Three Chocolate Bark with Spiced Pecans and Dried Cherries
Difficulty: Intermediate
Yield: Approximately 4 pounds of bark
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 of 30 servings): Calories 349, Total Fat 21 g, Saturated Fat 11 g, Carbohydrates 39 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Sugar 35 g, Protein 3 g, Cholesterol 14 mg, Sodium 159 mg
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Preparation: 45 minutes
Cooking: 2 hours
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups pecan pieces
- Salt
- Cayenne pepper
- A pinch of ground nutmeg
- A pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 pound milk chocolate, chopped
- 1 pound white chocolate, chopped
- 2 cups dried cherries, soaked and chopped
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves and becomes bubbly. Add the pecans and season with salt, cayenne, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar caramelizes and coats the nuts, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and spread the pecans on a parchment-lined baking sheet; roast in the oven for about 6 minutes. Let cool completely, then break into smaller pieces.
- Set up a double boiler by placing three heatproof bowls over simmering water. Put the semisweet, milk, and white chocolate in separate bowls and melt, stirring after about 2 minutes until smooth. Remove each bowl from the heat and stir 1 tablespoon butter into each to add shine.
- Pour each melted chocolate onto a marble slab or a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the spiced pecans and chopped dried cherries over the chocolates. Use a metal spatula to spread each chocolate to about 1/4-inch thickness. Chill in the refrigerator or let rest at room temperature until fully set (a couple of hours).
- When firm, break the bark into medium-sized pieces and serve.
Note: For best texture and flavor, add the cherries and pecans while the chocolate is still warm so they adhere well; refrigerate to speed setting if desired.
