Marbled Dipping Ganache = Easy Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik. Video: Natalie Holt]

无论您是在镇上呆在镇上还是过夜，巧克力覆盖的草莓已经成为几乎所有情人节菜单中无处不在的部分。尽管草莓已经过季节，但甜点还是很有意义的：充满活力的红色和丰盛的美国最喜欢的壮阳药，以听起来像是彻头彻尾的色情作品的方式，所有跑步的果汁和手指 -舔。

But what's great in theory doesn't always pan out. The cold strawberries chill the chocolate so that it doesn't melt as quickly as it should, creating a waxy, tongue-coating mouthfeel. The chill also mutes the flavor of the chocolate, since you can't let it melt on your tongue and swallow a chewed-up strawberry at the same time.

在家里，这可以通过将浆果提升到室温来解决，但前提是巧克力的起点是恢复原状。如果您对巧克力和/或Sous Vide感到非常满意，那么回火并不是什么大问题，可以克服这些问题（here's our guide to tempering chocolate). But for those who are new to the process or just trying to pull off a quick 'n easy but romantic dessert, tempering probably isn't in the cards.

So if you have your heart set on chocolate-covered strawberries but aren't inclined to temper, there's a simple alternative: ganache. It gives you all the romance of fondue, minus the special equipment, so you can enjoy something gooey and warm. And a bowlful of ganache can be a thing of beauty if you swirl two types of chocolate together.

It doesn't have to be a mix of dark and white chocolate, although that'll provide some great contrast; dark and milk chocolate work well together, too. The process is simple: pour some hot cream over two bowls of chocolate, one light and one dark, then whisk each until smooth, and walk away. By the time you've washed up some strawberries, the ganaches will be thick enough to swirl together in a bowl.

There are just a few things to bear in mind when making ganache. First of all, use good quality chocolate rather than chips—the palm oil that replaces cocoa butter in chips and cheaper chocolates can give the ganache an oily sheen. Second, don't actually bring the cream to a boil; it only needs to be about 190°F to melt the chocolate, and working at lower temperatures will let the chocolate maintain its natural temper, giving the ganache a smooth, even sheen. Finally, always pour the cream over a bowl of chocolate rather than adding the chocolate to the pan of cream, an arrangement that also helps keep the chocolate from getting too hot (which can make the ganache look greasy and broken).

With those tips in mind, marbled dipping ganache is a fast and foolproof dessert perfect for a cold winter's night.

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