With the holidays fast approaching, I am always looking for a recipe that I can take to someone’s home as either a hostess gift or a dessert. I found this colorful, delicious and oh so easy recipe for Chocolate Bark. The recipe calls for dried cherries and hazelnuts in addition to the pistachios. I did not have either of those, and being that I was in a hurry, I used what was in my pantry: dried cranberries and almonds, which I though would be a perfectly fine substitute. If you would like to get a first hand tasting of this treat, come to the FabuLesley party at Calypso, Century tomorrow night, Monday December 15 from 7-9. See you there!
Ingredients
2 10-oz bags Semisweet Chocolate (baking chips or chocolate chips)
½ cup shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped
½ cup almonds, chopped
½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
Directions
1.Place water in the bottom of a double boiler and bring to a boil. (If you don’t have a double boiler, place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water). Meanwhile, chop the chocolate into large chunks. Set aside 1 tablespoon each of the pistachios, almonds and cranberries to top the chocolate. Place a Silpat mat or sheet of parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet; set aside.
2.Melt the chocolate in the top of the double boiler, stirring occasionally. Once the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, turn off the heat and stir in the pistachios, almonds, and cranberries. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out with a spatula onto a large, rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the reserved 1 tablespoon each of pistachios, almonds, and cranberries. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the chocolate.
3.Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and freeze for 1 hour, until completely firm. Using your hands, break the chocolate into chunks and enjoy, or transfer to a sealed container. Store in the freezer for best results.
