Homemade Chocolate Slab Food

CHOCOLATE SLAB ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the salt.
• Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Pour the chocolate over the nuts and spread evenly. Place the graham crackers on top in rows, leaving some space between each. Freeze for 15 minutes.
• Carefully cut out the chocolate-coated graham cracker squares. Transfer half of the chocolate crackers to another baking sheet chocolate-side up. Top each with a small scoop of ice cream, then top with another cracker chocolate-side down. Freeze for 25 minutes. Wrap individually and freeze until ready to serve.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY LATTICE SLAB PIE

Steps:

• For the filling: Put the cherries, granulated sugar, chocolate, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts and salt in a large bowl. Toss until the cornstarch dissolves. Let stand at room temperature until juicy, about 30 minutes. (If using frozen cherries, leave them frozen and toss them with the above ingredients).
• Adjust an oven rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-by-15-inch baking sheet with butter.
• For the crust: To form the bottom crust, place 1 pie crust between two large pieces of floured parchment paper and roll into a 14-inch round. Lay the round over half of the prepared baking sheet; there will be overhang on the edges. Repeat the rolling process with a second pie crust. Lay it over the remaining exposed side of the baking sheet so that the two crusts overlap in the center of the pan; there will be overhang on the edges. Press together the overlapping crusts to make a tight seal. Transfer the filling to the crust and spread in an even layer. Dot the top with the butter.
• For the lattice crust: Repeat rolling the remaining 2 pie crusts into two 14-inch rounds. With a chef's knife or a pizza cutter, cut each crust into 1-inch-wide strips. Lay half the strips diagonally across the entire pie, about 1-inch apart. Weave the remaining strips diagonally across the first strips to make a lattice pattern. Trim the the lattice ends leaving an overhang, Press together the ends and the bottom edge of the crust to seal, then fold and crimp the edge as desired.
• Brush the lattice and edge of the crust with the cream and sprinkle generously with some granulated sugar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 45 to 55 minutes. (If the crust browns too quickly during baking, cover the pie loosely with foil.) Let cool.
• For the topping: Meanwhile, whip the cream, sour cream and brown sugar in a large bowl to medium peaks. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Serve the pie warm or at room temperature with dollops of the whipped topping.

CHOCOLATE-NUT SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. Add the shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add the butter and pulse a few times until it is in pea-size pieces. Add the egg yolk and ½ cup ice water and pulse a few times until the dough just begins to clump together; add up to ¼ cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Lay out 2 sheets of plastic wrap; put about three-quarters of the dough on one sheet and the remaining dough on the other. Gently pat each into a rectangle, using the plastic wrap to help you. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Roll out the larger piece of dough into a 13-by-19-inch rectangle (about ¿ inch thick) on a lightly floured surface. Ease into an 11-by-17-inch jelly roll pan, leaving a 1-inch overhang.
• Make the filling: Pulse the nuts in a food processor until roughly chopped. Combine with the chocolate chunks in a bowl, then evenly sprinkle the mixture over the crust. Whisk the melted butter, eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice and vanilla in a bowl; pour over the nut mixture.
• Roll out the smaller piece of dough into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface; cut out ten 1-inch-wide strips of dough. Lay 5 strips diagonally over the filling, about 2 inches apart, then lay the remaining strips perpendicular to them. Trim the strips at the edge of the baking sheet (use the trimmings to extend any strips that are too short). Fold in the overhang and crimp the edges with your fingers. Brush the edges and the strips of dough with heavy cream. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is set, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely, at least 2 hours.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY SLAB PIE

Steps:

• Roll out the 2 pie crusts until they are thin and can cover a baking sheet aka jelly roll pan (10.5" x15.5").
• Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, perforate one pie crust (this is the top layer of the pie).
• Place sliced strawberries into a bowl.
• Add sugar, corn starch, lemon - mix gently.
• Pace other rolled-out pie crust on the baking sheet/jelly roll pan.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
• Spread strawberries on top.
• Unroll the perforated (heart-shaped cut-outs) top layer of pie crust on top of everything.
• Fold in the edges so the slab pie is sealed.
• Brush a thin coating of milk or heavy cream on the crust and top of the pie's surface.
• Bake 375F for 30-40mins.
• Slice and serve with sifted powdered sugar.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER SLAB

Steps:

• Grease and line a 8x12x1in tin.
• Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base doesn't touch the water.
• Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat. Melt the plain chocolate in the same way and remove from the heat.
• Add the crunchy peanut butter to the white chocolate and stir well until smooth.
• Drop alternate spoonfuls of each chocolate into the prepared tin, then tap the tin to level the mixture. Drag a skewer through both chocolates to create a marbled effect.
• Tap the tin again to level the mixture, then chill for 2-3hr until firm.
• Turn out on to a board and use a sharp knife to cut the rectangle into 10 fingers, then cut each finger into eight pieces.
• Pack into boxes, layering up between baking parchment and store in the fridge for up to a month.

REINDEER & SNOWMAN CHOCOLATE BARK

Steps:

• Line a baking tin with baking parchment. Heat both chocolates in separate bowls in the microwave in 30-sec blasts, or over pans of simmering water. Pour the dark chocolate into the baking tin, then pour the milk chocolate on top in a trail. Spread the chocolate out to make a reasonably thick slab.
• Arrange the red smarties over the slab at intervals - these are the reindeer noses. Cut a marshmallow in half and press above the smarties to make eyes. Snap a pretzel in half for each set of antlers, snapping off any excess pretzel, then push into the chocolate near the noses.
• To make the snowmen, arrange the rest of the marshmallows in lines of three. Use pieces of pretzel for the arms and a piece of shoe lace for the scarf. Sprinkle over the stars and sprinkles, then leave the chocolate to set completely.
• Once the chocolate is hard, use an icing pen or small brush dipped in black food colouring to add pupils to the reindeer eyes, and faces and buttons for the snowmen. Use a knife to cut the bark into pieces around the reindeer and snowmen. To give them as gifts, put the chocolate shards in cellophane bags and tie with a pretty ribbon.