Mendiants are small chocolate disks topped with candied fruits and nuts.
Ingredients
3 ounces / 85 grams dark chocolate (70 to 72%), melted and kept warm in a water bath
6 walnuts, halved or quartered
10 blanched almonds, coarsely chopped
½ ounce / 12 grams candied ginger, slivered or cubed
1¼ ounces / 35 grams any dried fruit, slivered or cubed if large
¼ ounce / 5 grams pine nuts (about 24)
Instructions
Preparation
Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
Drop a tablespoonful of the chocolate onto the sheet and use the back of a spoon to spread it into a thin round about 2 to 2½ inches / 5 to 6 cm in diameter. Keep the thickness of the round as even as possible. Make only 6 at a time to ensure that the chocolate doesn’t set before the toppings are added.
For each mendiant, arrange a walnut half, a couple of pieces of almond, some of the ginger, a piece of another dried fruit, and 2 or 3 pine nuts on top of the chocolate, creating your own design. Repeat the process until you have used all of the melted chocolate, nuts, and fruits. Allow the mendiants to harden at room temperature. You can speed the process by placing the tray in the refrigerator.
Serving
Mendiants (even made from leftovers) deserve to be served on an elegant tray. These are perfect party confections, or a lovely snack to enjoy at tea time. (Sip from a tea cup, not a mug!)
Keeping
Store the mendiants in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.