Pocket Vinyl Chocolate Discs

It's up to you.

13 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Prepare all the toppings before chocolate

   Counts 24 almonds and 24 hazelnuts, then weighs 30 g raisins, 30 g candied orange peels and 10 g unsalted pistachios. Cut the orange peels into 3 to 4 mm cubes and the largest raisins in half. Roughly chop the pistachios with a knife. Put each topping in a small cup: the chocolate will need to be garnished quickly before hardening.

2. Roast almonds and hazelnuts

   Turn on the oven at 150 °C in conventional oven setting (no fan). Spread the almonds and hazelnuts on a baking sheet, in a single layer, then bake for 8 minutes in the middle of the oven. They should smell good and slightly brown, without strongly browning. Then pour them on a cold plate and let them cool completely for about 20 minutes; a warm garnish would melt the pallets.

3. Chop and distribute dark chocolate

   Weigh the 250 g of dark couverture chocolate and finely chop them. Put 165 g in a perfectly dry bowl and keep 85 g in another dry container. Prepare a kitchen thermometer, a spatula and a saucepan in which the bowl can hold without touching the bottom. The 35 g of white chocolate remains aside for the final pattern.

4. Melt 165 g in a bain-marie

   First consult the tempering curve indicated by the chocolate tone manufacturer: it takes precedence over the temperatures below. Pour 2 cm of water into the saucepan, simmer it then lower the fire. Place the bowl containing the 165 g of chocolate above, without its bottom touching the water. Stir gently and measure in the center of the mass without touching the bowl with the probe. When the chocolate is melted and reaches 50 to 55 °C, remove the bowl and carefully wipe its bottom; no drop should enter the chocolate.

5. Cool with the reserved 85 g

   Pour the 85 g of chopped chocolate into the melted chocolate, in two or three additions, and stir constantly with the spatula. Scrape the edges and bottom so that the temperature is homogeneous. Continue until 28 to 29 °C; the pieces must have melted. This cooling can take several minutes: control with a thermometer, without adding water or putting ice cubes in the bowl.

6. Back to the working temperature

   Put the bowl back on the very soft bain-marie for 2 or 3 seconds only, remove it and stir. Repeat briefly if necessary to reach 31 to 32 °C, without exceeding this range. Place a small trace on baking paper: in a cool room, it must begin to firm up in a few minutes. Keep the bowl out of steam and stir from time to time during shaping.

7. Installing templates on a flat surface

   Draws 24 circles of 5 cm on a sheet of paper, spaced 2 cm apart. Slide this template under a sheet of clean baking paper, on a perfectly flat tray. Make a small spoon for the chocolate and another for the fruit. Work in groups of four pallets rather than forming the 24 at once: you must be able to fill them before they begin to harden.

8. Spread four pallets at once

   Place a spoonful of chocolate in each circle and spread it in a 5 cm disc, about 3 to 4 mm thick. Wait a few seconds for the surface to thicken and then draw two or three large circular furrows with a fork, without crossing the disc. The 250 g of chocolate allows about 10 g per pallet. Stir the remaining chocolate in the bowl between sets and monitor its working temperature.

9. Spread the fruit over a single area

   On one edge of each disc, lay an almond and a hazelnut, then a few raisins, orange dice and pistachio chips. Spread the 30 g of raisins, the 30 g of orange and the 10 g of pistachios between the 24 pieces, keeping the center or opposite part clear for the pattern. Slightly push the toppings into the chocolate, without pushing them to the paper. Finish the six sets of four pucks.

10. Let harden before white pattern

    Leave the tray motionless for about 1 hour in a cool, dry room, ideally around 18 to 20 °C. The pallets should become firm and detach cleanly when gently bending the paper underneath. Do not lift them with dried fruits. If the room is too hot, a short time in the refrigerator can help, but then keeps the pallets dry to limit condensation.

11. Melt the white chocolate

    Chop the 35 g of white chocolate with a knife and put them in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Pour 2 cm of water into a saucepan and simmer gently, then lower the heat. Place the bowl above: its bottom should not touch the water. Stir with a spatula until only a few small pieces remain. Remove the bowl from the heat and keep stirring so the residual heat melts them. Wipe the bottom of the bowl; no drop of water should fall into the chocolate. Let it lightly thicken off the heat before filling a small cone. Place a small cone of baking paper in a glass, point down, and half fill it with a spoon. Fold over the top to keep chocolate away from your hand, then cut a 2 to 3 mm opening at the tip. Pipe a test line on the paper: a continuous ribbon should flow when you squeeze gently.

12. Add central label of vinyls

    In the middle of each disc, place a small white chocolate nut and spread it in circles of about 1 cm with the tip of a spoon. The round should remain in the center, without covering the black furrows or fruit filling. Spread the 35 g between the 24 vinyls and keep the decor flat. Let stand for another 20 minutes in the cool room before moving the pallets.

13. Take off and store without breaking the discs

    Slide one hand under the paper and gently bend it down to take off each disc, while the other hand supports it. Make sure that no toppings come off before placing the vinyl on the dish. Store the chocolate discs in a dry box, between sheets of baking paper, away from heat. Do not stack the pallets as long as the white label still marks to the touch.