Edible bling!!!

For me, nothing says summer like fresh local strawberries. There are few things better than picking and eating juicy plump strawberries, and eating them while they are still warm from the sun, except perhaps taking those exact same strawberries and dipping them in chocolate!

My wife and I had a summer wedding, and one of the things we were adamant that we had at our reception were chocolate dipped strawberries. This is my take on a summertime classic, with just that bit of added bling!

We got our strawberries from our local 'pick your own' farm, Ganger Farm, if you don't have easy access to a 'pick your own' farm, strawberries are really easy to grow at home, alternatively you can use store bought, but I recommend using local and/or organic if they have them.

Once you have your strawberries you will need to wash them gently, and then leave to dry. Water and melted chocolate do not mix well.

For the chocolate I recommend using the best you can get, at least 70% cocoa solids, but if dark chocolate is not to your taste then use whatever chocolate you like best. I used Green & Blacks Dark with 85% cocoa solids. I broke the chocolate into small pieces and put them in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water (though if you have one a double boiler would be perfect for this) and stir the chocolate slowly until all the pieces have melted and you are left with a smooth liquid. Be careful that when you are melting the chocolate you do not over heat it or get any water in with the chocolate or it will instantly change texture and become unworkable.

Now for the fun bit: dipping the strawberries in the chocolate. Everyone can join in with this; my girls loved helping with it, though I think they ate more than ended up on the plate! Pick the strawberries up by their green stems and dip them into the chocolatey goodness, then place them on a sheet of parchment paper and leave them somewhere cool and out of the sun while the chocolate sets.

You could take the chocolate dipped strawberries and enjoy them as they are, or you could embellish them to give them that added 'je ne sais quoi'.

Pure Gold is edible in small amounts, and is used in all kinds of things from fancy cocktails to Michelin starred desserts. It is important to use only pure 24ct gold. Most gold leaf is mixed with other materials to make it stronger and therefore easier to work with, or to provide a different colour; if you are unsure you can buy gold leaf that is labeled as 'edible' but this is just 24ct gold that they charge more for adding the word 'edible' to the cover of the book of gold leaves.

I get my gold and gilding tools from 'Gold Leaf Supplies' or 'Habberley Meadows'. I carefully turned out a single leaf from the book (make sure that you have loose leaf gold and not transfer leaf) onto a gilders cushion, and using a gilders knife cut the gold into small squares, as above.

Then using a guilders tip, a special brush made from squirrel hair, or a small natural brush such as sable, pick up a small square of gold. As you carefully lay the bristles from the brush on a piece of gold it should adhere to it due to static, sometimes though it may need a little extra help. Gently brush the bristles over the back of your hand, and then try again. Carefully lay the small pieces of gold onto the chocolate. The gold should stick to the chocolate because of the oils in it, then using a soft gilders mop, a very soft round brush as in the picture above, gently tap down the gold so that it is evenly stuck to the chocolate.




Finally, and most importantly, enjoy!!!