Way back in the 16th century, William Butler, an author, wrote this about strawberries:

“Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did.”

There's a man who wrote it like it is from his heart and obviously, his taste buds. I'd like to know how he would react to today's chocolate covered fresh berries.

These are high on the list for Valentine's Day treats/gifts, yet also high on the expense list for ready-made berries.

Quite simple and relatively inexpensive to make, strawberries are readily available in just about every market and are priced at less than five dollars for a pound.

It's best to select the medium sized berries as they will have a better flavor than the larger berries.

Here are directions for dipping the berries.

A small pint box of strawberries will serve 2 to 4 people if you are using them for a dessert, it will weigh one pound normally.

For such a box you will need 4 ounces of chocolate. Once dipped they will keep for 24 hours.

Use a soft pastry brush to clean the berries. Brush them gently.

If you wish, they may be washed in a large bowl of cold water and then drained for several hours on a paper towel lined rack.

Be sure the berries are dry before dipping.

Coarsely chop your chocolate and place it in the top of a small double boiler, warm the water in the bottom half and set over low heat. Cover until the chocolate is partially melted.

Uncover and stir until the chocolate is all melted and smooth. Remove the top from the double boiler and locate it at your work station. Place a parchment, wax paper or plastic wrapped tray at your station.

Dip the berries, using the leaves or stems, covering them two-thirds of the way with chocolate.

Let any excess drain off and place the berries on the paper lined tray on their side. If the chocolate thickens too much, simply reheat over the water again.

Let the berries set at room temperature, then gently lift from the paper and serve on a plate or platter. If you are serving them later, store them at room temperature until serving time.

The whole recipe should take less than 30 minutes to prep and prepare. Congratulate yourself.

Once you see how much they are retailing for, you're saving about $30 dollars!

As always, enjoy!

David Kelly is a freelance columnist for Trib Total Media. He has been sharing cooking tips and recipes in Culinary Corner for 21 years.

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