BURNET — When you’re short on time and in need of a fun dessert for the Fourth of July party, Linda Wells has just the thing to save the day and, quite possibly, make you the talk of the soiree.
“Oh, this is so easy,” said Wells, the Burnet County AgriLife Extension family and consumer science agent.
As she said that, Wells was preparing for a meeting where food and talk takes center stage. Despite the meeting creeping closer, Wells remained unflustered.
“You know, it looks difficult, but it’s really not,” she said.
What Wells is making is a patriotic twist on chocolate-dipped strawberries. First, she said, you need to get some fresh strawberries. Then gather up the rest of you supplies — a couple of microwave-safe bowls, a couple of large spoons for stirring, a platter for the strawberries, wax paper and, of course, a microwave oven.
Then, you’ll need some white bark coating and royal blue candy melts.
“They make this in several colors,” Wells said of the candy melts, “but for this, we’ll be using the blue.”
She recommended not using white chocolate with blue food coloring.
“It just doesn’t work well,” Wells said.
Since she’s a virtual walking encyclopedia of cooking knowledge, take her word on this.
Wells then placed several pieces of the white bark coating in a microwave-safe bowl and heated them for a minute. She emphasized not overdoing it because “once you burn chocolate, you can’t save it.”
Pull it from the microwave and stir it until its soft and dippable. If it’s still not soft enough, put it back in the microwave, but only in 10- to 15-second intervals.
Once it’s soft enough, dip the strawberries in the white bark — leaving the tops of the strawberries uncovered for some red — and place them on a wax paper-covered platter. Then, put them in a refrigerator to let them set. Once the coating has set, it’s time to get the blue tipping ready.
Put a handful of blue candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl and melt them (again start with a minute.) Stir the softened melts until it reaches the right consistency — then dip the tips of the strawberries into the blue melts.
Put them back in the refrigerator to let the blue set.
You can plate them on any platter you want once they’ve set, or pick a patriotic plate or platter. But whatever you decided, you’ll be the hit of the party.
That is if you decide to share these Fourth of July strawberries.
Wells gives programs throughout the year on cooking, food preservation and other food and family science topics. Call the Burnet County AgriLife office at (512) 756-5463 for more information.
daniel@thepicayune.com
Red, white and blue strawberries are easy treat for Fourth of July parties
With a little time, you can make these patriotic strawberries. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton