Sandy’s Food For Thought...
These beautiful Ganache Strawberries are not for the faint of heart! Why you say?
Sometimes folks are surprised that they are not the flavor and/or sweetness of milk chocolate. If you love the flavor and possible health benefits of dark chocolate, you will love these.
I use organic Cacao because of the flavor and possible health benefits, but pure unsweetened cocoa powder works just fine.
“The cacao bean is full of antioxidants, fat, carbohydrates, protein, polyphenols like flavanoids that are antioxidants, minerals like calcium, magnesium, sulfur, copper, iron, zinc and potassium, oleic acid which is a heart-healthy essential monounsaturated fat, fiber and vitamins E, B2, B1, B5, B3 and B9.There are also small amounts of vitamin A and C in raw cacao. The maximum nutrients are found in raw cacao beans before any kind of processing.”
As soon as the Spring strawberries are available, I am ready to make these each year. They are great for taking to gatherings, and also as my own “sweetness” snack each day. They don’t seem to last long at my house. Enjoy!
Ganache Strawberries
This recipe is dairy and sugar free. Always use organic ingredients when possible.
This recipe has a strong dark cacao/cocoa flavor, not to be confused with milk chocolate.
Strawberries
15-20 nicely formed larger ripe strawberries
You can use smaller strawberries so they are bite-size or use larger strawberries for a more lasting experience.
Prepare Strawberries by removing tops by cutting evenly across top so that berries sit straight on a plate.
Coco-Nuts
1/4 Cup slightly salted or unsalted cashews
Enough Maple syrup to lightly cover nuts
1/8 Cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
Preheat oven to 300°
Put chopped nuts in a bowl and drizzle with enough maple syrup to just cover nuts. Stir to coat. Put coconut in high-powered blender or food processor and process until coconut is powder. Sprinkle coconut powder on top of nuts and mix thoroughly. Spread nuts in one layer on parchment lined baking sheet. Toast in oven until lightly browned, stirring if necessary. Takes about 10-15 minutes. Watch them carefully. Cool on baking sheet for an hour or more. As nuts cool completely, they will become crisp.
Ganache
1/8 Cup coconut oil, melted
1/8 Cup cacao or cocoa powder
2-3 teaspoons honey
2 Tablespoons coconut milk
Melt coconut oil in a small pan, whisk in honey until melted. Whisk in cacao or cocoa completely. Add coconut milk and whisk until combined. ganache will become thicker as it cools. Set aside.
This recipe will make more ganache than needed for 15-20 strawberries but you will need more ganache in order to be able to dip the strawberries into a deep enough vessel of ganache. Ganache keeps well in the refrigerator for your next batch of ganache strawberries or eat the extra by the spoonful as a wonderful ganache snack.
Assembly:
Chop nuts into small pieces and spread onto a plate. Put Ganache into a small but deep container for dipping. Dip each strawberry into ganache and then roll into nuts. Set berries on a serving plate until ganache is cooled thoroughly and/or refrigerate.
I hope you enjoy these Ganache Strawberries and make them often. They are one of my Spring and Summertime favorites.
Sandy McCall’s day job is working as the Broker/Owner of Southern Life Realty. When she’s not being the “mad scientist” in the kitchen or loving-up her cat, dogs or chickens, she enjoys being a Food Writer … You may know her from her former “Food for Thought” column in WNC Woman magazine plus:
• Facebook Blog: “Sandy’s Food For Thought”
• Food Writer: “Sandy’s Food For Thought” at 50PlusLivingWNC.com
• Food Writer: WholeLifeChallenge.com
You can contact her for Real Estate questions at Sandy@SouthernLifeRealty.com or call 828.273.9755. For Foodie questions, email SandysFoodForThought@gmail.com