Surprise someone special with these brilliant strawberries, cloaked in glossy, dark chocolate. It's best to use large berries with long elegant stems. The same chocolate-glazing technique can be used for other fruits, such as pineapple slices, orange segments, or for dried fruit or nuts.

Ingredients

16 large strawberries, with hulls and stems attached

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Sprigs of fresh mint for garnish

Preparation

Wash the berries and dry thoroughly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and place it over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat.

Using a small rubber spatula or spoon and working over the pan, spread a berry, about half way up the sides with chocolate. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat to glaze all the remaining berries. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 10 minutes. Transfer the berries, in a single layer, to a covered container and refrigerate until serving.

Advance Preparation

The strawberries can be spread with chocolate early the day they are to be served; cover and refrigerate.

Paulette Mitchell, a culinary instructor, television personality, spokesperson, freelance food writer, and the award-winning author of 13 cookbooks, is known internationally for her quick-to-prepare recipes with gourmet flair. Paulette's most recently published cookbook is "The Complete 15-Minute Gourmet: Creative Cuisine Made Fast and Fresh." She is also the author of "A Beautiful Bowl of Soup" and "The Spirited Vegetarian," which was voted "Best Book in the World on Cooking with Wine" at the 2005 Gourmand World Media Awards. Paulette says that international travel is her favorite source of culinary inspiration.