The leaves are only just beginning to turn, Halloween is a couple of weeks away, and yet thoughts of the upcoming Thanksgiving are already spinning inside my head.
In our family it’s become “my holiday”, the one that I’ve been happily hosting for some 30 years now, and the one that no matter where we’ve lived my family has always found their way to our doorstep for the long weekend.
It’s really the one time of year we know we will all be together.
For me the planning is as much fun as the executing, and I’ve learned through the years that planning is key. Which leads me to this post for The Barefoot Connessa’s French Chocolate Bark.
This is a delicious confection that can be made weeks ahead and stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. I made it for the first time several months ago for guests, and thought it would make a great addition to a Thanksgiving dessert buffet.
I followed Ina’s recipe pretty closely, but the nice thing about this recipe is that you can customize it to your own taste, substituting your choice of nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate.
French Chocolate Bark (Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten)
1 cup whole, salted roasted cashews
6 to 7 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 to 7 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup finely diced crystalized ginger
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup finely diced dried apricots
¼ cup golden raisins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a pencil, draw a rectangle that is approximately the size of a standard sheet of paper (8 and ½ inches by 11 inches) on a piece of parchment paper placed on a sheet pan, then thurn the parchment paper over.
Spread the cashews in a single layer on another sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes, until just toasted. Set aside to cool. (you will not need the oven after this.)
Place the semisweet chocolate and half the bittersweet chocolate in a microwave-safe glass bowl and microwave on high power for 20 to 30 seconds. Stir with rubber spatula. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is just melted. Immediately add the remaining bittersweet chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until the chocolate is smooth and slightly cooled; stirring makes it glossier.
Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread it lightly into the drawn rectangle.
Sprinkle the top evenly in the following order: ginger, cashews, cherries, apricots, raisins. Set aside for 1 to 2 hours until firm. Cut or break the bark in 18 to 20 pieces and serve at room temperature.
Store in airtight container in a cool, dry place for several weeks.
Yield:18 to 20 pieces