Chef Char Morse joined us in studio to share some sweet treats ahead of Valentine's Day.
She also offers a Girl's Night Out Cooking Classes. For more information about how to sign up click here.
For more information about Chef Char at Kitchen 242 in Muskegon and and recipe ideas click here.
You can find the recipes featured on today's show listed below:
Chocolate Bowl Ingredients
1 pound dark chocolate
1 pound milk chocolate
1 package white chocolate candy coating
12 small balloons (latex-free)
Chocolate Bowl Directions: Place chocolates in separate double boilers and melt. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper and, using a spoon or a piping bag, form six quarter-sized disks of melted chocolate evenly spaced across pan. Blow up small balloons and dip balloon bottoms in melted chocolate. Roll bottom of balloon around in chocolate to assure a bowl was formed. Drizzle white chocolate candy coating over bowl formed on the balloon for added decoration. Carefully set the chocolate-coated portion of the balloon onto one of the melted chocolate disks on the parchment paper (the chocolate disks will stabilize the bowl as it hardens). Place tray of balloons and chocolate in the refrigerator or in a cool environment until it hardens, about 10 minutes. If you used a lot of chocolate to make the bowl, it will take longer for the chocolate to harden, so allow extra time if needed. Once chocolate is hardened, pop each balloon. Then, wait! The balloons will pull back from the chocolate slowly. It is tempting to pick at the balloon to hurry along the process. Once balloons have shriveled up on their own, remove balloons from each bowl and fill with a scoop of yogurt cream.
Yogurt Cream Ingredients
1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, softened
½ cup strawberry jam
1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
Yogurt Cream Directions: In a mixing bowl, soften cream cheese with whisk attachment. Scrape sides of bowl and add strawberry jam. Fold in vanilla yogurt. Place in a piping bag and keep chilled until ready to serve.
Garnish
Fresh strawberries
Fresh raspberries
Fresh blackberries
Mint leaves
Chocolate syrup (optional)
Chocolate Covered Tuxedo Strawberries
Ingredients:
2 lbs. large, fresh strawberries
2 (9 oz.) packages Dove Promises (milk or dark chocolate)
1 (12 oz.) package Meijer white candy coating
Directions:
Prepare a large baking sheet with waxed paper or a Silpat mat. Wash berries with cold water and dry them carefully.
*Water on the berries will cause the chocolate to seize or clump when dipped.
Melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler, stirring frequently.
Melt the milk or dark chocolate candies in a separate double boiler, stirring frequently.
How to make:
Dip a clean, dry strawberry into the white chocolate, leaving the hull and about ¼” of undipped berry at the very top. Allow excess white chocolate to drip back into the pan and carefully line up white chocolate-covered berries on lined baking sheet. Place dipped berries into the refrigerator until white chocolate is set, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Once the white chocolate is completely set on the berries, dip a white chocolate-covered berry into the melted milk or dark chocolate at a 45 degree angle. Roll the berry in the chocolate almost one full turn, still at a 45 degree angle, until the dark or milk chocolate layer meets in a “V” with white chocolate peeking out from under the dark or milk chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip back into the pan before placing berries on the lined baking sheet. Repeat and place the chocolate-dipped berries into the refrigerator another 20 to 25 minutes, until second layer of chocolate is set.
Decorate berries with chocolate bow ties and buttons. Piping bags with small tips and paper cones can be filled with melted milk or dark chocolate to decorate. Otherwise, a bamboo skewer stick dipped into melted chocolate will also work. Apply 3 or 4 tiny dots of melted chocolate to the center of the exposed white chocolate to make buttons. The bow ties can be made by drawing two connected triangles and a dot in the center of the triangles at the top of the berry, just above the chocolate buttons. Repeat until berries are decorated and place in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Tuxedo berries are best served and consumed the day they are made.
