The author of this recipe, Lori Longbotham, notes in her book Luscious Chocolate Desserts: "You can dip almost any fruit in this way, whether fresh, glazed, or dried. Crystallized ginger is fabulous, too. And an assortment (like fresh strawberries, crystallized ginger, and dried apricots) is especially brilliant. But the fruit you dip must be dry. If you use dried fruit instead of the strawberries, you’ll need about 4 ounces total for the 3 ounces of chocolate."
Serves 4 to 6
3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons flavorless vegetable oil
1 pint ripe medium strawberries
MELT the chocolate with the oil in a small deep heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1½ inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat.
LINE a baking sheet with wax paper. Dip each strawberry into the chocolate, covering about two-thirds of it and turning to coat evenly, then shake off any excess and carefully place on the wax paper. Tilt the bowl as necessary to make coating the berries easier, and if the chocolate begins to cool, return the bowl briefly to the saucepan to heat it.
LET the berries stand for about 30 minutes, until the chocolate is set. Carefully remove the berries from the wax paper.
SERVE immediately, or refrigerate for up to 8 hours before serving.
