Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

My husband was the one who insisted on buying dark chocolate. The package had chocolates with 60%-72%-85% cocoa. We managed to finish all except the 85% ones. I knew it was gonna end up on my kitchen shelf taking up the space and left untouched. The other day when I passed by Edible Arrangements I knew exactly what should be done with those dark chocolates.

I had been attracted to strawberries recently. Well, I was attracted to them earlier too, but that was because of their colour and they looked so beautiful that you cannot let them go unnoticed. This time it was because of its nutritional values. I happened to read about them lately. Rich in Vitamin C these can be a great immunity booster. Also, these are helpful to beat cholesterol.

Trick to get perfect Chocolate garnishing !

Chocolate garnishing isn't just about melting chocolate and piping it out in desired shapes. I learnt it the hard way, when the chocolate garnishing on a birthday cake just bent down in few minutes.

What is the secret behind doing it right and how to do it? Tempering is what needs to be done here. Tempering is a way of melting chocolate in a way that its molecules do not break up completely. So, when they are chilled, they get back together to give it a firm shape.

1. First, grate the chocolate. Do not touch the chocolate with your hand, else it would melt. Shave it with a sharp knife having held it with a kitchen towel. 
2. Place 2/3rd of shaved chocolate in the microwave for not more than 8 sec. Take it out and give it a mix with a spoon. If its not melted completely, place it again in the microwave for few seconds, just enough to melt it. 
3. Once done, add the rest of the chocolate shaving and mix it with a spoon. It would melt in it and leave a thick and sticky texture.
4. Pipe it out of a piping bag or ziploc bag into desired shapes to decorate cakes, desserts etc. 

Watch this video, where I learnt it from.