chocolate bark pistachio

NUTRITION:

  • The cocoa bean is rich in a group of plant nutrients called flavonols.  Flavonols act as antioxidants, protecting healthy cells from damage. Research suggests that flavonols may also help lower blood pressure, improve blood flow to the brain and heart and help prevent blood clots from forming.
  • Why isn’t milk chocolate a good source of antioxidants? The milk binds to the antioxidants in the chocolate so that they cannot be absorbed by the body.
  • Chocolate is popular for a reason. It has been shown to boost levels of serotonin and endorphins in the brain, chemicals that improve mood and pleasure.
  • Cranberries are rich in antioxidants such as proanthyocyanidins and ursolic acid. In cell studies, these antioxidants were shown to decrease the growth of several types of cancer and caused cancer cells to self-destruct. In other cell studies, cranberry extract was shown to decrease free radical damage to DNA that can lead to cancer.

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios & Cardamom

Author: ELLICSR Kitchen

12 Servings    5 minutes prep, total time 20 minutes  Cost: $0.52 per serving

INGREDIENTS :

  • 12 oz (340 g) Dark Chocolate (64% or above), broken into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup Shelled Pistachios
  • 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
  • 1 tsp Ground Cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp Sea Salt

DIRECTIONS:

Proper chocolate tempering technique

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread your cranberries and pistachios across the paper until they are evenly distributed.
  2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and place a glass or metal bowl (larger than the mouth of the pot so that the bowl does not touch the water) on top.
  3. Add your chocolate and cardamom to the bowl, reserving about 4 small pieces of chocolate behind.
  4. Stir the chocolate gently with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
  5. Using a thermometer, bring the melting chocolate up to a temperature of between 114° F (46° C) and 118° F (48° C). Make sure it does not go over 118° F (48° C). Remove from the heat immediately
  6. Start adding the reserve pieces of chocolate until the temperature reaches between 88° F (31° C) and 90° F (32° C). Remove any un-melted pieces of chocolate carefully with a spoon.
  7. At this point your chocolate is tempered and you can pour it onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pistachios and cranberries. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.
  8. Allow to cool for about 25 minutes at room temperature then break into shards.