Treasure Coin Chocolate Discs

It's up to you.

12 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Install a cold and dry plate

   Cover a large, flat baking sheet and prepares 24 slots spaced 2 cm apart for discs of 4 to 5 cm. You can draw the circles on the back of the paper, then flip it so that the chocolate does not touch the ink. Prepare a thermometer, a spoon, a spatula and a perfectly dry salad bowl; moisture would make the chocolate thicken.

2. Roasting nuts

   Preheat the oven to 150 °C in conventional oven setting (no fan). Spread the 24 almonds and the 24 hazelnuts on another baking tray and bake them for 8 minutes, stirring them halfway through cooking. They should smell the fruit toasted without browning strongly. Pour them into a plate and let them cool for 20 minutes: warm fruits will melt the pallets when they are filled.

3. Prepare 24 small toppings

   Cut the 30 g of candied orange peel into small dice, with a knife on a board. Divide the 30 g of raisins, orange dice, 24 almonds and 24 hazelnuts into 24 small groups: each must contain one almond and one hazelnut. This preparation makes it possible to quickly garnish the chocolate, before it begins to harden.

4. Separate the chocolate for tempering

   Chop the 250 g of dark couverture chocolate into small pieces. Weigh 165 g in the bowl and keeps 85 g in a cup, at room temperature. Pour 2 to 3 cm of water into a saucepan smaller than the bowl and heat to a very small simmer. Place the bowl on top: its bottom must not touch the water, and the steam must not enter it. First read the curve indicated by the manufacturer of your cover: it takes precedence over the temperatures given here for a dark chocolate type Valrhona.

5. Melt the first portion

   Melt the 165 g of chocolate in a bain-marie, stirring gently with the spatula. Control the temperature in the center of the chocolate, without pressing the probe on the bottom of the bowl. As soon as it reaches 50 to 55 °C and no longer presents any pieces, remove the bowl and wipe its bottom. Keep the hot water pan off the heat for reheating.

6. Cool with the reserved 85 g

   Add the 85 g of reserved chopped chocolate, in three small handfuls, mixing between each addition. Continue to stir gently until it reaches 28-29°C; it takes several minutes, depending on the room temperature. Regularly scrape the edges to avoid a frozen chocolate crown. If a few pieces remain, crush them with the spatula instead of pouring water or cream.

7. Just go up to 31-32 °C

   Replace the bowl on the pot with hot water for 2 or 3 seconds, remove it and mix well. Repeat only if necessary up to 31 to 32 °C: the latter heating must be very short. Place a trace of chocolate on a corner of the paper; it should start to freeze in a few minutes. Keep the bowl close, without leaving it continuously on the bain-marie.

8. Form the pallets in small series

   Place six spoonfuls of chocolate on the paper slots, then spread each into a 4-5 cm disc with the back of the spoon. Aim for a thickness of 2 to 3 mm and gradually distributes all the chocolate between 24 pallets. Work in sets of six to have time to garnish; if the chocolate thickens in the bowl, put it one or two seconds in the bain-marie and mix and check 31-32 °C.

9. Garnish the parts before taking

   On each series of six discs still flexible, place a prepared portion of fruit in the center, keeping about 8 mm of chocolate bare on the edge. Slightly press the almond and hazelnut with the clean finger to secure them, without pushing them down to the paper. Repeat for the 24 pieces; each pallet must receive its hazelnut, almond, raisins and orange dice.

10. Print the edge of the parts

    Wait until the surface begins to thicken while remaining flexible, usually 1 to 3 minutes after displaying depending on the room. With the end of a clean and dry fork, marks six groups of broad strokes on the bare edge of each disc, without touching the fruits. If the chocolate closes immediately, wait a little; if it breaks, do not force and leave this pallet without imprint.

11. Let crystallize and take off

    Leave the pallets 1 hour flat in a cool and dry place. Check on one of them that it is firm and detaches itself neatly; wait more if it bends again. Take off the pieces by pulling the paper down, while supporting them. Do not touch their tops directly so as not to mark the areas that will receive the golden powder.

12. Add a touch of gold and present

    Pour 1 g of explicitly edible golden powder into a cup. Take very little with a dry food brush and only touch the bare edge of the blades; pat the brush in the cup before each pass. Brown chocolate and fruit should remain visible, and the excess powder does not need to be used. Presents the pieces flat, with a few small batteries of up to three to avoid breaking the trims.