Strawberry Bonbons Recipe 445

Steps:

• In a 4-quart heavy nonstick saucepan, heat sweetened condensed milk, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and coconut to boiling, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 10 to 15 minutes or until thick and shiny and starts to pull away from bottom and sides of pan. You will know mixture is ready when you tilt pan and mixture slides down easily. Transfer mixture to greased plate. Place in refrigerator or freezer until mixture is very cold. Make sure strawberries are completely dry before making the bonbons. Grease hands with unsalted butter. Scoop up generous tablespoonful of cold coconut mixture; flatten in the palm of your hand. Place a strawberry over it and wrap coconut mixture around to conform to shape of strawberry. Repeat to use up coconut mixture. Place covered strawberries in freezer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, use double boiler or microwave to melt dark chocolate. Cover cookie sheet with cooking parchment or waxed paper. Use dipping fork to drop covered strawberries one at a time into melted dark chocolate. Coat well with chocolate and then remove using dipping fork. Tap fork a few times against bowl to remove excess chocolate. Place the strawberries back on cookie sheet, flat side down. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Use double boiler or microwave to melt white chocolate. Place melted white chocolate in freezer bag and cut off tip; drizzle chocolate over bonbons. Or place melted white chocolate in a squeeze bottle for drizzling. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. To give this as a gift, place them in food gift boxes and decorate as you wish. Store bonbons in refrigerator and serve within 24 hours.

Steps:

• 1. Make the strawberry cake according to the directions on the box.
• 2. Allow the cake to cool completely.
• 3. Crumble the cake into a large bowl, not too tiny but no large pieces.
• 4. Combine in a small bowl, 1/2 a jar of strawberry frosting and softened cream cheese, blend well.
• 5. Blend into the cake mixture and mix well. Chill until firm. I chilled it overnight.
• 6. I used a cookie scoop for more uniformed sized balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Refrigerate.
• 7. Melt the white chocolate chips in a large microwave-safe mug, stirring after each 30 second interval and adding a few drops of red food coloring to get the shade of pink that you like.
• 8. Be sure that the consistency of the melted chocolate is not too thick and is smooth with no lumps remaining.
• 9. Using a fork with thin tines and an ice tea spoon, dunk the balls into the chocolate and completely cover the balls then gently scooping them out with the fork and lightly shaking the excess off and placing them into the candy liners.
• 10. If some of the cake is showing, use a toothpick covered with the coating and touch-up to close the holes and sprinkle right away with candy sprinkles.
• 11. Do not refrigerate, but let it set in a cool area.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, simmer the strawberries and sugar over medium heat.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and syrupy, about 20 minutes; let cool.
• Transfer the ice cream to a large bowl; fold in 1/2 cup strawberry sauce (reserve the remaining sauce for another use).
• Cover and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
• Place the cookies flat side down on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet.
• Top each cookie with 1 small scoop of ice cream.
• Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• In a double boiler, melt three-quarters of the chocolate.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate until melted.
• Dunk each bonbon into the chocolate to coat; return to the prepared baking sheet.
• Immediately sprinkle with the pistachios.
• Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, simmer the strawberries and sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and syrupy, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Transfer the ice cream to a large bowl; fold in 1/2 cup strawberry sauce (reserve the remaining sauce for another use). Cover and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
• Place the cookies flat side down on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Top each cookie with 1 small scoop of ice cream. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• In a double boiler, melt three-quarters of the chocolate. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate until melted.
• Dunk each bonbon into the chocolate to coat; return to the prepared baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with the pistachios. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Combine the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice and salt in a large, nonreactive bowl. (You can also just macerate the fruit in the pot you will be using to cook the preserves.) Cover and let stand for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator or up to overnight.
• Place a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet or line it with a clean towel. Set aside. Place several small plates in the freezer to use later to test the consistency of the preserves.
• Stir the strawberries to evenly distribute the sugar and transfer to a heavy 6- to 8-quart non-reactive pot. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar has melted completely, the strawberries begin to foam and the mixture looks thick, shiny and darker, about 20 minutes. Cook the preserves until it reaches the jelling point, 220 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes. (If you don't have a thermometer, you can also dribble a few drops of the jam on a frozen plate. If it crinkles when you run a finger through it and your finger leaves a clear line in the jam, it's ready. If not, check it every 5 minutes or so.)
• While the preserves are cooking, place the canning rack in the canner and fill the pot with water; bring to a boil over high heat. When the preserves reach the jelling point (220 degrees F), use a slotted spoon to skim the excess foam from the surface. Add the split and scraped vanilla seeds and stir to combine.
• Place six clean 1/2-pint jars (see Cook's Notes) on the prepared baking sheet. (This will help contain any dribbles or spills and prevent the jars from directly touching the metal.) For each jar, insert a canning funnel and carefully ladle in the preserves, allowing at least 1/4 inch of headroom. Clean the rims of the jars with a clean, damp towel and tightly secure the lids.
• Using tongs, place the jars on the rack in the canner. The water should cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Cover the canner. Return the water to a boil and boil gently for 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the jars to a towel to cool. If the seal works and fits properly, the metal lid will be slightly concave within 24 hours of processing. Store the unopened jars of preserves at room temperature for up to 1 year. Once the preserves are opened, store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.