Cooking with the Wolfman

Chocolate-Dipped Aztec Berries

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Chocolate-dipped berries for dessert, anyone? Theseones are a little unusual, however, and have a uniquetaste that’s almost a cross between a tomato and a cranberry.

The Aztec berry is also called the Inca berry, capegooseberry, husk tomato, physalis, ground cherry, goldenberry, husk cherry and Peruvian cherry. They come fromSouth America originally, although their popularity spreadwildly—settlers at the Cape of Good Hope in what is nowSouth Africa grew them. They are a small orange fruit withpaper-thin husks and are related to tomatoes. You mighthave come across them served in restaurants as a garnishfor bacon and eggs. They are good, just plain but even better,covered in premium-quality chocolate.

1 pint (2 cups/475 mL) Aztec berries (with husks)

4 squares (4 oz/115 g) dark chocolate melting wafers

4 squares (4 oz/115 g) white chocolate melting wafers

2 tsp (10 mL) coconut oil

Melt the dark and white chocolate separately, either in bowls in the microwave or over simmering water on the stovetop.

Warm the coconut oil if necessary to liquify. Add half of the coconut oil to each container of melted chocolate and mix well.

Carefully pull back the husk on each berry and slightly twist it without removing it, so that you can use it to hold the berries as you dip them in chocolate.

Partially dip half of the berries in the dark chocolate and place on their sides on one side of a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Partially dip the remaining berries in the white chocolate and place on their sides on the other side of the baking sheet. Chill the berries on the baking sheet in the refrigerator for five minutes.

Return the bowls of chocolate to the stove to keep warm if following the stovetop method, or reheat chocolate in a microwave.

 Use a fork to flick some white chocolate onto each of the dark chocolate berries and place back on the baking sheet. Similarly, flick some dark chocolate onto the white chocolate berries.

Chill berries for one hour before serving them on a chilled plate.

Recipe by David Wolfman and Marlene Finn

Cooking with the Wolfman published by

Douglas and McIntyre