 Your family and friends will bark for more. Photo courtesy Recchiuti Confections.
February 2011
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Chocolate Bark Recipes
Dark Chocolate Bark Delights
This is Page 2 of a two-page article with chocolate bark recipes.
Chocolate Bark Recipes: Hazelnuts, Pistachios & Pumpkin Seeds
This recipe is courtesy of one of our favorite chocolatiers, Michael Recchiuti, whose chocolates are a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.
The nuts and seeds in this bark aren’t caramelized, but are roasted to bring out their flavor without adding sugar. Be sure they are at room temperature before you sprinkle them on the chocolate.
Yield: About 24 two-inch squares.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (1-1/2 ounces) whole hazelnuts
- 1/3 cup (1-3/4 ounces) shelled green pistachios
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1-1/2 cups (14 ounces by weight) tempered 61% to 70% chocolate
- 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel in fine grains
Preparation
Roast The Nuts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Spread the hazelnuts on 1 prepared pan. Mix the pumpkin seeds and pistachios together and spread them on the second prepared pan.
- Roast the hazelnuts until the skins start to darken and shrivel, about 8 minutes.
- Roast the pumpkin seeds and pistachios until lightly toasted, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the nuts and seeds from the oven. As soon as the hazelnuts are cool enough to handle, rub them in batches in a kitchen towel to remove the skins. Not every bit will come off.
- Roughly chop all the nuts and mix together in a bowl. Be sure they are at room temperature before adding to chocolate.
Make The Bark
- Line the bottom of an 8-by-12-inch sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Pour the tempered chocolate into the prepared pan (see How To Temper Chocolate, below). Spread it evenly with a small offset spatula (also called an angled spatula or a bent spatula). Tap the pan on a work surface to even the top.
- Sprinkle the roasted nuts and seeds and the fleur de sel over the chocolate. Tap the pan again to settle the toppings into the chocolate.
- When the chocolate loses its sheen and starts to set, after about 15 minutes, cut the bark with a sharp knife into 2-inch squares or other fanciful shapes of your choice.
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If you need an offset spatula, order it here. Photo courtesy Wilton. |
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Leave the bark at room temperature until it is completely set, about 1 hour, and then separate the pieces. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place—not in the refrigerator, which has moist air. |
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