Normally at this time of year we are baking furiously, making cookies to package up and give away. Along with a bottle of Black Ankle wine, these are our favorite gifts to take along to a party or to give to the wonderful teachers that work so hard throughout the year.
Without an oven, we knew that there wouldn't be any baking this year, but I still wanted to come up with something that we could make and give away, something conjured up by us.
Chocolate bark popped to mind. We have a hot plate, which is all we would need to melt the chocolate. Then we would just need cookie sheets to spread the chocolate and a refrigerator (or freezer) for cooling. It seemed like something that we could manage, even with our rudimentary kitchen.
The great thing about bark, too, is that once the chocolate is melted, it can be flavored in an infinite number of ways. After some discussion, we came up with three flavors to try: dark chocolate with dried cherries and pine nuts, peppermint bark, and dark chocolate with coconut and curry. We fired up the hotplate and in a couple of hours we had a beautiful assortment of chocolate bark. It felt so good to be cooking together again, making something fun and delicious.
Now we just have to find a pretty way to package them up. Any ideas? Presentation is not my strong suit. After we've packaged up our little bundles, we'll make the rounds and hand them out out, my second favorite part of the process.
Second Helping: Homemade Gingerbread Houses
Thirds: Stained Glass Cookies
Dark Chocolate Bark with Pine Nuts and Dried Cherries
Makes 20 to 30 pieces of bark (depending on how small you break the pieces)
15 minutes preparation time
15 minutes cooking time, plus time for chilling
12 ounces dark chocolate (60% cocoa)
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
1/2 cup pine nuts
Toast the pine nuts by putting them in a skillet over medium heat and tossing them just until they're lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Turn the heat down to low. Put the chocolate, broken or chopped into large pieces, in a metal bowl and set it on top of the simmering water. When the chocolate has melted, stir in the chopped cherries and the pine nuts.
Turn a cookie sheet upside down and cover it with a piece of parchment paper. Pour the chocolate out onto the parchment paper and spread it evenly over the paper with a spatula. An offset spatula will result in the smoothest finish, but a rubber spatula works just fine, too.
You should end up with a rectangle that's about 10 x 13 inches in size. Put the tray in the refrigerator or freezer to cool. It only takes about 15 minutes in the freezer. When the chocolate has cooled completely, break it into small pieces. Store in an airtight container, between sheets of wax paper until ready to eat or package to give away.
Curried Dark Chocolate Bark
Makes 20 to 30 pieces of bark (depending on how small you break the pieces)
5 minutes preparation time
15 minutes cooking time, plus time for chilling
Our original idea was to add coconut milk as well, but it separated and we ended up with a mess. On our second go round, we just used the curry with a sprinkling of sea salt on top, and we loved the combination of flavors.
1 1/2 teaspoons curry
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70 % cocoa)
pinch sea salt
Toast the curry in a small frying pan over medium heat, just until it is fragrant, about a minute.
Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Turn the heat down to low. Put the chocolate, broken or chopped into large pieces, in a metal bowl and set it on top of the simmering water. When the chocolate has melted, stir in the curry.
Turn a cookie sheet upside down and cover it with a piece of parchment paper. Pour the chocolate out onto the parchment paper and spread it evenly over the paper with a spatula. An offset spatula will result in the smoothest finish, but a rubber spatula works just fine, too.
You should end up with a rectangle that's about 10 x 13 inches in size. Put the tray in the refrigerator or freezer to cool. It only takes about 15 minutes in the freezer. When the chocolate has cooled completely, break it into small pieces. Store in an airtight container, between sheets of wax paper until ready to eat or package to give away.
Peppermint Bark
Makes 20 to 30 pieces of bark (depending on how small you break the pieces)
15 minutes preparation time
15 minutes cooking time, plus time for chilling
12 ounces white chocolate
8 candy canes (about 4 ounces)
Take the candy canes out of their wrappers and wrap them in a plastic bag. Wrap the bad in a dish towel and smash the candy canes with a rubber mallet.
Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Turn the heat down to low. Put the chocolate, broken or chopped into large pieces, in a metal bowl and set it on top of the simmering water.
Turn a cookie sheet upside down and cover it with a piece of parchment paper. Pour the white chocolate out onto the parchment paper and spread it evenly over the paper with a spatula. An offset spatula will result in the smoothest finish, but a rubber spatula works just fine, too. Sprinkle the peppermint bits evenly over the top of the white chocolate.
You should end up with a rectangle that's about 10 x 13 inches in size. Put the tray in the refrigerator or freezer to cool. It only takes about 15 minutes in the freezer. When the chocolate has cooled completely, break it into small pieces. Store in an airtight container, between sheets of wax paper until ready to eat or package to give away.
Looks fabulous! I can't wait to make some. Packaging? I'd get some colored cellophane - not very sustainable, but pretty and strong - tie is up and you're good to go. Maybe place the pieces first on a round of cardboard covered with aluminum foil?
Posted by: Christina | December 12, 2011 at 11:10 AM
Christina, I love the idea of cardboard for stability. Thanks!
Posted by: Margy | December 12, 2011 at 02:55 PM
I loved making the barks. It was fun and how delicious!
Posted by: Chantal | December 27, 2011 at 10:25 PM
How was the curry bark?
Posted by: Andrea | January 04, 2012 at 09:17 AM