Bon Appetit Desserts (177 page)

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Dried Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark

Here’s an incredibly versatile bark recipe: Just use whatever dried fruits and nuts you happen to have on hand. For a sweeter version, substitute semisweet chocolate chips for the bittersweet.
Makes about 1 pound

1 11½-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)

⅔ cup mixed nuts (such as walnuts, pistachios, pecans, and almonds), toasted

⅔ cup mixed dried fruit (such as raisins, cranberries, cherries, quartered figs, and quartered apricots)

6 quarter-size rounds crystallized ginger, thinly sliced

⅛ teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt (optional)

Line small baking sheet with aluminum foil. Melt chocolate chips in medium bowl over saucepan of simmering water, stirring until melted and smooth. Pour melted chocolate onto foil, spreading with offset spatula to scant ¼-inch thickness. Scatter nuts and dried fruit over chocolate. Sprinkle with ginger. Sprinkle with fleur de sel, if desired. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. Peel off foil. Cut chocolate into irregular pieces. Serve bark slightly chilled.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 week ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container.

New-Wave Rocky Road

Traditional rocky road candy (chocolate, nuts, and marshmallows) is amped up with orange peel, spicy crystallized ginger, and tart dried cherries. If you like, use your own Homemade Marshmallows (page 626).
Makes 40 pieces

26 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel

¾ cup walnut halves

¾ cup chopped dried tart cherries or dried cranberries

3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

22 large marshmallows

40 paper or foil candy cups

Line 11×7×2-inch metal baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving overhang. Stir chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water) until melted and smooth and candy thermometer registers 115°F. Remove bowl from over water. Mix in orange peel, then walnuts, cherries, and ginger. Fold in marshmallows. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Chill until chocolate is just firm enough to cut, about 1 hour.

Using foil as aid, lift candy from pan. Fold down foil sides. Cut candy crosswise into 8 strips, then cut each strip lengthwise into 5 pieces. Transfer rocky road squares to paper or foil candy cups.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Keep rocky road squares refrigerated in airtight container. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before serving.

Chocolate Panforte Candies

Traditional
panforte
is a confection from Siena, Italy, that combines cocoa, spices, nuts, honey, and citrus with just enough flour to hold it all together. Here, those same flavors (minus the flour) become the topping for rich chocolate patties.
Makes 14

½ cup quartered dried black Mission figs

¼ cup orange juice

2 tablespoons honey

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1¼ teaspoons finely grated orange peel, divided

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅔ cup (scant) hazelnuts, toasted

1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

14 standard (⅓-cup) paper muffin baking cup liners

Cook figs, orange juice, honey, nutmeg, cloves, and 1 teaspoon orange peel in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until liquid forms thick syrup that coats figs, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in cinnamon, remaining ¼ teaspoon orange peel, and nuts.

Melt chocolate in microwave-safe bowl on medium setting until melted and warm, stopping once to stir, about 1½ minutes. Arrange paper cups on rimmed baking sheet. Spoon 1 mounded teaspoon chocolate into each paper cup. Tap baking sheet on work surface to spread chocolate over bottoms of cups. Top center of each with about 1 mounded teaspoon fig mixture. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Peel off paper.

DO AHEAD
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Can be made 3 days ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes before serving.

Mixed Nut Spiced Toffee

Traditional English toffee gets a hit of allspice and a blend of nuts. Instead of taking the time to melt chocolate and dip the toffee into it, this recipe efficiently utilizes the residual heat from the candy to melt bittersweet chocolate into a sweet and easy topping.
Makes about 2 pounds

1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

⅓ cup water

1 tablespoon mild-flavored (light) molasses

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

2 cups coarsely chopped toasted mixed nuts (such as cashews, almonds, and pistachios), divided

5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Butter small rimmed baking sheet. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat. Add both sugars, ⅓ cup water, molasses, salt, and allspice; stir until sugar dissolves. Attach clip-on candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat to medium; boil until thermometer registers 290°F, stirring constantly but slowly and scraping bottom of pan with wooden spatula, about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Mix in 1½ cups nuts. Immediately pour candy onto prepared sheet. Spread toffee to ¼-inch thickness. Immediately sprinkle chocolate over toffee. Let stand 1 minute. Using back of spoon, spread chocolate over toffee. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup nuts. Chill 1 hour. Break toffee into pieces.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before serving.

Macadamia Brittle with Fleur de Sel

Brittle is essentially caramelized sugar that is stirred together with nuts and baking soda (which aerates the candy) and then spread out on a large sheet of aluminum foil. In this brittle, the decadent sweetness is balanced by a sprinkling of sea salt. Cut the brittle into large pieces to enjoy on its own, or chop it into smaller pieces to sprinkle over ice cream.
Makes about ¾ pound

1 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, toasted, chopped, cooled

1 tablespoon chilled butter, diced

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fleur de sel or other coarse sea salt

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Place large sheet of aluminum foil on work surface; butter foil. Combine nuts, butter, baking soda, and fleur de sel in medium bowl.

Stir sugar, ½ cup water, and corn syrup in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Remove caramel from heat. Immediately stir in nut mixture (caramel will bubble vigorously). Pour caramel onto prepared foil; spread thinly. Cool brittle until hard; cut into pieces.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 1 week ahead. Store brittle in airtight container at room temperature.

Pecan Pralines