Chocolate Mendiants

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 20-30

Ingredients

200-300g dark chocolate, melted and tempered

Toppings

Pistachio slivers

Orange peel

Dried apricot cut into strips

Coconut chips

Black sesame seeds

Freeze-dried berries

Roasted almonds

But the sky is the limit. Biscuit pieces, nuts, fruit, spices, etc

Method

Untempered and incorrectly tempered chocolate develops an unsightly grey, streaky look called bloom, compared with the sheen of perfectly tempered chocolate.

The easiest way to temper a small amount of chocolate is the direct method where you carefully melt the chocolate to just 32 degrees which keeps the original temper of quality chocolate.

For this method chop the chocolate and place it into a plastic bowl. (best not to use glass as it retains the heat too much making controlling the temperature very difficult)

Place the bowl into the microwave and heat in short 15-20 second bursts. Stir well after each burst.

Repeat this until ¾ of the chocolate is melted.

Let the warm melted chocolate melt the chunks left in the bowl. Continuously stir to help crystalise the chocolate.

Once all the chocolate is melted, the chocolate should still feel cool to touch and is tempered (at around 32°C).

Best take a little sample by dipping the tip of a knife and letting it set. It should set within a couple of minutes.

Place the tempered chocolate into a piping bag and portion onto a baking paper-lined tray.

You can also use a spoon for this. While the chocolate is still liquid, top each drop with your choice of toppings.

Place the tray in the fridge to set for a few minutes. Enjoy at room temperature.