melts/the oil heats, add your flavoring. For kettle corn, a sprinkling of sugar goes in now. Unfortunately, I haven't quite figured out how to keep the sugar from caramelizing, so you get kind of a burnt taste to the kettle corn.
3. Once the butter is melted/the oil is hot, add a quarter cup of popping corn to the pot and cover it. Shake the pot as much as you can while still keeping it over the heat. It takes a few minutes for the popping to start, and once it does it takes about 2-3 minutes for all the kernels to pop.