Chocolate Covered Cereal Mix With Dried Cherries And Pistachios Recipes

CHOCOLATE COVERED CEREAL

Steps:

• For the oat cereal: Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place the cereal in a large bowl. Pour about half of the tempered chocolate over the cereal and, using a rubber spatula, toss the cereal around to coat evenly. The chocolate will begin to set. When the first coating has set, pour in the remaining chocolate and again toss to coat evenly.
• Working quickly while the chocolate is still pliable, scoop up small mounds of the cereal and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Set aside for about 30 minutes (or place the baking sheets in the refrigerator for no more than 10 minutes to speed the setting).
• Layer the cereal clusters, separated by sheets of waxed paper, in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
• For the corn flake cereal: Crunch up the cereal by hand, so as to break them up, but not pulverize them into crumbs. Add the crumbled cereal to the bowl of chocolate and toss to coat evenly.
• Drop the cereal by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the sheet into the refrigerator to help the cornflake clusters set.
• Package as you wish!

CHOCOLATE COVERED DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Place the dried cherries in a coating pan attached to a stand mixer. Spin at low speed. Using a ladle, add the chocolate to the spinning cherries. Add one ladleful at a time until the cherries are coated to the desired thickness. (Use a 50/50 ratio (50 percent chocolate, 50 percent weight of the cherries.) If a thicker coat is desired, use more chocolate and vice versa.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.