Happy Valentine’s Day

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

Steve and I have enjoyed many Valentine’s Days together, having been married since we were 23. But we don’t have a special way to celebrate.

Sometimes we go out to dinner, sometimes we cook dinner together at home, and sometimes, when the kids were young, we’d have a family dinner, with small gifts for everyone. When your husband will make you a latte every morning or breakfast in bed for no special occasion, do the grocery shopping and pitch in on all the household chores, every day is Valentine’s Day.

Despite our haphazard observation, Steve always brings me flowers and I always do a special Valentine’s Day dessert. If I’m really busy, I’ll just make some chocolate strawberries. They’re surprisingly easy to do, look like little red hearts, and are a taste of heaven.

Easy Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
6 medium-large strawberries (about 2 inches long)
1/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate)

1. Rinse berries and pat dry completely with paper towels. Line a flat plate or small baking sheet with waxed paper.
2. Heat chocolate in a shallow microwave-safe bowl at medium power for 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Stir with a small whisk or a fork until bowl no longer feels warm. Continue heating at 15 to 30 second intervals, stirring, until chocolate is smooth. Note: Chocolate chips will continue to hold their shape, even when melted, so unless you stir the chocolate, you may not realize when the chocolate has melted.
3. Holding a strawberry by the green cap, dip into the melted chocolate to coat all sides leaving red shoulders. Lay the berry on the waxed paper. Repeat with remaining berries. You may need to tilt the bowl to pool the chocolate.
4. When all berries are dipped, refrigerate them for about 15 minutes or more to set the chocolate. Berries should be eaten the day they are dipped.

Makes 2 servings, 3 berries each.

Variations: As soon as the berry has been dipped in chocolate, dip the berry tips in:

• Chopped, toasted nuts
• Candy sprinkles

Here are more Valentine’s Day recipes from our Special Fork database to make for the people you love:

• Mini Sweet Tart Shells Filled with Fruit and Cream is Lori Powell’s answer to an almost-instant dessert, using prepared tart shells. Make it in 5 minutes.
• Valentine’s Day means chocolate and there’s no better taste of chocolate than Andrew Hunter’s smooth and creamy Valentine’s Day Mousse. It takes about 25 minutes to make plus time to chill.
• No-Bake Ribbon Cake is an assembly cake: you buy a pound cake and add layers of ricotta filling and blanket with mocha frosting. The combination is delicious.
• Mocha Brownie Hearts is a simple recipe from Wilton Brands, www.wilton.com the source for all your Valentine’s Day dessert embellishments like candy hearts, food colorings and icings. Bake the brownies, ice, cut out heart shapes and decorate. Allow about 15 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to bake.

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Related posts:

1. Sweets for the Sweet on Valentine’s Day
2. A Valentine’s Day Dessert for Cooking Newbies
3. Berry Season
4. Welcoming Spring with Strawberries
5. Chocolate = Love