Last weekend, instead of giving someone long-stemmed roses, I gave long-stemmed strawberries. The recipient couldn't have been happier.

Big, red, and juicy strawberries are impressive: When dipped in chocolate or served in a long-stemmed bouquet, or when presented in a salad, they can be spectacular.

I was inspired to try my hand at dipping these oversized strawberries into melted chocolate by acclaimed pastry chef Juan Nanez and by the purchase of long-stemmed strawberries.

At last month's Taste of the Nation, Mr. Nanez had a large round cloth-draped table filled with sweet dessert morsels, including very large chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Some were double-dipped - first in white chocolate and then in dark chocolate with a final d cor of chocolate buttons and bow tie for a tuxedo effect. Others were dipped in white chocolate and decorated in dark chocolate designs.

They were juicy and delicious and at the same time the chocolate crunched and melted in your mouth. Some were three or four bites. You could classify each as a two-ingredient dessert.

Chocolate and strawberries.

Mr. Nanez explained how to melt chocolate carefully. The chocolate is tempered by heating to 110 degrees. “Then you cool it to 95 degrees by adding more chocolate,” says Mr. Nanez whose confections, including the chocolate-covered strawberries, are sold at Sautter's 5-Star Market in Sylvania. “Then bring it back up to 110 degrees.”

When the chocolate is at the right temperature, the strawberries are dipped in the tempered chocolate and placed on wax or parchment paper and refrigerated.

Underneath the bakery counter are big slabs of white, milk, and dark chocolate. White chocolate crystallizes easily, Mr. Nanez says. He uses Callebaut (Belgian) chocolate and Cocoa Barry Prima. (“You don't need to temper this,” he says of this brand.)

To make designs for the tuxedo berries, he makes a cone out of parchment paper, snips the end, and fills it with melted chocolate to carefully pipe buttons and bow ties or other designs.

Mr. Nanez's method enables you to use premium chocolate, but less-expensive chocolates are available for making small batches. I tried a new product: Baker's Dipping Chocolate. “Ready-to-melt” dips come in seven-ounce microwavable containers that cover 16 jumbo-sized long-stemmed berries. For larger batches, use Mr. Nanez's method.

My chocolate-dipped strawberries weren't as fancy as Mr. Nanez's chocolate-covered strawberries with the tuxedo effect, but with the help of long-stemmed strawberries, I had delicious confections.

Long-stemmed California strawberries, which I bought at Sautter's 5-Star Market in Sylvania, were a new discovery for me.

“These are fun for graduations,” says Michael Hollister, vice president for Driscoll's strawberries in California, “They come into season after Easter and are available through Mother's Day into mid-June.”

They are perfect for dipping in chocolate, and as such are a delicious dessert. For entertaining, serve with or without chocolate.

“Long-stemmed strawberries are popular,” says Abby Taylor for the California Strawberry Commission. “They are picked off the same plant, but picked farther up the stem and then packaged in a clamshell plastic package (with bubble wrap bottom).”

Says Mr. Hollister: “The strawberries are planted in October and November. They start early fruiting in the spring. The long-stemmed berry is the primary berry. This is a specialty product not available every week of the year. It has to be a certain uniformly red, size, and shape. They size down later in the crop cycle, but they are still harvested.”

Long-stemmed berries may be available in northwest Ohio. “We have done long-stemmed berries with premium berries,” says Dan Polter of Polter Berry Farm in Fremont. “Ask your strawberry grower if you want a long stem. We've had people request this for graduation and wedding receptions. Some varieties do produce long stems. We pick every day. We are growing a couple of Western varieties that we can do this with.” His berries are sold at the farm. For information, call 419-332-5890.

There is also demand for these beautiful berries on salad plates.

Strawberries are cropping up on restaurant menus with innovative combinations such as fruit and seafood. Strawberry, Shrimp, and Feta Salad is made with grilled shrimp, salad greens, feta cheese, and a balsamic vinaigrette. The sweetness of the strawberries, the richness of the shrimp, the creamy saltiness of feta, and the tang of the vinaigrette is a winning combination.

Fresh and light, strawberries boast delicious flavor and dazzling color. Nutritionally, one serving of strawberries is 160 percent of the daily allowance of vitamin C. They also provide folate, potassium, and fiber.

Here are some upcoming strawberry events:

w The 66th Annual Strawberry Festival will be held June 11-15 at Community Homecoming Park, along Angola Road west of King Road in Springfield Township. Featured foods include strawberry shortcake, shakes, and pies. Hours are 4 to 11 p.m. June 11 and 12, 4 p.m. to midnight June 13, noon to midnight June 14, and noon to 11 p.m. June 15. Parking is $3.

w Thompson Farms, 6255 Angola Rd. in Springfield Township, and Johnston Fruit Farm, 2822 Airport Hwy. in Swan Creek Township near Swanton, are holding a recipe contest again this year featuring strawberries as the main ingredient. Entry forms will be at both farms when u-pick strawberries are available, and judging will be June 24.

Harvesting of the local strawberry crop is expected to start about the end of the week, says George Thompson of Thompson Farms. “Both growers [Thompson Farms and Johnston Fruit Farm] expect unusually large berries due to the cool wet conditions that allow the berries to size up slowly,” he says.

Pick-your-own strawberries are expected to be available in mid-June at local growers including Hoen's Greenhouse, Thompson Farms, and Johnston Fruit Farm.

First Published June 3, 2003, 11:47 a.m.