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berries washed HOURS ahead if possible, dried until squeaky, room temperature

the berries washed early, then dried one by one until the towel comes away bone-dry — water is this recipe's only enemy and it wins two ways: a wet berry sheds its chocolate shell, and a single drop in the melting bowl seizes the whole batch to grainy concrete; cold berries fog and thicken the coat, so they dip at room temperature