Decadent Poached Pears

The Greek poet, Homer, once described the pear as a gift to humanity and when it comes to this dessert recipe, that is not an exaggerated depiction.  Although this is a simple recipe, the rich ingredients and red wine syrup over the whole pear is as aesthetically pleasing as it is delicious.  I love to serve these with my Braised Beef Short Ribs Family Dinner, but this dessert is a great finish to almost every meal.

Ingredients:

2 Bosc pears, ripened (if you have green, firm under ripe pears, adjust your poaching time for longer) and peeled

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

1.5 cups sweet red wine (fruity, dessert wines such as a sweet Shiraz)

1/4 cup of Truvia sugar (or preferred sugar substitute)

1 vanilla bean

1 cinnamon stick

Optional Plating Additions:

Strawberry slices

whipped cream

Dark chocolate syrup

Milk chocolate shavings

1. If your peeled pears are not standing upright on their own, cut the bottom, wide part of the pear to create a flat platform for it to sit upright.
   
2. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice all over the peeled pears.
3. Using a paring knife, split the vanilla bean down the center to open it, and scrape out the seeds (looks like fine coffee grounds) into a sauce pan.
4. Add the wine, sugar, vanilla bean skin (and seeds) and cinnamon stick and bring it all to a boil.
5. Lay pears into sauce pan and cover.  Cook pears for approximately 12 minutes on each side of the pear. (Gently turn over as pears will be softened and you want to avoid 'scarring')
6. Once each side is stained with the red syrup, finish up by standing pears upright in pan to get the bottom stained.
7. Place pears in a bowl or on a plate and refrigerate.
8. Continue to boil syrup until it reduces by about half, then remove from heat and let thicken and cool (about 15-20 minutes)
9. Place pears upright on serving plates, and drizzle red wine syrup evenly over pears.
10. Serve with strawberry slices, puffs of whipped cream, dark chocolate syrup (add sparingly) and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
11. Serve and enjoy..!
    

Black Forest Swiss Roll Cake

My favorite cake and what I always request as my birthday cake is a Black Forest Cake.  I also have an affinity for Little Debbie Swiss Roll Cakes on my cheat days.  So it makes sense that I would combine these two wonderful treats.  This is not only a unique cake to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions with, but it is the perfect finale to my Romantic Night in the Swiss Alps dinner dish.

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray

Parchment baking paper

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp cocao powder, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

4 eggs

1/2 cup truvia sugar (or other preferred sugar or sugar substitute

4 tbsp butter

1 cup lite whipped cream

3/4 cup cherry pie filling

small bottle of Hershey's shell chocolate topping (7.25 oz)

Optional:

canned whipped cream or white icing in a piping bag

5-6 maraschino cherries

chocolate sprinkle or dark chocolate shavings

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Prepare a baking sheet with laying down parchment paper and generously greasing it with cooking oil spray.
   
3. Bring about 2 inches of water to a simmer in a pot that can hold a glass dish without the glass dish touching the water (to make a de facto double broiler, see pic).
4. While water comes to a simmer, mix 1/4 cup cocao powder, 1/3 cup flour and salt in a separate mixing bowl.
5. In your glass dish, quickly blend eggs and sugar with a whisk over the simmering water for approximately 5 minutes or until egg mixture is a pale yellow and warm to the touch.
6. Remove glass dish from simmer water, heat, and melt butter and add into egg mixture and continue to beat with a hand mixer until it thickens slightly.
7. Gradually add in cocao and flour mixture, until batter is smooth and thick (approximately 8 minutes) like a box batter mix (add additional flour if mix is too thin).
8. Pour batter on prepared baking sheet/ parchment paper. Bake in oven for about 5-6 minutes or until it is springy to a light touch.
9. Remove cake from oven, and lay out a second sheet of parchment paper and dust with cocao powder.
10. Flip the cake onto second parchment paper and roll the cake up as you would if it had the filling in it just in the parchment paper (provides shaping to cake) and allow to completely cool.
11. Unroll the cake/ parchment paper (Note: this will leave cocao powder on the surface that you unroll it on, lay down towels or a cutting board to keep counter tops clean).
12. Using a silicone spatula, spread whipped cream over the cake leaving a 1" border. Then layer cherry pie filling over the top of the whipped cream.
13. Then re-roll the cake (without the parchment paper) and if the cake roll ends are uneven or scraggly this is the time to cut them to make it even. 
14. Transfer cake to a wire rack over a plate or baking sheet (depending on the room in your fridge).
15. Pour the shell chocolate topping over the entire cake roll, using a silicone spatula to even out the coating of the top shell and cover the cake roll ends.
16. Place in the refrigerate to solidify the shell topping. (With this shell topping it should only take about 5-10 minutes but I usually let it set for approximately 30 minutes.
17. When ready to serve cake, using canned whipped cream (with piping end) or white icing in a piping bag, make a ruffle row down the center of the Swiss roll cake. Sprinkle the whipped cream/ icing with chocolate sprinkle or chocolate shavings. Then top ruffle with maraschino cherries.
    
18. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Unique Cherries Jubilee

This is a simple yet rich and flavorful dessert, and this recipe has made it even easier.  As a traditional French cuisine dessert, I love to serve this as the finishing touch to my Coq Au Vin Family Dinner.  With my recipe there is a unique dynamic with an orange flavor that compliments the cherries well.

Ingredients:

1 can of cherry pie filling

1/4 cup Grand Marnier liqueur

1 tsp. of orange zest

4-6 scoops of vanilla ice cream

1. In a small sauce pan, over medium - high heat, bring cherry pie filling to a boil, stirring often.
2. Reduce heat so cherries are simmering and add liqueur, evenly pour all over the surface.
3. Remove from heat and then flame the pan to burn off the alcohol.
4. Sprinkle with orange zest.
5. Serve over 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream. 

Peach Schnapps Compote

This is a fabulously easy and versatile dessert or even brunch accompaniment.  I personally love to use it as the grand finale to my Boyfriend BBQ Dish during the summer over vanilla ice cream but I also love this belly warming syrup over waffles or oatmeal before hitting the ski slopes or taking a winter hike.

Ingredients:

3/4 frozen sliced peaches, unsweetened

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peach flavored schnapps liqueur, divided

1/4 cup raisins

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1. Soak brown sugar in 1/4 cup of peach schnapps until softened (if hard packed).
   
2. In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine peaches, brown sugar and schnapps mixture, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Cook until liquid is reduced to a medium thick syrup, stirring occasionally (approximately 18 minutes).
4. Serve over ice cream, waffles, French toast plain Greek yogurt or oatmeal.

Rustic Apple Crostata

This rustic, deconstructed version of apple pie is the perfect dessert to kick off Fall.  This is a great dessert to have on chilly nights by the fire or to be the finale to my FALL in Love Italian Dish (Coming Soon!)...Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 refrigerated pie crust

1/2 cup and 1 tbsp sugar (sugar substitute like Truvia), separated

4 tsp cornstarch

3 tsp cinnamon

3-4 apples, cored, sliced

2 tbsp chopped almonds

scoops of vanilla bean ice cream (optional)

whipped cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Prepare a baking sheet by laying down tin foil (optional) and spraying with cooking olive oil or traditionally grease pan.
   
3. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon until well blended.
4. Add in apple slices to mixing bowl and toss with sugar mixture to evenly coat apple slices.
5. Lay pie crust flat on baking dish, and spoon out apples into the center, leaving approximately 2 inches of the edge of the pie crust.
6. Fold crust edging over the apple filling, pleating the pie crust.
7. Brush the outside of the pie crust edge with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar all around.
8. Bake for approximately 15-18 minutes or until the crust becomes a golden brown.
9. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped almonds.
10. Serve with scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and top with whipped cream if desired.

Coconut Lemon Loaf

Although I love to enjoy this dessert to complete my Best Beach-side Picnic, this is such a versatile treat given the different options to either have it "plain" or with various toppings.  It can be great finale to any meal or for brunches.

Ingredients:
Lemon cake mix
1/3 coconut oil, melted
3 eggs
1 cup Limoncello Liquer
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Optional Toppings:
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Lemon icing
Chocolate sundae syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

   

   With a chocolate drizzle.

2. Mix cake mix, coconut oil, eggs, Limoncello, and 1/2 cup of shredded coconut in a mixing bowl.
3. Pour cake batter into a greased loaf pan.
4. Bake in oven for approximately 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick can be stuck through the center and come out clean,
5. Allow to cool and serve as is or use optional toppings or combination thereof...Enjoy!

Sweet Plantains with Rum Infused Whipped Cream

This is an easy, island-inspired dessert.  The starchiness of the plantains mixed with brown sugar and rum make this a perfect conclusion to any summer meal.  My favorite pairing to this is to use this as the grand finale to my Island Time Sunday BBQ Dinner.
Ingredients - 2 servings:

1 1/2 cups of heavy cream or whipping cream

2 tbsp. truvia (or preferred sugar or sugar substitute)

1/2 cup dark rum

1 ripe plantains

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp brown sugar

1. To peel the plantain, cut off both ends and discard.  Make a "starter" slit into the skin (make a few if needed), and peel similarly to a banana.
2. Cut plantain in desired sized pieces.
3. Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over low-medium heat.
4. Fry plantains in a single layer, until golden then turn over with a spatula.
   
5. Sprinkle plantain pieces with 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and 1/2 tbsp of brown sugar.
6. Reduce the heat to low; stir in 1/2 tbsp of butter to with the plantain pieces to finish of the blending of flavors over the heat.
7. Remove from heat, lay on a paper towel.  
8. While plantains cool, in the same pan add remaining butter and brown sugar over a low heat until sugar dissolves* stirring frequently.
9. Add in 4 tbsp. dark rum and vanilla extract and simmer until flavors are well mixed.
10. In a mixing bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks begin to form.
11. Add in 1 tbsp. of truvia, and whip until stiff peaks form.
12. Gently fold in remaining rum.
13. Drizzle rum sauce over plantains, and dollop rum whipped cream over the plantains, sprinkle with cinnamon (optional)
14. Serve immediately...Enjoy!!

*Tip: If your brown sugar has hardened, soak it in rum to dissolve before adding into the sauce.

1. 
   

Lisa's Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake Cake

This is definitely one of my favorite summertime desserts.  The fresh blueberries compliment the lemon and the cream cheese adds smooth flavor to the cake and crust.  This can be served warm from the oven or chilled.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted butter

1 pkg. lemon cake mix

2 eggs

2 pkgs. of low-fat Neufchâtel cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup of Truvia sugar (or regular sugar)

Lemon zest from half a lemon 

Juice from 1 lemon

2 cups fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a pie dish with tin foil.
3. In a mixing bowl, add dry cake mix, 1 egg and beat with mixer until well blended.
4. Press 2/3 of dough mixture on to the bottom of the pie pan.
5. In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar and beat until well blended.
6. Then add the other egg, zest and *lemon juice, continue to beat until all ingredients are mixed and smooth.
7. Pour cream cheese mixture over the cake crust.

   

   Prep Pic - Dough pieces 

8. Top evenly with fresh blueberries.
9. Take pinches of remaining cake dough and press into cream cheese and blueberry filling throughout. (see prep pic)
10. Bake for approximately 55 minutes or until cake is golden brown. 
11. Refrigerate leftovers...Enjoy!

The Best American Flag Cake - 4th of July Celebration

American Flag cakes are pretty common for 4th of July, but my version is simply the best, and I can say that without any arrogance.  It's Jell-O infusion makes this a perfect cake for summer and in my family the saying goes, "There's always room for Jell-O cake!"  Between a slice of this cake and indulging in my Patriot-tini, you'll truly enjoy the American colors in some very sweet treats.

Ingredients

1 bx. white cake mix (ingredients needed: eggs, *vegetable oil and water)

1 small box of blueberry/ berry blue instant Jell-O

1 small box of cherry instant Jell-O

1 tub of cool whip/ whipped cream

Fresh strawberries, stems removed and cut in slices

Fresh blueberries

1. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box.
2. Allow the cake to completely cool.
3. Poke holes all over the cake approximately 1-2" apart.  I personally use a chopstick to get the right size of holes (see picture).
4. *Prepare both cherry and berry blue Jell-O's as per the box instructions in two, separate bowls.
5. Pour the Jell-O into the cake holes, alternating colors in rows, usually four rows total, two each color (see picture)
   
6. Cover and refrigerate the cake for approximately 4-6 hours to allow the Jello-O to set up inside the cake.
7. 'Ice' the cake with the cool whip.
8. Place blueberries in a square in the upper left hand corner of the cake (this makes the star section).
9. Place strawberry slices in rows (making the red stripes).
10. Serve immediately and keep leftovers refrigerated...Enjoy!

*Tips: 1) I personally prefer to use coconut oil over vegetable oil. 2) If you are just making one cake, preparing only half of each Jell-O flavoring should suffice, otherwise you will end up with a lot of left over Jell-O mix.

Ballerina Bones (& Joints) - Rice Krispies Pops

As I mention from time to time on here, I am an ex-ballerina and still coach, take classes and even write the Ballet Buff blog.  In one of my posts for the Adult Dancer series, I talk about what to expect when taking class for the first time or coming back into the studio as an adult if you have been away from it for a long time.  

What happens at the barre during the first few exercises resembles the "Snap, crackle, pop!" of rice crispy cereal.  It became such a frequent occurrence for me, as well as a humorous start to class when it happens to several of us, that I decided to make these tasty treats in honor of adult Ballerina Bones & Joints, but can also be a fun treat for children's classes.

Ingredients:
3 cups pink mini-marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

*See Tips

1 tsp. Strawberry Jell-O mix

2 cups rice krispies cereal

small tube chocolate icing

pink cupcake paper cups

wooden skewers

1. In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt butter and mini-marshmallows.
2. Once melted, lower heat, slowly add in Jell-O mix to desired pinkness, mix well.
3. Gently fold in cereal until everything is mixed together well.
4. In a baking dish/ pan sprayed with oil, spread out the cereal mixture into a square about 1/2" thick.  Allow to cool.
5. Cut into squares and shape into balls. Skewer a pink cupcake paper cup up-side-down (to look like a tutu) and place rice crispy ball on the top.
6. Use chocolate icing to paint faces, ballet buns, etc....Enjoy with your fellow dancers or fans of ballet!

*Tips: 1) When you are ready to serve, display on Styrofoam base so that 'dancers' stand upright.
2) I use the paper cupcakes to write little messages.  These can be your dance teacher's name, boosters, or in my case, a blog URL!  

Lemon Mousse Filling - Pancakes, Crepes, Croissants

My Lemon Mousse Filling is the basic recipe to my Limoncello Dolcini dessert.  Because I has to test a few different ways to make the dessert, I found uses for my other attempts, hence this lemon mousse filling.  This is especially good to sweeten pancakes (Such as found in my Mother's Day Brunch spread), crepes, and croissants with some fresh fruit in a more sophisticated taste and aesthetic than just syrup or jam.  I've also simply served it in as a small serving with a Fiber One brownie and some chocolate drizzled on the top to make a marbled dessert.  It is a very versatile treat. 

Ingredients- makes 4 servings:

1/2 cup of truvia sugar (or preferred sugar)
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 sticks of butter, pre-cut into 1/2 tbsp cubes, keep refrigerated
2 cups of whipped cream 

1. Fill a pot with a few inches of water and bring to a rolling boil.
2. In a metal bowl, or metal-bottom skillet, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice.
3. Once the contents are completely whisked, place the bowl or skillet over the pot with the boiling water (double boiler alternative.)
   
4. Continue whisking contents over the heat quickly and continuously, ensuring the eggs do not cook into scrambled pieces.  The mixture should change from liquid, to frothy to a cream over approximately 5-10 minutes of constant whisking.  
5. Once you have a semi-thick cream, remove from heat.
6. Add in 4-5 butter chunks and mix until butter is completely melted.  Repeat this until all butter is melted into the mixture.
7. Add half of the lemon zest to the
   mixture.
8. Pass this mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any pieces of egg that may have cooked.
   
9. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
10. When ready to serve, mix one part lemon mixture with 1 part whipped cream.
11. Mix until combination whips up and has air in it to 'fluff' it up (as opposed to a pudding texture.)
12. Pour over desired breakfast bread and top with fruit.

The Flan-tini

If you're craving flan for dessert, this libation is an easy and delicious alternative.  These are also great to serve during a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta.  Include these with Tequila Lime Jell-O Shots and Key Lime Margaritas to to provide a a fun, festive and well rounded drink station for your fiesta! 

Ingredients:

2 parts tequila

1 part Irish cream liqueur

1 tbsp. caramel sundae syrup

1 part club soda

Optional garnish:
Caramel syrup & colored sprinkles

1. For optional garnish: empty out a row of caramel syrup onto a flat plate.
2. Prepare your martini glass by rolling the rim through the caramel row.
3. Empty approximately 1 tbsp. of colored sprinkles onto a flat plate.
4. Roll the martini glass on its rim through the colored sprinkles where you put the caramel to stick the sprinkles to the rim.
5. Mix the tequila, cream liqueur and caramel over ice in a martini shaker.
6. Add club soda and stir, pour and Enjoy!

Please drink responsibly.

Piñata Cupcakes

These Piñata Cupcakes are so much fun; colorful, with a sweet surprise inside! These are the perfect dessert to follow up an Mexican dish or to include in your Cinco de Mayo Fiesta spread.  

KID WARNING:  Kids absolutely love these, and these cupcakes can be a great incentive to good behavior, but they may be on a sugar high after eating one, so I recommend either splitting them between two kids/ people and never serve right before bedtime!

Ingredients - makes 12 cupcakes:

1 box white cake mix (will need 3 eggs, 1/4 cup *vegetable oil, 1 cup water)

Food coloring (blue, green, yellow, red, others as preferred)

M&Ms candy

Cream cheese icing, or white icing

Colored sequin candy flowers, or colored sprinkles (optional)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare white cake batter as per box instructions.
3. Divide the white cake batter into four separate bowls evenly (or the number of different colors of food coloring you chose).
   
4. Add in food coloring to each bowl to desired hue and mix well.
5. Layer each color into cupcake paper cups in a 12-cup muffin tin.  Be careful to still only fill each cup 3/4 full with the total of layers.
6. Put them in the oven and cook as per box instructions (approximately 25-30 minutes or until center of cupcakes is cooked through and a toothpick comes out clean.)
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
8. Take a paring knife and carefully cut a circular hole through the center of a cupcake, approximately 1" in diameter. Do not go through the cupcake wrapper.  Keep the top of
   
   the cupcake hole to the side.
9. If needed, use a small spoon to scoop out any remaining cake bits so the hole is clear.
   
10. Fill the hole with M&Ms candies to almost full and replace the cupcake hole top to cover them.
11. Apply icing to the cupcake and decorate the top as preferred.  Repeat with all cupcakes.
12. Enjoy!

Tip: Refrigerate these when not serving.  Leaving at room temperature allows the moisture from the cupcakes to erode the M&Ms' candy shell so they lose their color; refrigeration helps to alleviate this, but it is recommended not to add M&Ms until ready to serve to get full effect.

Lisa's Limoncello Dolcini

I came up with this recipe through quite a bit of trial and error in an effort to reproduce the Limoncello mousse dolcini dessert from the Olive Garden menu.  Through my efforts, I was able to develop my Lemon Mousse Filling for crepes or as a pancake topping.  But once I was able to get all the flavors balanced correctly, this is a dessert that compliments Italian dishes well, such as my Lively Lasagna Sunday Dinner or even my Healthy Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna dish, if you want to follow it up and indulge with a more decadent treat! It's light and sweet, tangy flavor follow the spicy, robust flavors deliciously.  Because you have to whisk this recipe continuously, it is advised to familiarize yourself with the entire recipe steps before starting as well as the first mixture step has to *refrigerate overnight.  

Ingredients- makes 4 servings:

1/2 cup of truvia sugar (or preferred sugar)

Pic 1

3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 sticks of butter, pre-cut into 1/2 tbsp cubes, keep refrigerated
2 cups whipped cream
1/3 cup Limoncello liqueur 
10 Vanilla Wafer cookies, crushed
Toppings (optional):
White chocolate chips or white chocolate shavings
lemon zest
sugar lemon candy (fruit slices candy)

1. Fill a pot with a few inches of water and bring to a rolling boil.
2. In a metal bowl, or metal-bottom skillet, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice.
3. Once the contents are completely whisked, place the bowl or skillet over the pot with the boiling water (double boiler alternative, see Pic 1 above.)
4. Continue whisking contents over the heat quickly and continuously, ensuring the eggs do not cook into scrambled pieces.  The mixture should change from liquid, to frothy to a cream over approximately 5-10 minutes of constant whisking.  
5. Once you have a semi-thick cream, remove from heat.
6. Add in 4-5 butter chunks and mix until butter is completely melted.  Repeat this until all butter is melted into the mixture.
7. Add half of the lemon zest to the
   mixture.
8. Pass this mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any pieces of egg that may
   
   have cooked.
9. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
10. Take the crushed wafer cookies and place at the bottom of your serving bowls, or glasses (I like to serve these in champagne saucer/ coupe glass, but a martini glass or sundae cup would work well also.)
11. This step is based on your preference of thickness vs. creaminess vs. the taste of the Limoncello and can be adjusted: Start with about a cup of your mixture, add in 1/2 cup of whipped cream and about 1 oz of the Limoncello liqueur.  Mix together well, until a mousse consistency is formed.  Taste and add in more of the mixture if you want it thicker, more whipped cream if you want it creamier and more of the liqueur if you want a stronger lemon taste.
12. Once the Limoncello Mousse is the desired taste and consistency, spoon the mousse into the glasses over the crushed cookie wafers.
13. Top the mousse with the rest of the whipped cream.
14. Garnish with lemon zest, white chocolate chips, white chocolate shavings, and a lemon sugar candy as desired.
    

*Tip: Although I have made this the same day allowing the mixture to refrigerate for about 4 hours, it doesn't "set up" as well as when I made it the night before serving.  It still tastes great but the consistency is slightly off.

Pearl & Crystal Strawberries

This simple, yet elegant dessert is perfect to satisfy any sweet tooth but not to excess.  The aesthetic of the strawberry decorations make this a suitable addition to special occasion dishes such as my Romantic Surf & Turf Dinner or a Mother's Day Brunch.  You can obviously use these instructions with milk chocolate or any other decorations as you please, but the white chocolate with the "pearl" and "crystal" decorations make a beautiful combination for this sweet treat and gives delightful texture to the creamy chocolate and juicy strawberries!

Ingredients:

Fresh whole strawberries

White chocolate chips (about 1 cup per 6-8 strawberries)

Cupcake/ cake decorations (pearl dragees and clear sprinkles)

1. Place a metal or glass bowl over a pot with about 1-2 cups of water to create a double boiler.

   

   Glass bowl in pot to make double broiler
   with melted white chocolate.

2. Pour white chocolate chips in metal or glass bowl and turn heat onto low-medium heat, to slowly melt chocolate.
3. Stir frequently to ensure the chocolate doesn't clump.
4. Lay a piece of wax paper on a baking sheet or cutting board or platter.
5. Once chocolate is completely melted and smooth, take a fresh strawberry by the leaves and dip it into the chocolate in swirling motion to coat all sides of the berry.
6. Slowly remove from chocolate bowl in circular motion to thin out the bottom tip, lay the berry on the wax paper on one side.
7. Decorate with pearl dragees and/ or clear sprinkles.  Repeat for desired number of strawberries.
8. Refrigerate the baking sheet with the completed decorated berries for about 15 minutes or until chocolate has solidified and decorations are firm and won't come off.
9. Move from baking sheet to serving dish...Enjoy!