Mendiants
These last 4 ½ months have been ridiculously challenging for me! Without going into details, I’m running super late for the Holidays – first time ever – and I’m sure I’m not the only one, right! When things are out of your control and there might not be enough time to get ready for the Holidays, there’s hope! This is when extremely quick and easy recipes really, really come in handy like this featured one… Mendiants!
Mendiants are a French confection that are simply made of melted dark chocolate, formed into little disks and decorated with whatever you have on hand. In the video, I use coconut flakers, gold dust, cranberries, pistachios, candied citrus peels, pepitas, rose pedals and fleur de sel which this last one is totally a must have! By adding a tiny bit of this fine salt, it simply wraps this festive snack up so beautifully! Whichever you chose, prep your toppings before melting the chocolate and set them aside.
The technique to melt chocolate perfectly is easy. Dark chocolate is the best for this recipe because it will melt faster than white or milk chocolate. Also, anything less than 72% is too sweet for this recipe. Can you still use white chocolate for a nice contrast? Of course, but keep in mind that its consistency is thicker therefore it will take longer to melt and for preventing from burning, you’ll have to stir constantly – a lot of work if you don’t have much time!
A bain-marie is used which is the same ol’ thing as a double boiler. The most important thing is to make sure the water in the saucepan doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl that is placed over top. Just a drop of water can turn the chocolate to a grainy texture which is what “seizing the chocolate” means!
As soon as the water starts to simmer, ¾ of the finely chopped chocolate is added to the bowl and then the heat is reduced to medium-low. Stirring often, this step should take 3 to 4 minutes. When it’s all melted, the remaining ¼ of the chocolate is added. It’s stirred until nice and smooth – this will give a nice shine to the chocolate.
The famous microwave method… Although it goes super-fast, I find there’s a little margin of error and if it overheats, the chocolate will burn and split. I know the new generation wants everything fast & quick but some things are done nicer when there’s some time involved – you’ll understand that later in life… we all do!
When melted and without waiting any longer, the little disks have to be formed by spooning some chocolate on parchment paper or silicone mat and spread out with the back of a spoon – I like to use my macaron mat… it’s easier, faster and more precise! When this is done, the toppings have to be placed on top. As the chocolate cools off, it’ll get harder and the toppings won’t stick to the surface. Don’t panic, you should have a good 10 minutes to decorate them but work quickly. This is why the toppings have to be ready before melting the chocolate. At the end, you should have about 3 dozen of these cute little guys – every ounce of chocolate should give you about 2 to 3 mendiants.
They are one of the quickest and easiest confections you can make besides my Spicy Holiday Chocolate Bark – they’re almost the same thing! If you’re running out of time and are looking for a tasty treat, this recipe is sure to be a Holiday favorite at your house…
Bon Appétit!
Check out these other delicious festive recipes…
– Oliebollen
– Christmas Stollen
– Thumbprint Cookies
– Chocolate Rum Snowballs
– Biscotti
– Holiday Fruitcake
– Spicy Gingerbread Cookies
and for even more International recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Holidays & Events
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Mendiants
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Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 oz.) dark chocolate, chopped and divided
- toppings of your choice
Directions
- Prep the toppings of your choice before melting the chocolate and set them aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add a little bit of water before placing a bowl on top making sure the bottom doesn’t touch the water.
- When it starts simmering, add 6 ounces of chopped chocolate, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir often until melted.
- Add the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
- On a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper, spoon on melted chocolate and spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon to form rounds, about 1 ½ to 2-inches in diameter.
- Working quickly before the chocolate cools off, add the toppings of your choice and press them down gently to adhere to the surface.
- Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes 3 dozen
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