Wanting to expand our repertoire of party platter and gift basket sweet treats this season, chocolate bark seemed like the perfect option to explore. This particular recipe was inspired by a chocolate bark that Kyle had as part of a wine and chocolate pairing at Ravines Wine Cellars in the Finger Lakes while on holiday with some friends. He already knew that the chocolate/sesame combination was a winner—thanks to our Tahini Semifreddo Sundaes—and the wine/chocolate/sesame “throuple,” while it seemed unorthodox, definitely piqued his interest. Whatever doubts he had about the combination were summarily laid to rest after the first nibble and sip. His suspicious side-eye quickly segued into an eyebrows-up expression of pleasant surprise. The creaminess of the milk chocolate played into the buttery notes of the chardonnay, while the nuttiness and mild heat of the toasted sesame oil brought out the woodsy French oak notes from the barrel aging process. Further investigation revealed that the winery had teamed with local chocolatier Hedonist Chocolates for this custom made bark, so this particular pairing was more of an “arranged marriage” than a happy accident. Cheers to a perfect, even masterful, match.
Wanting to recreate this treat at home, he knew that the biggest stumbling block was going to be tempering the chocolate. For such a simple delight, the process is fraught with pitfalls. So many things can go wrong. If ANY moisture gets into the chocolate during the melting process, it will “seize” into a lumpy, grainy, heartbreaking mess. Then there are the equally frustrating grayish color and rough texture from “bloomed” chocolate, or the streaks of cocoa butter that can result from incomplete stirring and blending that can also result in the chocolate not setting up properly. Like we said, pitfalls for days.
To avoid the frustration and get to the good stuff, a little research was in order, so we fired up the old internet and uncovered an article on The Kitchn—no surprise—by Bay Area chocolatier Alexandra Whisnant titled How to Temper Chocolate Without a Thermometer. No special equipment? Practically foolproof you say? DING!
Once we were able to remove our hands from our ears (the angel song was deafening), we clicked on the link and got an expert crash course in the art of tempering. (Go ahead, click on it. You know you want to. We’ll wait…) The end result was a gorgeous, smooth, glossy sheet of milk chocolate that set up perfectly and broke apart with that satisfying “snap” that somehow managed to make the chocolate taste even better.
Cliff’s Notes version: You’ll melt about 3/4 of the chocolate in a (completely dry) metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, remove it from the heat, then add the rest of the room temperature chocolate (a process called “seeding”), stirring constantly until it, too, is melted and thoroughly blended. This recipe calls for sesame oil, which gets stirred into the liquid chocolate as a final step in the melting process. The batch is then poured into a parchment-lined baking dish (or baking sheet) and smoothed with an offset spatula. We also topped it with toasted black and white sesame seeds for a lovely color contrast, an extra bit of sesame flavor, and a wonderful textural crunch. They’re a great finishing touch, but if you don’t have them, the flavor will be perfectly fine with just the oil. After that, the bark is left in the refrigerator for a few hours to set. Sounds simple, right?
Actually, the process is absolutely worth mastering, and once you get the hang of it, it opens up a world of baking possibilities. Chocolate bark represents the simplest application of your new skill and makes a delightful hostess gift, especially when it includes a bottle of wine. It also means that you can make the most sinful ganache for decorating cakes and cookies, and even homemade candies. Actually, we’re kicking around the idea of making chocolate covered versions of our Peanut Butter Crunch Candy (the regular and Nutella versions), and if it happens, we’ll let you know how it goes. Homemade Butterfingers (or “Nutterfingers,”) anyone?
This recipe is a wonderful template for a wide variety of flavor combinations, so expect more versions to pop up soon. I guess with all of this “bark” you could say that our site is going to the dogs. We’re barking mad for the stuff. Our bark is better than our bytes? Is this thing on? *crickets* Oooo! Chocolate covered crickets….
Inspired by Hedonist Chocolates.
(Side note: We learned that Hedonist Chocolates regularly teams with a few select wineries in the Finger Lakes region for similar pairings. For some ideas, click here, or contact them if you’re going to be in the area. If you’re a boozehound foodie like us, this could make for a great wine and chocolate-themed winery crawl or scavenger hunt.)
- 12 ounces milk chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
- Flaky sea salt, for garnish
- Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Melt about ¾ of the chocolate (it doesn’t have to be exact) in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in reserved chocolate chips and sesame oil until mixture is completely melted and smooth.
- Spread the chocolate evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and flaky sea salt.
- Refrigerate until the bark has set, about 2 to 3 hours, then break into pieces. Bark is best stored in the fridge.
Kelly says
Ha! I literally found this while nibbling on a piece of milk chocolate sesame bark from Ravines, trying to find out how to make it! Thanks for the recipe