Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark with Sea Salt

Remember the adage 'Don't judge a book by its' cover'? Well over the years, it has become one of those maxims we modify and use to fit a myriad of contexts. So I feel compelled to say 'Don't judge a recipe by its' name'. Why? Because for some of you when you hear the words fruit and nut together it conjures up foods you are not particularly fond of. Things like fruit and nut eggs (those last to be eaten candy confections in an Easter basket) and fruitcake (a cake having an almost legendary bad rap). So I ask (kindly, of course) for you to momentarily suspend your preconceptions about the taste of any 'fruit and nut' foods ever eaten (or dismissed) and allow me to change how you think about those two words. Because I am going to put them in a very different context for you. The context of cashews, pistachios, dried cherries, chocolate and sea salt.

If chocolate has the same seductive qualities as the little black dress, then the Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark with Sea Salt is akin to the wearing the low cut black dress and four inch heels. Other than having you take a taste of this bark, I know of no other way to explain to you how amazing it is or how you will be affected by it. Believe it or not, there is also an element of simplicity in this chocolate bark, in the making of the bark that is. However, there is nothing simple about being taken in by something so beautiful and so delicious.

What could be easier than melting chocolate and spreading it onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and then sprinkling with nuts, dried fruit, and sea salt? If your answer was 'pretty much nothing', you would be right.

Making the chocolate bark means you have to temporarily ignore your phone, texts, emails, Facebook alerts, tweets, and all other forms of social media. Why? Because if the nuts, dried fruit, and sea salt are not sprinkled over the warm melted chocolate before the chocolate sets up, you will end up with a slab of chocolate.

There is no required order of sprinkling the nuts, however, I like to start first with the cashews and then the pistachios as it is important that these large nuts have the time to become embedded in the melted chocolate.

Once the nuts are spread, the dried cherries and sea salt are sprinkled as evenly as possible. The amounts of nuts and dried fruit you spread over the bark is all about personal preference, but I have shared with you the quantities I use when making it.

It takes several hours for the chocolate to set. Once set, you simply break into pieces. I like the look of random sized pieces, however, you can certainly use a knife to create more uniform ones. If some of the nuts fall off during the breaking process, just enjoy them or throw them on the platter of bark.

I like to package up the Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark with Sea Salt in cellophane bags tied with a ribbon and give as gifts during the holiday season. If not giving it away but keeping to serve, I generally store the bark in a sealed tin (to keep it fresh) until I am ready to put it on a platter. This bark can be a dessert all unto itself (it is center stage worthy) or it can be added to a tray of other confections and baked goods. It will definitely be one of the more memorable confections you make, during the holidays or throughout the year.

Recipe
Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark with Sea Salt

Ingredients
2 pounds of chocolate (recommend Ghiradelli Dark Melting Wafers) Note: Could use white chocolate instead of dark chocolate)
1/2 cup dried cherries (or other dried fruit of your choice. Options include dried apricots, dried blueberries, dried cranberries)
3/4 cup chopped pistachios
1 1/2  cups whole cashews
Maldon sea salt (less than 1/2 teaspoon)

Directions
1. Line an 11 x 15 baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water.
3. Carefully pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper. Using an offset spatula or spoon, spread the chocolate to the edges of the parchment paper.
4. Immediately sprinkle the cashews, pistachios and dried cherries over the chocolate. Lightly tap the baking sheet onto the counter to ensure all of the nuts and fruits adhere to the chocolate.
5. Lightly sprinkle sea salt over the top.
6. Allow the chocolate bark to set up. Break into pieces. 
7. Store in covered container or package in cellophane bags.

Second chances. How many times have we heard or even said the truism 'Just give it a second chance'? As parents you may have said this more than a few times, as a member of team you may have said this when discussing a strategy, or as a friend you may have said it to provide encouragement. Sometimes we think were giving something or someone a second chance, when really all we are doing is going through the motions without doing or seeing anything differently ourselves. When this happens we sometimes look for faults or differences rather than looking for strengths, celebrating the differences or even dealing with our own fears (of the unknown, of failure). A second chance isn't supposed to be doing the same thing again (or again and again), it supposed to be doing it differently.

Years ago when I was training for my first marathon I had days of really good runs and really bad runs. On those good run days, I felt like I could conquer the world and could hardly keep from smiling all day long. The bad runs were on those days when my head just wasn't in it, when I felt exhausted, when I felt outside of my comfort zone, or when I was running with a little bit of pain. On those days I never felt the addiction to or the exhilaration that comes with running. And if running with someone else who I wasn't keeping up with, I was quick to blame them for making me run too fast or on routes with inclines (those darn inclines).

On those bad days, it would have been easy to walk away and say 'I tried' without ever knowing what it would feel like to actually finish a marathon. Or I could have sabotaged myself by not running for a few days or keeping my runs short. I learned the hard way that in the end those strategies not only were keeping me from that marathon goal, but from experiencing the euphoria felt when I was 'in the zone' as well as from benefitting from the changes that come from the running. Over the course of that first marathon training, it took more than a few second chances for me to achieve my goal. It meant seeing myself and running differently, facing my fears, accepting my own vulnerabilities (running was something that put me way out of my comfort zone) and being courageous (yes second chances and courage go hand in hand). So whether it is giving yourself, someone else or even any confection containing fruits and nuts a second chance, just remember it is mostly up to (and about) you as to what the outcome may be.

As a post script, I did finish that first marathon and stayed with running regularly for several more years, even running a second marathon. But I have not run regularly in quite awhile and could just kick myself for letting go of something that had so many benefits. Fortunately though, I am back to giving it a second chance. The goal this time isn't a marathon, it is simply feeling that euphoria again.