I first discovered the wonders of the “melt” mode on advanced cooktops when I visited the Wolf/Sub-Zero showroom in Philly. The chef emptied a bag of chocolate chips into a saucepan, set it on the lowest flame on the dual-stack burner, and let it be. No double boiler, no stirring, no scorching (the photo is from there.)
Chocolate chips melting on the lowest flame on a Wolf cook top.
I was awestruck and wanted to post the photo with a chocolate recipe right away. But that was the middle of summer – not exactly the best time for chocolate. I decided to post it in the winter, before Christmas, when it’s cold and people are looking for unique chocolate gifts.
Well, now it’s Christmas time. Not so cold but still Christmas. So here it is.
Before we begin, a quick word about melting chocolate. If you don’t have a “melt” or “simmer” setting on your cooktop, use a double broiler. Fill a pot with water and bring to a gentle boil. Place a smaller pot inside the pot that holds the boiling water. It is important that the bottom of the insert won’t touch the boiling water. Melt the chocolate in the top pan.
And here is the recipe. It is chocolate bark a bit out-of-the-box with ginger and pistachio. The green of the pistachios and the red of the cranberries make it very Christmasy. I like to use bittersweet chocolate that stands up nicely to the ginger’s intensity.
- 16 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup roasted, salted pistachios (or cashew)
- 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped
- Melt the chocolates as described above.
- As the chocolate is melting, line a cookie pan with parchment paper. Draw a nine by 10-inch with a ruler and a pencil, rectangle on the paper. Turn the paper face-down on the cookie sheet.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the paper and spread with a silicon spatula to form a rectangle (use the outline). Sprinkle the nuts and dried fruits over the chocolate. Set aside for 2 hours until firm. Cut the bark or break into pieces.
And here is the recipe. It is chocolate bark a bit out-of-the-box with ginger and pistachio. The green of the pistachios and the red of the cranberries make it very Christmasy. I like to use bittersweet chocolate that stands up nicely to the ginger’s intensity.
Chocolate on the lowest dual-stack melt burner
