I’ve invented the perfect chocolate bar.
Of course, the use of the word “invented” is completely outrageous, since it’s been done a million times before, and the word “perfect” completely subjective, as it’s really only perfect for me.
I was inspired by the caramelised almond egg we had from Colefax at Easter. It was delicious, but the balance of flavours wasn’t quite right – even in dark chocolate, I still found the egg a little too sweet.
So I’ve been experimenting – I started by making the roasted almonds, adapting the recipe I use for almond rochers. I tried scattering these over a tempered bar of 70% cacao, but found the chocolate too dark for the sweet almonds. I also discovered that encasing the almonds inside the bar gave a better mouthfeel and eating experience than using them as a topping.
Here’s the final outcome – sweet roasted almond slivers encased in a 63% cacao dark blend. I’m in chocolate heaven…
- 250g slivered almonds
- 20ml Kirsch
- 80g icing sugar mixture (confectioners or powdered sugar)
- tempered chocolate (see below)
1. Preheat the oven to 175C. In a small bowl, combine the almonds, Kirsch and sifted icing sugar.
2. Line a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper, and pour the nuts onto the tray. Bake the nuts for 10 minutes, or until golden, stirring often (watch them carefully, as they burn easily). Allow these to cool on the tray, during which time they’ll harden up and become very crunchy. Once cool, break up any clumps with your fingers.
3. Tip the nuts into a bowl of tempered dark chocolate (see here for tempering instructions) – my perfect blend is:
- 250g Callebaut 811 (54% cacao)
- 125g Callebaut 70% cacao
- 125g Cacao Barry Tanzanie Origin 75% cacao
Pour the mixture into moulds and allow to set briefly in the fridge. I’ve made several large bars, as well as these speckled chocolate cane toads. It’s probably the only time I’ve found a cane toad appealing – they’re a major pest here in Australia!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
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