We’re well into strawberry season in Korea. We see them everywhere, particularly the guys selling them on the trucks with the loop tapes on the bullhorns. Valentine’s has passed. Yet this is Korea. Valentine’s is when women dote on men. White Day, March 14th, is when men dote on women. So guys, here are two ways to make White Day a little memorable — for both of you.
MACERATED STRAWBERRIES
No, I said, “Macerated.”
Did anyone tell you you have a dirty mind?
This is a way to preserve strawberries and turn them into a decadent topping for ice cream, cake, or to just eat on their own.
Get some strawberries and clean them. I think this is an average box of strawberries here.
Slice them and combine them with a few tablespoons of honey, a tad of lemon zest (just grate the outside of a lemon, not the white pith), a teaspoon of black pepper, and half a cup of sugar. Fill the bowl with red wine until it almost covers the strawberries. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Put the whole thing in a large zipper bag and let it sit in the fridge for a while.
This stuff is magic. Eun Jeong frequently munched on these straight out of the bag.
Yet want to really impress her?
CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES
This is extremely easy, but you have to do it quickly. That means everything has to be prepared. Have the following ready:
- Washed strawberries (don’t cut off the tops)
- Stainless steel bowl
- Small pot of boiling or close to boiling water
- A place to put the strawberries while the chocolate sets, like a plate
- Chocolate
Chocolate? Just any chocolate?
Fortunately, this stuff has been introduced to the Korean market. The really, really dark stuff is best.
Put the chocolate in the stainless steel bowl and put it on top of the steaming water. Stir it until it melts. Turn down the heat slightly.
Grasping by the green tufts, dip each strawberry in the hot melted chocolate (be careful) and place on the cooling plate. You have to act fast because the chocolate starts to seize up and lose its liquidity after a while. It turns into sludge.
Yet if you work fast, this is the result.
So now you have the strawberries. Chill some white wine and have the Barry White cued. The rest is up to you.
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