Easter Chocolate Covered Strawberries

1. Rinse and dry the strawberries. Make sure you dry them well with a soft cloth. You don't want wet berries when you dip them in chocolate.

Melting the Chocolate

1. Stovetop
2. To melt chocolate on the stovetop, place chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. If you do not have a double boiler, place a glass or metal bowl of chocolate over a pot of barely simmering water. The gentle heat from below will slowly melt the chocolate while you stir constantly to help the chocolate melt evenly. Don't let any water or steam get into the chocolate as this will cause it to clump and "seize", not melting properly.
3. Microwave
4. To melt chocolate in the microwave, place chocolate in a glass bowl. Microwave semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate at medium (50%) power for 1 minute then stir and continue to microwave at medium (50%) power in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted and smooth. The total time will depend on how much chocolate you are melting but should only be a couple of minutes.
5. For white or milk chocolate, microwave at low (30%) power for 1 minute then stir and continue to microwave at low (30%) power in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted and smooth. It's better to check the chocolate too often than to overcook it.

Dipping and decorating

1. Start by inserting a wooden skewer into the strawberry thru the calyx. Fold the leaves away from the berry toward the skewer so they don't droop into the chocolate. This will also allow you to grip the leaves against the skewer if you find the berry tends to slip.
2. Dip the strawberry into the melted chocolate, leaving about 1/2 inch strawberry visible. Gently shake of any excess chocolate. Insert the skewer into the Styrofoam so the dipped strawberry is standing straight up. Continue with the rest of the strawberries, dipping half your strawberries in the white chocolate and half in semi-sweet chocolate.
3. Prepare your pastry bags fitted with a piping tip and fill the bags with remaining chocolate, one with white, one with semi-sweet.
4. Hold the skewer with the strawberry and use the opposite chocolate for contrast. Start at the tip of the berry and pipe a scalloped pattern all around the berry while twisting the skewer in your hand. Make another turn with the scalloped pattern, this time placing the piping tip on one of the rounded scallops of the first round. Repeat one last time for a total of three scalloped rings.
5. While the chocolate is still slightly soft, place a sugar pearl in each scallop pattern "intersection". There are so many ways of decorating your strawberries. One simple design is to pipe circles around the berry using the opposite chocolate. While the chocolate is still slightly soft, sprinkle with colored sanding sugar.
6. Place the dipped and decorated strawberries in a cool place until the chocolate is firm then remove the skewers and place the decorated strawberries in an empty egg carton or a small basket.