Midnight 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. Mark the furrows and deposit the fruits

   On each series of six still flexible pallets, pass the back of the spoon in two light circles to suggest furrows, without digging to the paper. Immediately place one of the 24 servings of fruit in the center of each disc and barely press to anchor them. Leave a large circle of visible chocolate; repeats the same sequence for the other three series.

10. Take without moving the paper

    Leave the plate perfectly flat in a cool, dry room for 1 hour. Do not move the pallets in the process of being taken: their still soft edge would mark. To check, only lift a corner of the paper under a witness pallet; it must detach cleanly and remain rigid. If the center folds, wait 15 minutes longer.

11. Draw Clear Centers

    Chop 40 g of white chocolate and put them in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan containing a little hot water, keeping the bowl clear of the water. Melt over a very low heat, stirring. Remove the bowl when the chocolate has almost melted and stir off the heat until smooth. Wipe the bottom of the bowl; no drop of water should fall into the chocolate. With the tip of a small spoon, place a thin circle or a few contiguous drops around the group of fruits of each disc. Does not cover fruit; it should remain a small central clear area and a wide grooved black edge.

12. Allow to be taken and served

    Let the white chocolate freeze for 20 to 30 minutes before peeling off the pallets. To remove them, gently pull the paper down by supporting each disc, rather than lifting its brittle edge. Store them in a box with paper between the layers, away from heat and moisture. Serve them flat or in short piles, to let the furrows appear.