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| A holiday like July 4th should include freedom from the kitchen |
It's not easy to improve on Nature's little blue beauties. Though they do seem kinda plain and naked...
Ingredients:
Fresh blueberries, gently washed and thoroughly dried, at room temperature. The amount varies, based on the size of berries. I didn't measure, but I probably used 4 or 5 cups. You want just enough naked berries to slip comfortably and completely into that silky robe of chocolate.
12 ounces dark chocolate--use a good quality kind, like Ghirardelli 60% Cacao, Bittersweet Chocolate
Microwave the chocolate in a heat-safe glass bowl, first for one minute and then thirty seconds at a time, stirring until smooth and completely melted.
Gently fold blueberries into the melted chocolate and drop by spoonfuls onto a wax paper covered cookie sheet.
Freeze for about 10 minutes or until chocolate is firm.
Clusters should be kept refrigerated and eaten with 24 hours. Around here, that's not a problem.
Happy Independence Day!
Yum! Maybe you might have some leftover in case we can make it to your place on our way up? Probably around the 14th or 15th. We have to play it by ear. I have your cell phone number so may give you a call. Ciao!
ReplyDeleteWow..u r a cook too..is it ur own special culinary method or a traditional one in Florida?
ReplyDeleteYum. I've tried chocolate coated strawberries, but not blueberries. I'm definitely going to make these.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Independence Day!
If they're the store bought, steroid enhanced, artificially hybridized blueberries probably available in the Sunshine State covering them with chocalate seems like a really good idea. We do have the wild ones here but they're exhorbitatly expense unless your willing to fight the mosquitoes, chiggers, deer fly and black bears by picking your own....
ReplyDeleteSorry I couldn't resist that rant. :)
HAPPY 4TH TO U 2!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am gonna make these for the family!!! Glorious recipe, I must say!!!
Dear Walk2Write,
ReplyDeletethat sounds so mouthwatering and convincing, that I will try it in a few minutes. Blueberries I have in the fridge, 70% dark chocolate in the cupboard, and I can start (I never knew that one can microwave the chocolate - I do it in a pot that hangs over steaming hot water - but I'll try your way.
Though I will only use a much tinier amount of berries&choc.
Have a beautiful day!
I never would have thought to cover blueberries with chocolate! Looks yummy!. ~karen
ReplyDeletereally 24 hours does not give me much time to get there ;')
ReplyDeleteHello
ReplyDeleteYour blueberry posts always make me smile. I never would have thought to encase blueberries in chocolate, either. Sounds delicious! My blueberry seedlings I planted last year unfortunately could not endure the severe heat of last summer. It was extremely hot then.
I read your "Wave Maker". I like the setting of the story very much. Please keep it up, W2W! Looking forward to reading another this summer.
Hi W2W . they sound delicious .. and I'll give them a go one day .. I use physallis and dip them half in chocolate ... having spread out the feathery sheath leaves .. and pile them up ..
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thought .. hope you're having a great 4th July weekend .. cheers Hilary
Sorry, Tina, blueberry season is almost done here, but I can manage some chocolate thing or other for you. A visit sounds great. Just let us know.
ReplyDeleteTomz, I started making these clusters after trying some that my mom made a few years back. We had a tradition of picking blueberries every year and finding different recipes for them. This one is the simplest but best (in my opinion) of them all.
JTW, I hope you like them as much as the strawberries. They certainly don't last long here.
TB, I've picked wild ones when we lived in Germany, and I must say the flavor can't be beat. I don't know anything about steroid enhanced plants in Florida, but the hybrids do make cultivating them very simple. All they require is sunlight, water, good soil, and willing hands to harvest the crop. And you can rant here anytime.
Hope you had a good, tasty holiday, Julie!
Britta, I used to melt chocolate that way too until I tried the microwave method. The secret is to heat them in small increments of time and stir frequently. Otherwise the chocolate will scorch. And the berries should be at room temp or you won't have enough time to get them covered before the melted chocolate starts to get firm.
Karen, you have to try them at least once. I'll bet you get hooked on them.
Wayne, get here in Florida, you mean? Don't they have blueberries in PA? Well, maybe in a few weeks where you are. Just be patient...
Sapphire, the heat is fairly intense here in Florida too. Perhaps a different variety would work better for you? Here in the U.S., the university extension centers can offer suggestions on what works best for each region.
Thanks for your encouragement on the writing. Time is in short supply for me this summer, but I will try my best to write another story.
Ms. Hilary, I've never tried Cape gooseberries, but they sound delicious. I'll have to find out if they're considered invasive plants here. If not, I will try to grow some. They would look quite lovely encased in chocolate.
I wanted to eat some of yours before they disappeared
ReplyDeleteOMB (Oh My Bunny) but those look good, and much better for you than so many other snack foods. Yummy, going to try this one for shure.
ReplyDeleteThese sound delicious! I wouldn't feel so guilty about feeding my chocolate addiction if I knew I was getting a healthy dose of antioxidants in the process:) I bet this would work well with raspberries, too.
ReplyDeleteEat them within 24 hours? Would 3 be okay, too?
ReplyDeleteYum.
Hello W2W
ReplyDeleteChocolate coated blueberries sound savory. I love blueberries, though I didn't know there were various varaieties of them.
I read your blueberry-related post of last year. What a nice and heart-warming story! The precious time you shared with your father while picking up wild berries has nurtured you to what you are and you do; blueberry picking time "letters" can be read anytime and can be passed on to your children.
Thank you for sharing, W2W.
Two great ingredients sounds like one healthy dose of antioxidants to me. I've been eating a lot of blueberries with yogurt of late, but I think I might like them with dark chocolate even better.
ReplyDeleteLee
Tossing It Out
We have lots of blueberries here, and my husband has a sweet tooth. So thank you for the recipe :) Seems so easy to make and yummy.
ReplyDelete