Roasted Almond Chocolate Bars

Sometimes I am a little late to the party. Well, sort of. Almost a year ago I bought the "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins. It was one of several books I brought up to Pentwater (MI) during a short three day stay with my sister and her family during the week following the Fourth of July holiday. Only I never got around to reading it. Looking at the growing stack of books on and surrounding my nightstand, I decided this book had waited it's turn long enough. After reading just the first few pages I wondered how it was I waited so long. Serendipitously I learned the film version of the book was due for an early fall release as I was two-thirds of the way into it. For those of you who, like me, may have put off or started but stopped reading this well-written, intense, suspenseful, Hitchcockian-like psychological thriller, all I will say is "you have five months to finish it before the film opens in October."Because why let your heart race just once? 

More than likely you are going to need some chocolate or wine (or something stronger) to settle your mind and heart down during as well as after reading this book. Consider this my way of subtly influencing you to indulge yourself in a bit of chocolate. All in the spirit of your best interests, of course. However, not any chocolate or chocolate bar will do. This would be one of those times you don't want to settle for anything less than homemade. Because you need or rather you deserve a really, really good bar of chocolate. Like, for example, these Roasted Almond Chocolate Bars. Did I tell you yet they are lightly sprinkled with sea salt?

The bars can be made with either milk or dark chocolate. These were made using both milk and white chocolates. The quality of your chocolate matters so choose a really good one.

If there is one baking or candy bar making technique you should never ever skip, it is roasting your nuts. Beyond improving the intensity of their flavor, roasted nuts stay crispier whether they are coated in chocolate, mixed in with a batter, sprinkled on the sides of a cake, or used in a savory dish. And the best part? Their magical transformation takes place in less than 10 minutes in a 350 degree (F) preheated oven. As an added benefit, the aroma in your kitchen will be temporarily intoxicating. On a side note, I store my 'unroasted' nuts in the refrigerator to lengthen their lifespan as they can easily go rancid sitting in the cabinet.

There are a number of different methods for melting chocolate: In a double-boiler, in the microwave, or in a water bath. The key in any of the methods using water is to ensure it doesn't get into the chocolate as water will cause chocolate to seize. Resulting in ruined grainy mess. Chopping your chocolate aids with the melting process as you don't want the chocolate to spend any more time over the heat than necessary. Tempering chocolate is key to creating a smooth texture as well as ensuring the finished chocolate will have a kind of glossy look to them. To achieve this look, reserve about 1/4 of the chopped chocolate. Add it to the melted chocolate, stirring continuously (but gently) until it completely melts.

As soon as all of the chocolate is melted, stir in the coarsely chopped roasted almonds and spread into your prepared pan. Tempered chocolate begins to solidify quickly so it's important you aren't distracted by anyone during this phase of making the Roasted Almond Chocolate Bars.

The first time I tasted chocolate lightly sprinkled with sea salt I knew it would be hard to go back to eating chocolate without it. Sea salt and chocolate were meant to be together. Sort of like wine with cheese, garlic in a red sauce, dijon mustard in a vinaigrette. You get the picture.  

These Roasted Almond Chocolate Bars don't have to be bars. They can be cut into smaller squares or broken up into pieces of bark. Whatever final form these bars take really doesn't matter. It only matters that you make them, sooner rather than later. Your friends and heart will thank you. And it's quite possible you may never buy one of those an off the shelf begins with an "H" chocolate-almond candy bars again.

Recipe

Roasted Almond Chocolate Bars

Ingredients

1 pound milk chocolate (or 1 pound of dark chocolate), coarsely chopped
2 ounces of white chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups whole almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
Sea salt for sprinkling

Directions
1. Line a 9"x12" baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Melt 3/4 of the chopped chocolates (total weight of both chocolates) using your preferred melting method. Remove from heat and stir in remaining chopped chocolates, stirring until fully melted and smooth.
3. Immediately stir in coarsely chopped almonds.
4. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Allow to set for 5 minutes. Place pan the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes, or until chocolate is set enough to cut into desire shapes. Note: If chocolate is still to 'wet' your cuts will not be clean. 
5. Return pan of cut chocolate to the refrigerator until chocolate is fully set. Approximately 15-20 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and break into pieces.
6. Serve immediately. Store Roasted Almond Chocolate Bars in a sealed container in a cool location for up to 10 days.

Suggestions:
1. For a chocolate presence on your cheese platters, use dark chocolate and cut into small squares or triangles.
2. Substitute roasted macadamia nuts or cashews for the almonds.
3. If using dark chocolate, consider using coarsely broken salted pretzels (using the small rings or pretzel shapes) when making the bars.
4. Use a high quality milk or dark chocolate (i.e., ones that can be used in candy making). Note: The chocolate sold at some of the craft stores is generally not high quality chocolate.

Sculptures in the Dallas Arboretum, Dallas, Texas