Teaching the French About Taste

About 15 years ago, I watched a chef in Paris demonstrate dipping candied orange peel strips into chocolate when another student asked how to make chocolate-dipped strawberries. The chef’s immediate response was: “Why would you want to do that?”

To him, the tangy taste of strawberries did not seem to complement the flavor of chocolate. Still, to please the student, he proceeded to dip strawberries into chocolate. Most of the students liked them. Even the chef admitted that they were “ pas mal “ (not bad).

I discussed this flavor combination with other French chefs, who reacted as our chef originally had. Chocolate and strawberries were simply not a popular pair in France.

Yet they had become a favorite combination in restaurants and pastry shops in the United States, and magazine articles featured chocolate-strawberry shortcakes, chocolate cake rolls with strawberry filling, chocolate ice cream topped with strawberry sauce and chocolate cheesecake with strawberries.

Personally, I find chocolate a delicious partner for ripe strawberries. There’s another advantage--a few of these chocolate-dressed berries turn out to be a fairly light low-calorie dessert. After all, only a thin, delicate coating of chocolate clings to each berry.

Chocolate-dipped strawberries are very easy to prepare. Just make sure that the berries are not wet; moisture from one berry could cause the bowl of chocolate to harden before you finish dipping the other berries. Pat the rinsed berries dry with several changes of paper towels before you dip them in the chocolate.

I always use fine French, Belgian or Swiss chocolate for dipping strawberries. Since the chocolate is not mixed with other ingredients, choose the best chocolate you can get. Good-quality chocolate contains a generous proportion of cocoa butter, which gives the chocolate the desired fluidity for easy dipping.

You can dip the berries in either dark or white chocolate. For an especially festive dessert, I like to prepare double-dipped strawberries: I dip a berry in white chocolate, let it harden, then dip its tip in dark chocolate.

Long-stemmed berries are sold at the market for dipping. The green stems are pretty and helpful when you dip the berries, but I prefer smaller strawberries because they are often sweeter. Besides, with large berries, you feel like you’re eating so much berry that you hardly taste the chocolate.

By the way, the French seem to be coming around: On a recent trip I came across a patisserie window displaying chocolate mousse cake with strawberries.

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For an even quicker dessert, dip the berries in fine-quality melted chocolate at the table and eat them while they’re still warm.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED STRAWBERRIES

10 large or 20 small or medium strawberries with stems and leaves

3 ounces bittersweet, semisweet or white chocolate, chopped

Rinse strawberries, leaving stems on. Pat completely dry with paper towels. Let dry on paper towels on rack 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate in small, deep bowl set over hot water over low heat, stirring often with rubber spatula. Remove bowl of chocolate from pan of water. Cool chocolate, stirring very often, until it still flows but is thick enough to adhere to berries. White chocolate should feel cooler than body temperature. On instant-read thermometer, it should reach 84 degrees. Dark chocolate should feel slightly cooler than body temperature, or 88 degrees.

Pat 1 strawberry dry again with paper towels. Dip pointed end of each berry in chocolate, so that half berry is coated. Gently shake berry and let excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Set berry on tray lined with foil or wax paper. Dip remaining berries. If chocolate thickens, set briefly over hot water so it becomes fluid. Refrigerate berries 30 minutes or until chocolate sets. Carefully lift berries from foil to loosen, then replace on tray.

Dipped strawberries can be kept uncovered 2 to 3 hours in refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving. Makes 10 large or 20 small dipped berries.

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This is a delightful three-tone confection to serve as dessert after a rich meal. It’s also a lovely accompaniment for ice cream, or a fresh, colorful addition to a tray of petits fours or chocolates. Use fine-quality chocolate.

DOUBLE-DIPPED STRAWBERRIES

10 large or 20 small or medium strawberries with stems and leaves

5 ounces white chocolate, chopped

2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Rinse berries, leaving stems on. Pat completely dry with paper towels. Let dry on paper towels on rack 30 minutes.

Melt white chocolate in small deep bowl set over hot water over low heat, stirring often with rubber spatula. Remove bowl of white chocolate from pan of water. Cool white chocolate, stirring often, until it reaches 84 degrees on instant-read thermometer, or cooler than body temperature.

Pat 1 strawberry dry again with paper towels. Holding by stem end, dip pointed 2/3 of berry in white chocolate. Gently shake berry and let excess white chocolate drip into bowl. Set berry on tray lined with foil or wax paper. Dip remaining berries. If white chocolate thickens, set briefly over hot water so it becomes fluid. Refrigerate berries 30 minutes or until white chocolate sets. Carefully lift berries from foil to loosen, then replace on tray.

Melt dark chocolate in same manner as white chocolate. Cool until slightly cooler than body temperature, or 88 degrees on thermometer. Dip bottom 1/3 of each berry in dark chocolate. Set berries on prepared tray. Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until set, or keep up to 3 hours. Remove from refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving. Makes 10 large or 20 small dipped berries.

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In this colorful dessert, strawberries and cream are encircled by kirsch-scented chocolate mousse. You can make the mousse up to two weeks ahead and keep it in the freezer.

FROZEN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE RING WITH FRESH STRAWBERRIES

1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 large egg yolks

Sugar

2 tablespoons water

Kirsch

Whipping cream, well chilled

2 1/2 cups small strawberries, rinsed and hulled

Melt chocolate in medium bowl set over hot water over low heat. Stir until smooth. Remove from water.

Whisk yolks with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water in small bowl. Set bowl in pan of nearly simmering water. Heat, whisking constantly, until mixture reaches 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat and immediately whip with mixer until cool. Add to chocolate all at once. Stir until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons kirsch.

Whip 1 2/3 cup cream with 1 tablespoon sugar in large chilled bowl until nearly stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour mousse into lightly oiled 5-cup ring mold. Smooth top. Cover and freeze at least 6 hours or until set.

To unmold mousse, rinse metal spatula with hot water, dry quickly and run spatula around ring’s outer edge and center. Dip mold in tepid water to come halfway up side about 5 seconds. Set round platter on top of mold. Holding firmly together, quickly invert mold and platter. Shake gently downward. Dessert should slip onto platter. Carefully lift up mold. Smooth top of mousse with spatula. Freeze 5 minutes or until ready to serve.

To prepare garnish, reserve 8 whole berries for garnish. Quarter remaining berries lengthwise and mix with 1 tablespoon kirsch and 1 tablespoon sugar. Spoon mixture into center of chocolate ring. Whip 1 cup cream in large chilled bowl with 1 tablespoon sugar until very stiff. With pastry bag and medium star tip, pipe whipped cream in ruffle around outer base of dessert. Garnish ruffle with reserved berries. Makes 8 servings.