Coat-Button Chocolate Mendiants

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16 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Prepare the fruits and oven

   Turn on the oven at 150 °C in conventional oven setting (no fan). Spread the 24 almonds and 24 hazelnuts on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, without overlaying them. Weigh 30 g of raisins and 30 g of candied orange peel separately; keeps the white chocolate reserved for the decor away from the dark chocolate of the base.

2. Roast and cool the nuts

   Bake the almonds and hazelnuts for 8 minutes, stirring the baking tray halfway through the cooking process with a spatula. They should smell lightly toasted without turning brown. Take out the baking tray with oven gloves and pour the fruits into a baking tray to stop cooking; wait until they are completely cold before putting them in the chocolate.

3. Preparing the small inclusions

   Chop the cooled almonds and hazelnuts in small pieces of 2 to 3 mm with a knife. Also cut the raisins and orange peels into small pieces so that they do not protrude too much from the pallets. Mix these four toppings in a bowl and then visually divide them into 24 small portions; all fruits will be used.

4. Prepare the bain-marie and weigh the chocolate

   Chop the 250 g of dark couverture chocolate. Put about 167 g in a dry bowl and keep the remaining 83 g apart; this reserve will be used to cool the melted chocolate. Pour 2 cm of water into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer, then lower the fire; the bottom of the bowl placed on top should not touch the water.

5. Melt the dark chocolate

   Place the bowl on the bain-marie and stir slowly with the spatula until completely melted. Follow the tempering curve indicated on the package; for a classic black blanket, heat to 50-55 °C by checking with the thermometer without touching the bottom of the bowl. Tempering involves melting and then cooling the chocolate in a controlled way so that it hardens more clearly.

6. Cool with reserved chocolate

   Remove the salad bowl from the pan and wipe its underside. Add the 83 g of chopped chocolate reserved several times, stirring continuously and scraping the edges to distribute the temperature. Let it go down to 28-29 °C, or the manufacturer’s low temperature; no unmelted piece should remain before continuing.

7. Back to the working temperature

   Replace the bowl on the bain-marie for just a few seconds, then remove and stir. Often temperature control: Aims 31-32 °C for dark chocolate, unless otherwise stated on the package. If you significantly exceed this temperature, repeat the cooling and reheating; always keep the spatula and bowl perfectly dry.

8. Check the socket and prepare the plates

   Spread a small drop on a piece of baking paper: in a cool room, it must begin to harden in a few minutes without remaining sticky. During this test, cover two baking paper baking tray or flat planks. Regularly stir the chocolate in the bowl to maintain a homogeneous temperature; if it thickens, it heats up very briefly without exceeding its working temperature.

9. Form the twenty-four bases

   Place a small spoonful of chocolate on the paper and spread it with the back of the spoon in a 4-5 cm disc. Aim for a thickness of 2 to 3 mm, thin enough to break easily but continuous, without a hole. Proceeds by four discs at a time and distributes the 250 g of chocolate on the 24 bases.

10. Add the fruit while the chocolate is soft

    Spread a portion of the fruit mixture over each freshly spread base. Press very lightly with the back of a small spoon to push down the bottom of the pieces, without covering them completely. Continue with the other bases until using the 24 servings; the garnish remains on only one side of each chocolate discs.

11. Allow to harden without moving the pallets

    Leave the plates flat for about 1 hour in a cool room, away from the sun and any heat source. The chocolate must be firm throughout its thickness before handling it. To take it off, lift a piece of paper and gently fold the paper under the pallet, instead of abruptly pulling the chocolate up.

12. Turn the discs to reveal a smooth face

    After taking, return the 24 discs: the fruits are now underneath, and the face that touched the paper becomes the top of the button. Gently place them on clean paper. Fruits can make the support a little irregular; do not press on the center to flatten them, otherwise break the chocolate.

13. Preparing the White Chocolate Patterns

    Chop the 40 g of white chocolate and put them in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Pour 2 cm of water into a saucepan, heat until it simmers and then lower the heat. Set the bowl over the pan without letting it touch the water. Stir with a spatula and remove as soon as the last pieces melt. Wipe the bottom of the bowl: no drop of water should fall into the chocolate. Let it cool for a few minutes and then pour it into a small paper cone. Fold the top to prevent leaks and cut a fine opening, about 1 mm; the 40 g should be enough for the 24 patterns.

14. Draw the edge of each button

    Hold the cornet a few millimeters from the disc. Press gently and move the hand in a circle about 3 mm from the edge; stop the pressure before lifting the cone to limit the chocolate tip. The circle must remain simple and thick enough to be visible, without covering the entire black surface.

15. Draw the four holes of the button

    Place four small dots in the center of each circle, arranged like the corners of a square. Press the dough scraper briefly in the same place, then raise it: these points are drawn and do not pierce the puck. Spread the remaining chocolate over the buttons that have not yet been decorated; a surplus can freeze in small discs to be served next to it.

16. Allow to be taken and served

    Let the white patterns harden for at least 20 minutes in a cool room. Presents the decorated face buttons up, then break one to show the fruit underneath. Store the others in a dry box with paper between the layers, so as not to rub the circles and dots.