Christmas Chocolate Mendiants

It's up to you.

12 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Prepare the toppings before the chocolate

   Counts 24 almonds and 24 hazelnuts, then weighs 30 g of raisins and 30 g of candied orange peel. Cut the peel on a board into small dice of 3 to 5 mm. Prepare these toppings in small accessible bowls: they will have to be placed as long as the pallets are still flexible. Cover a flat baking sheet.

2. Roasts almonds and hazelnuts

   Turn the oven on at 150 °C, conventional oven setting (no fan). Spread the almonds and hazelnuts on a second baking tray, in a single layer, then bake them for about 8 minutes. Stir the baking tray mid-cooking and watch: the fruit should smell grilled without blackening. Take them out and let them cool completely, about 20 minutes, before approaching the chocolate.

3. Weigh two servings of chocolate

   Weigh 250 g of dark chocolate blanket in total. Put about 167 g in a heat-resistant bowl and keep the remaining 83 g in another bowl. Finely chop this second portion: its small pieces will lower the temperature of the melted chocolate. Prepare a perfectly dry food thermometer and spatula; also check that both bowls do not contain drops of water.

4. Install a soft bain-marie

   Pour 2 to 3 cm of water into a saucepan and heat it up to a gentle simmer. Lower the heat and place the 167 g of chocolate bowl on it: its bottom should not touch the water. Regularly rotated with the spatula until fully melted. For temperatures, follow the curve indicated on the cover bag; otherwise, the markings for a dark chocolate are detailed below.

5. Melt and remove the salad bowl

   Monitor the chocolate with the probe, placing it in the mass without pressing on the bottom of the bowl. For a black cover following this curve, aim 50 to 55 °C. Remove the bowl as soon as the chocolate is smooth and at the right temperature. Carefully wipe the underside of the bowl with a cloth before placing it on the worktop; no water should fall into it.

6. Lower the temperature

   Add the 83 g of finely chopped chocolate into the melted chocolate, in several batches, while stirring. Continue gently scraping the walls until you reach about 28 to 29 °C, or the expected low temperature on the bag. It can take several minutes. The chocolate must remain uniform; if a few pieces no longer melt, remove them rather than finding them in the pallets.

7. Heat up to working temperature

   Replace the bowl on the bain-marie for just a few seconds, then remove it and stir. Check again: Aims 31 to 32 °C for this black cover, without exceeding the recommended working temperature. Repeat a very short heat if necessary. The chocolate should flow easily from the spatula; avoids a long heat, which would force to start the curve again.

8. Test the grip on a small trace

   Place a small trace of chocolate on a piece of baking paper and leave it for a few minutes in a cool room, ideally around 18 to 20 °C. It must begin to harden and no longer remain frankly sticky. Meanwhile, stir the rest of the chocolate to keep a homogeneous temperature. If the test remains liquid for a long time, check the temperature and resume the curve before shaping all the pallets.

9. Shapes the pallets in small series

   Place four to six spoonfuls of chocolate on the prepared plate, with about 10 g per pallet. Spread each spoonful with the back of a small spoon into a 4-5 cm disc, quite thin and regular. Keep 2 cm between the discs for easy peeling. Work in small batches in order to have time to add the fruits before the chocolate freezes.

10. Lay the fruit while the chocolate is soft

    On each disc, lay an almond and a hazelnut, then spread some raisins and some orange dice. Press very lightly on each fruit to make it adhere, without crossing the pallet. Repeat until you get 24 chocolate discs, sharing the 30 g of raisins and the 30 g of orange between them. If the chocolate in the bowl thickens, warm it up for a few seconds without exceeding its working temperature.

11. Let crystallize without moving the fruit

    Place the plate flat in a cool room and let the chocolate discs harden for about 1 hour. Do not stack them and do not move the trims during this hold. Check a puck: it must take off cleanly and remain rigid when you lift it by the edge. If the room is hot and it still bends, prolongs the socket in a cooler place.

12. Take off and put away the chocolate discs

    Gently slip the baking paper under each pallet to separate it, rather than pulling on an almond or hazelnut. Store the chocolate discs in a dry and closed box, with paper between the layers. Spread any remaining chocolate in small pellets on the same paper and let it take: it is not necessary to add extra thickness to the 24 pallets.