Easy Chocolate Bark Bouquet
Makes 1 large bouquet or 2 small bouquets
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300g/10 ozs best quality dark chocolate (for those who want to know about tempering the instructions follow below)
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300g/10 ozs best quality white chocolate
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Whatever toppings or items that the recipient likes. Suggestions: 3-4 lemon sherbert lollies (for lemon white chocolate bark), 2-3 tablespoons Milo (for milo white chocolate bark), 4-5 small candy canes or a bar of Peppermint Crisp (for a mint dark chocolate bark), cinnamon almonds and sea salt (for almond sea salt bark)
You will also need: wrapping paper (a 45x45cm square for a large bouquet or 30x30cms for two small bouquets), clear cellophane, sticky tape and ribbon.
Step 1 - Line two trays with parchment paper-I find it best to spray the tray itself with some non stick spray so that the parchment sticks to it. Firstly get your sprinkles ready as they need to be sprinkled on as soon as the chocolate is spread out. Place them in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Step 2 - In a clean, dry bowl, melt the chocolate over a double boiler (a heatproof bowl sitting on top of a pot of simmering water) ensuring that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the simmering water. Or do it in the microwave in 60 second bursts on 50% power stirring between bursts.
Step 3 - When the chocolate is completely melted and smooth spread it out along a tray. You can do as many flavours as you want although I'd recommend up to four flavours and just put two flavours on the one tray of chocolate. An example is half a sheet with lemon sherbert lollies and the other half with Milo. If for any reason your chocolate sets really quickly use a hairdryer (yes really!) to make it soft again but do this before you add the sprinkles or they will go everywhere. And yes I learned this from experience ;) Allow to set-either on the bench or in the fridge is fine. Then when ready, snap into shards.
Step 4 - Make a bouquet by placing it in the wrapping paper and putting the shards in a pointy triangular pattern. Sticky tape the ends at the back of the bouquet. Then carefully turning the bouquet over place the bouquet face down on the cellophane and sticky tape up the top and sides so that the sticky tape shows on the back only. Add ribbon. And voila! You have your own chocolate bark bouquet!
Tempering chocolate
Finely chop chocolate if in bar/slab form.
Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl does not touch the water).
Tip: Make sure that your bowl fits snugly into the saucepan so that theres no chance of steam forming droplets that
may fall into your chocolate. If water gets into your chocolate it will seize.
Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the chocolate so that it melts evenly
Once its melted, keep an eye on the thermometer, as soon as it reaches 45°C / 113°F remove from heat (between 45°C-50°C / 113°F-122°F for dark chocolate)
Pour ¾ of the melted chocolate onto a marble or granite slab or worktop
Using a scraper or large palette knife move the chocolate around the surface to help it cool
Tip:_ Keep the motions neat and tidy, if youre not working with a lot of chocolate you dont want to spread it too far otherwise you may end up with chocolate that begins to cool too quickly and start to set as well as drops below _
the necessary temperature. Use a motion that folds the chocolate on itself
Check temperature regularly with a thermometer
Once it reaches 27°C / 80°F put the chocolate back into the heatproof bowl with the remaining chocolate
Gently stir together with a rubber spatula
Check the temperature to see if its risen back up to the working temperature of the chocolate (milk, dark or white) as seen in the above chart
If the temperature has not risen to its working temperature, put the bowl back over the simmering water, stirring gently
IMPORTANT: You really need to keep an eye on the temperature as it can rise quicker than you think, so as soon as its up to its working temperature, remove from heat
Its now tempered and ready to use
Tip: If youre using the chocolate to dip a lot of truffles etc. which means the chocolate will be sitting off heat for a while it will naturally start to thicken as it cools. To keep it at an ideal viscosity for even coating, put the bowl over steam for 30sec-1min every 5-10mins, just do not let the temperature go over the working temperature!
Tip: Having the chocolate in a warmed glass bowl and wrapped in hot kitchen towel can also help keep the chocolate at its working temperature for longer
Tip: It is also easier to keep the heat if you work with larger amounts of chocolate rather than small amounts. Any leftover chocolate can be kept to be used later and then re-tempered
Tip: Remember, dont let any water get into your chocolate at any stage of the tempering process!
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