Chocolate-Raspberry Clusters
Tips:I love raspberries. I also love chocolate, and the
two combined are my idea of a good time. These would make a
great Valentine's Day gift, but be warned that both ingredients
must be of the best quality! The berries must be firm and unbruised;
pick them over well, discarding any that are soft or moldy.
These must be stored in the fridge, and they don't keep well.
Hmmm, I guess that means they must be eaten soon after they're
made. Twist my arm! For a presentation, pile some of these gently
on a doily on an elegant plate (use a tissue or paper towel
to handle them), and place a single red rose to the side.
- One half
pint fresh red raspberries
- 10 to 12
ozs. best-quality semisweet, milk, OR white chocolate, very
finely chopped
Optional garnish:
A bit of grated or melted chocolate of a contrasting color
Pick over the berries well, using only those that are firm and
unbruised. DO NOT WASH THE BERRIES!! Weigh the berries; you
should have 5 to 6 ozs. You'll need twice that weight in chocolate.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side up; set aside.
Place the finely chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl;
set over hot water on low heat. Stir very frequently until about
half-melted. Remove from heat and hot water. Dry bottom and
sides of bowl. Continue to stir until chocolate is completely
melted and very smooth. If the melted chocolate is thin, let
cool slightly, stirring occasionally, until it thickens a bit
(melting it only halfway, then stirring often until completely
melted, should alleviate any problems here). Transfer chocolate
to a custard cup or very small bowl.
Gently drop a raspberry into the melted chocolate. Using a teaspoon,
gently and carefully cover all of the berry surfaces (including
the inside) with chocolate. Pick up the berry with the spoon,
and drop it onto the foil-covered sheet. You'll get a bit more
chocolate on the berry from the spoon--OK. Repeat this procedure
with the remaining berries. I drop the berries into clusters
of three (two if they're large) because I feel it makes an attractive
candy. If the chocolate forms a large puddle around the base
of the dipped berries, it is too warm; let it cool more before
proceeding (a small puddle around the base of the dipped berries
is OK). To apply the optional garnish, do it now: sprinkle or
drizzle a bit of the grated/melted contrasting-color chocolate
on top of the dipped berry clusters, but keep the decorations
minimal and dainty. Chill the berries until the chocolate is
set.
Using a tissue or piece of paper towel, gently peel each berry
cluster from the foil. Place in an airtight container with wax
paper or plastic wrap between the layers. Store in refrigerator,
but remember to remove from the fridge about 20 minutes before
serving (it really does make a difference; the flavor is much
fuller if these are eaten at room temperature). The moisture
from the berries will begin to work out through the chocolate
within a day, but these will keep for up to 2 or 3 days if you
are not deterred by a somewhat messy appearance.
About 1 pound
©
Stephanie Zonis provides the above information to anyone, but
retains copyright on all text. This means that you may not:
distribute the text to others without the express written permission
of Stephanie Zonis; "mirror" or include this information
on your own server or documents without my permission; modify
or re-use the text on this system. You MAY: print copies of
the information for your own personal use; store the files on
your own computer for your personal use only; reference hypertext
documents on this server from your own documents.
