I’ve been meaning to write about chocolate bark for a little while now. It’s really a fun, and easy dessert to make and you can switch it up with so many different things. I especially like using fleur de sel because it really brings out the flavor of the chocolate. I was reading one of Ina Garten’s cookbooks the other day and I couldn’t agree more with her view on how to use different flavors when coming up with recipes. Ina chosses what flavor to add to roast chicken by figuring out what ingredients really boosts the chicken flavor. I think it’s the same with the use of salt in certain sweet recipes. It’s not so much that you taste a lovely contrast between salty and sweet flavors (although you do) but mostly that the salt helps brings out the complex flavor of good dark chocolate and make it taste that much more chocolatey and intense.
This is the kind of recipe where the type of chocolate you use really makes all the difference. There are so few ingredients, that a mediocre chocolate can render the dessert rather bland whereas a good chocolate will make you go for seconds.. and thirds.
Fleur de Sel Chocolate Bark with Hazelnuts and Almonds
7 ½ oz bittersweet chocolate
4 ½ oz semisweet chocolate
¼ cup of roasted hazelnuts
2 tablespoons of slivered almonds
¼ teaspoon of fleur de sel, and a small pinch for sprinkling
Chop the chocolates into small pieces and place to melt in a double boiler. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and fold in the ¼ teaspoon of fleur de sel.
Coarsely chop the roasted hazelnuts and fold half of them into the chocolate mixture. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently pour the chocolate mixture onto the paper to form ¼ inch thick rectangle. Top the chocolate with the rest of the hazelnuts and the almonds. Add a small pinch of fleur de sel over the surface of the chocolate.
Let the chocolate harden on the kitchen counter (about 2 hours). Once the chocolate has completely hardened, place it on a chopping board using the parchment paper, and cut into small triangles.
Enjoy the read!
My Carolina Kitchen
September 16, 2009 at 4:52 pm (15 years ago)This is fabulous and a drop dead gorgeous photo too. I’ve never made chocolate bark but I would love to. And wow…it includes Fleur de Sel. I’ve got to try this.
Sam
Dawn
September 16, 2009 at 4:59 pm (15 years ago)Now this is chocolate. Nice!
MaryBeth
September 16, 2009 at 8:48 pm (15 years ago)Yumm-O…snap me a big piece of that
the twins
September 16, 2009 at 10:05 pm (15 years ago)that looks amazing! i’ve got to try it as soon as i have the money for good chocolate =)
Amanda
September 17, 2009 at 9:12 am (15 years ago)WOW
That looks so very good, and with the holidays coming what a perfect gift!
Hillary
September 17, 2009 at 10:24 am (15 years ago)Great idea to use fleur de syl in your chocolate bark! Where do you buy fleur de syl? How expensive is it?
Dana
September 17, 2009 at 11:13 am (15 years ago)That is such a great hostess gift idea (or holiday basket). I love giving people things like that. I totally agree with the salt in chocolate thing. If it’s too sweet, all you taste is sweet. A bit of salt allows you to taste the chocolate more.
Q.
September 17, 2009 at 11:14 am (15 years ago)Totally agree. Salty + Sweet is a favorite combination of mine PERIOD. But I think it really does enhance the flavors of good chocolate. One of my fave chocolate bars is made by Lake Champlain in Vermont: milk chocolate with sea salt and toasted almonds. I’m not a huge milk chocolate lover but MAN. Those things are good. Your bark turned out beautifully – as almost all Ina Garten recipes do! 🙂
Chocolate Shavings
September 17, 2009 at 11:30 am (15 years ago)Hillary: Fleur de sel is found in most specialty stores today. It’s usually about 7 dollars for about 125 g.
Q: Ina made a fleur de sel chocolate bark recipe? I actually spent the weekend coming out with different chocolate bark combos and fleur de sel and hazelnuts was my favorite.
Kate Morgan Jackson
September 17, 2009 at 12:08 pm (15 years ago)This looks unbelievably good. What brand of chocolate do you recommend using? Thanks!
Ash
September 17, 2009 at 1:58 pm (15 years ago)Oh, I’m liking the looks of this!
I crave salty-sweet!
Salty Lass
September 17, 2009 at 4:00 pm (15 years ago)I couldn’t agree with you more, in that high quality ingredients make or break a dish. From good chocolate to fresh farmers market produce to even sea salt, your dish is only as good as your components.
Jessica
September 17, 2009 at 4:40 pm (15 years ago)Ohmigoodness. Total yum. This will be a great blog to follow! 🙂
Darina
September 17, 2009 at 9:32 pm (15 years ago)This looks fantastic. I’m definitely going to give this a try. I’ve been looking for a bark recipe with a bit of a twist.
Erin
September 17, 2009 at 9:40 pm (15 years ago)Wow, this looks fabulous!
the southern hostess
September 18, 2009 at 1:35 am (15 years ago)This sounds wonderful. I love chocolate and hazelnut.
Amy
September 18, 2009 at 1:58 am (15 years ago)Chocolate and salt might be my new favorite combo! I’m going to have to try this for sure.
CinnamonQuill
September 18, 2009 at 10:13 am (15 years ago)Beautifully written post; this would make a lovely gift…I can’t imagine chocolate, hazelnuts, and fleur de sel, together at last. Perfect.
5 Star Foodie
September 18, 2009 at 1:52 pm (15 years ago)Wow! The addition of fleur de Sel is fabulous!
oneordinaryday
September 18, 2009 at 2:29 pm (15 years ago)Lovely. You can’t go wrong with that combination.
Barbara
September 18, 2009 at 3:53 pm (15 years ago)What a great recipe! And a super photo. We always have a container of fleur de sel in the kitchen… we use it to top a lot of things. Most sweets (chocolate esp.) taste wonderful with a dash of fleur de del. It’s worth the splurge.
pigpigscorner
September 19, 2009 at 3:57 pm (15 years ago)this looks and sounds great! I love chocolate with a bit of saltiness but my hubs hates it.
Junglefrog
September 19, 2009 at 4:59 pm (15 years ago)I love how this looks! Gorgeous! I love fleur de sel too and always try to have a little box of it in my kitchen!
MaryMary
September 24, 2009 at 4:26 pm (15 years ago)Oh my, oh my. I love, love, love salt and chocolate…this looks amazing!
Errin
September 28, 2009 at 7:40 pm (15 years ago)this looks very addictive!
Choclette
October 4, 2009 at 2:31 pm (15 years ago)This I will have to make!
jessiev
January 16, 2010 at 10:13 pm (14 years ago)two of my fave things – YAY!! thanks for the great, great recipe. we’ll make this soon!