Chocolate Topped Strawberry Smores Food

PB AND J S'MORES

Steps:

• Build an open fire in a fireplace or in an outdoor firepit.
• Mix the peanut butter and dark chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside. Thread the strawberries onto skewers, 4 halves per skewer, so that the cut sides are facing out. Sprinkle the cut sides of the strawberries with the sugar.
• Place the skewers over the open flame. Cook until the strawberries caramelize, about 3 minutes. Carefully remove the strawberries from the skewers and set aside. Roast the marshmallows on the same skewers, or on long roasting forks.
• Break each graham cracker sheet in half and spread one of each pair with the peanut butter mixture. Add two of the grilled strawberries on top of the peanut butter and then marshmallows on top of that. Sandwich with the other graham cracker halves. Serve warm.

STRAWBERRY S'MORES BOUQUET

Steps:

• Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe medium bowl and microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Put the graham crackers in a small bowl.
• Thread a strawberry stem-end first onto a 6-inch wooden skewer and dip the tip straight down into the chocolate to coat half the strawberry. Lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Dip the tip of the strawberry into the graham crackers, leaving a stripe of chocolate visible. Carefully grasp the exposed base of the strawberry and rotate and push the skewer until 1 inch of the skewer extends beyond the tip. Stick the skewer upright into a large sheet of floral foam. Repeat with the remaining strawberries. Allow the chocolate to set, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, shape two wet floral foam bricks so they fit snugly inside a 5-inch square planter, flowerpot or cardboard box. Do so by holding the bricks together and cutting them with a serrated knife so the resulting rectangle is 5 inches wide by 5 inches long by 8 inches tall. Wrap the rectangle tightly with plastic wrap and fit it into the planter (it will extend to the top). Drape about 6 large kale leaves rib-side down over the planter, sticking the stems into the planter. Try to cover the foam entirely. (Reserve the remaining kale for another use.)
• Once the chocolate-dipped strawberries are set, top each skewer with a marshmallow.
• Stick 1 skewer into the top center of the wet foam, pushing the skewer in so about 1 inch of wood is still exposed. Continue sticking the remaining skewers into the foam in concentric circles, packing the strawberries as closely as possible without touching, and working outward. When you're done, only a little frill of kale should be visible below the strawberries.
• Just before serving, wave a kitchen propane torch near the marshmallows until toasted to a golden brown.

STRAWBERRY S'MORES

Steps:

• Toast the marshmallow: Thread marshmallow onto a metal skewer and hold over medium-high heat, rotating, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Sandwich 2 small rectangles of milk chocolate, 2 toasted strawberry marshmallows and a few strawberry slices between 2 ladyfingers.

CAMPFIRE S'MORES STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Build a campfire.
• Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl or pot and set near the fire so it melts but doesn't scorch, stirring occasionally if needed. Crush the graham crackers by massaging them in their sleeve, being careful not to puncture it. Once the crumbs are a fine as you can get them, open the sleeve along the lengthwise seam and place on a flat surface near the campfire.
• Skewer a strawberry through the hull so it is firmly on the stick and dip half of the strawberry in the marshmallow crème. Place over the fire and cook until the marshmallow is golden. Dip the uncovered half of the strawberry in the chocolate and roll the chocolate in the graham cracker crumbs. Repeat with the remaining strawberries, marshmallow crème, chocolate and graham cracker crumbs.

CHOCOLATE-TOPPED STRAWBERRY S'MORES

Steps:

• Top each of 4 of the graham squares with 1 each marshmallow, strawberry slice and chocolate piece.
• Cover with remaining graham squares; press together gently to secure.

(CHOCOLATE AND) STRAWBERRY S'MORES

Steps:

• Rinse off the strawberry and gently blot with a paper towel to dry. Remove the stem and slice the strawberry to desired thickness (flat slices).
• Break the graham cracker at the perforation into two even squares. On a microwave-safe plate or paper towel, top 1 graham cracker piece with 2-3 squares of chocolate bar.
• Place a marshmallow upright on top of the chocolate.
• Microwave for 15-18 seconds (until the marshmallow has fully puffed up).
• Remove from microwave and allow marshmallow to deflate slightly (if it has shifted or begun to fall off the chocolate, use your second graham cracker piece to slide it back into place).
• Top the marshmallow with at at least two slices of strawberry (or as much as you'd like, being careful not to overfill) and place the final graham cracker above that, pressing down gently.
• Enjoy!
• *Note-If making more than one s'more at a time, adjust microwave time slightly up to accommodate the number of marshmallows to puff up (watch carefully to gage).

STRAWBERRY S'MORES COOKIE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Crush 1/2 cup chopped freeze-dried strawberries to a fine powder in a blender. Set aside.
• Puree the thawed frozen strawberries in the blender until very smooth. Strain into a medium saucepan and add the sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan and continue to boil until the temperature reaches 240 degrees F.
• Stir together the gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Turn the mixer to low and carefully pour the warm syrup into the gelatin. When you have added all the syrup, turn the mixer to high and beat until the mixture is very thick and holds stiff peaks, about 15 minutes. Beat in the strawberry powder. Transfer the mixture to a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
• Put 14 of the chocolate chip cookies flat side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Pipe the marshmallow mixture onto the cookies, about 1-inch high, while staying within the edge of the cookies. Top with the 14 remaining cookies, pressing down very lightly so that the cookies stick to the marshmallows. Let the marshmallows dry out and set for at least 2 hours.
• Put 2/3 of the chopped chocolate into a medium heat-proof glass bowl. Heat in the microwave in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is melted and glossy, about 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring gently between each interval. The temperature of the melted chocolate should be between 114 and 118 degrees F.
• Add a couple tablespoons of the remaining chocolate to the bowl and stir until almost melted. Continue adding the remaining chocolate, a couple tablespoons at a time, and once all of it has been incorporated, stir continuously until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. The temperature of the tempered chocolate should be about 88 degrees F.
• Working with 1 cookie sandwich at a time, dip half of it into the chocolate, using a spoon to evenly spread the chocolate onto the cookies and marshmallow. Once half of it is coated in the chocolate, use the spoon to scrape away any excess chocolate that is dripping off the cookie sandwich.
• Working over a cutting board or a baking sheet, sprinkle the chocolate with some of the remaining 1 1/2 cups chopped freeze-dried strawberries. Transfer the cookie sandwich to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Repeat this process with the remaining cookie sandwiches, chocolate and freeze-dried strawberries. Once the last cookie sandwich is dipped, allow the chocolate to set completely at room temperature, about 10 minutes.