Hazelnut chocolate bark was first conceived in culinary heaven. That said, the secret to well-made chocolate is called tempering, which is a process of melting it to a temperature somewhere between 115 and 120 degrees F, then letting it cool to 80 degrees or slightly above, and then warming it slightly, to between 88 and 91 degrees. This gives the finished chocolate that lustrous sheen and characteristic snap when broken.
Do not be alarmed! You will not need to be a chemist to make this hazelnut chocolate bark. If you do not have a candy thermometer, all you will have to do is follow the instructions. To be safe, keep the finished bark in the refrigerator until a few minutes before serving. No worries.
Ingredients
- 2 cups very fresh hazelnuts (see note)
- 1 pound dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking pan in one layer. Roast for 7 minutes, and then check them. If the skins are blistered, and the flesh underneath is exposed and lightly browned, remove them from the oven. If not, or if the exposed flesh is only slightly golden, continue roasting another 3 minutes and check again. Another indicator is a highly alluring aroma, but be careful, as there is a fine line separating a perfectly roasted hazelnut and one that has begun to burn.
- Immediately upon removing the hazelnuts from the oven, slide them onto a large kitchen towel. Gather them into the center of the towel and fold the sides over them to encase them snugly. Carefully turn the resulting package over, so the folded ends are underneath, securing them in place. Let the nuts steam in their own heat for about 10 minutes.
- Without loosening the towel, knead the bundle firmly for a minute or two, rubbing the nuts against one another inside the towel. This will remove most if not all of the skins. Carefully turn over and open the bundle. Lift a handful of the nuts at a time, opening your fingers slightly to sift out any skins that may cling. Put the clean nuts in a bowl. Repeat with the remaining nuts, and discard the skins.
- Separate about half the hazelnuts and cut them cleanly in half lengthwise. Chop the remaining nuts coarsely. Keep the two separate.
- Reserve about 1 ounce of the chocolate, and put the rest in a bowl. Set the bowl over hot, but not boiling water and stir until completely melted. Move the bowl to the countertop and stir in the reserved ounce of unmelted chocolate. Stir until the added chocolate has melted. Now return the bowl to the water bath and stir for a minute or two.
- Spread a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on the back of a baking sheet, shiny side up. Pout the melted chocolate on the foil, in a rectangular shape. Smooth the chocolate out with a long metal pastry spatula to an even thickness of about 1/4 inch. Set the hazelnut halves into the chocolate, cut side up, pressing them down lightly. Sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts around on the surface of the chocolate, covering as much area as possible. Set the baking sheet in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to set the chocolate.
- Pull the sheet of chocolate away from the foil and break into random pieces about 4 or 5 inches long and 3 or 4 inches wide. Stack them on a plate and dig into them at will. Stored in an airtight container, the bark will last…well let’s face it, it won’t last.
Notes
If the term “very fresh” is confusing in reference to hazelnuts, the test is quite simple. Just taste them. They should have a little snap to them when you bite down, and a very agreeable flavor, with no hint of rancidity. If you like the taste, they’re fresh enough for you.
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