Mendiants are extremely popular during the holidays in France, such as Christmas or Easter, but you can make this chic & easy gift any time of year because who doesn’t love handmade chocolates!
Mendiants are a traditional French chocolate confection embellished and flavored with dried fruits & nuts. Easy to make at home, you can decorate your dark, milk or white chocolate as desired. The recommended method is to temper the chocolate for a nice, shiny, & delicious confection. This technique provides a long shelf life for your chocolates; you can keep for a few months if they are wrapped in airtight container and stored in a dry, cool and dark place.
Equipment
pastry bag
cookie sheet or marble slab
parchment paper or acetate liner
Ingredients
400g minimum of couverture chocolate (see tempering chocolate)
nuts: any variety such as hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios, pecans, almonds, walnuts, etc.
dried fruit: any variety such as goji berries, coconut, mango, apricots, raisins, cranberries, candied orange peel, etc.
other options: fleur de sel (sea salt), pretzels, sesame seeds, peppermint candy, etc.
Instructions
1. Line a cookie sheet/marble slab or 2 with parchment paper/acetate liner.
2. Divide your desired ingredients into small containers.
3. Temper your chocolate.
4. Pipe a chocolate circle 4 cm (1.5″) in diameter onto your lined sheet. Repeat until you have as many chocolate circles as you desire. You can also use a tablespoon to make the circles, if you do not have a pastry bag.
5. Add your desired ingredients onto each chocolate circle randomly or in a pattern.
6. Set the chocolate aside to harden for 30-60 minutes until ready to serve. Remove from the sheet. Reserve in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Bon appétit!
NOTES
1. It is best to work quickly. If your chocolate begins to harden as you are using it, you will need to retemper your chocolate.
Should have images with the recipe.