Inside the restaurant, the students worked hard to ensure that everyone can get their order. “We sold around 88 boxes. The whole process was pretty organized. Overall, about two dozen students were able to help throughout the week. Because we worked like a well oiled machine, it was such an enjoyable process!” reflects Elizabeth Edinger, Restaurant Trades sophomore.
Not only could the LCCTC faculty and students enjoy them, the Restaurant Trades team also shared strawberries for Ed Camp, a countywide-teacher inservice held this past Friday! They were able to share this delicacy with teachers and administration from each of our home school districts.
As a second-year Restaurant Trades student, my favorite part is the decorating. I was able to help decorate, set up boxes, and select strawberries for orders.
Crazy enough, you don't need to be in Restaurant Trades to make something as delicious as the chocolate covered strawberries. Something like this is simple enough for anyone to make at home, even without a chocolate fountain! About cup of chocolate chips and a tablespoon of shortening and a microwave or a pot of boiling water is all that’s needed.
Depending on your skill level, determine which technique you wish to use. The easiest of the two is the microwave. For this technique, just melt the chocolate in thirty second intervals. Stir the chocolate so it completely melts without burning. From time to time, you may need to reheat your chocolate mixture to ensure it remains melted. Then dip your berries until chocolate covers all but the leafy-green top.
The more complicated method of the two is the double broil; however it may be more desirable because the chocolate does melt smoother. This one's a little more challenging because you need to pay attention to it so it doesn’t burn. With this technique, set a pot of water up to boil. Once it’s boiling, place the bowl of chocolate chips over the pot. Be careful because you have more risk of burning yourself on the pot or even the steam from the boiler below. With the bowl a little bigger than the pot, slowly stir until melted, and then dip!
Set the dipped berries on a parchment covered sheet tray so they don’t stick. Place the tray in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens until you’re ready to move to the next step.
To decorate your beautiful berries, keep it simple. Repeat the melting technique, preferably using white chocolate or colored chocolate; we used pink and red for this holiday. Try to avoid using food coloring because the chocolate will seize, turning stiff and granular in texture. Once your accented chocolate of choice is melted, dip a fork or a spoon into it. With the accent chocolate dripping from the utensils, zig-zag back and forth in any direction over the berries. You can also add sprinkles if you'd like; make them yours!
After they are all done, place them in the fridge to set until the chocolate hardens. In these cool temperatures, the strawberries typically last a few days; however, after a while, the berries can get mushy.
Chocolate covered strawberries are easy to create, and they make a great gift...if you don’t eat them all yourself! Enjoy and have fun!
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Betty Crocker Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
1 pint (2 cups) medium-large strawberries (18 to 20 strawberries)
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips or white vanilla baking chips
1 teaspoon shortening or vegetable oil
Steps
- Gently rinse strawberries and dry on paper towels (berries must be completely dry). Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.
- In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
- Dip lower half of each strawberry into chocolate mixture; allow excess to drip back into saucepan. Place on waxed paper-lined tray or cookie sheet.
- Refrigerate uncovered about 30 minutes or until chocolate is firm, or until ready to serve. Store covered in refrigerator so chocolate does not soften (if made with oil, chocolate will soften more quickly at room temperature).
