Painted White Chocolate Bark Food

VALENTINE'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BARK

Steps:

• Bring a small pan with 1 inch of water to a boil over medium-low heat. Place the white chocolate in a small bowl and place over the simmering water. When it is almost halfway melted, remove the bowl from the heat to a towel. Continue to stir with a rubber spatula until completely melted. Set aside. Repeat with the bittersweet chocolate.
• Pour the bittersweet chocolate onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread to 1/4-inch thick. Use a rubber spatula to drizzle the white chocolate over the bittersweet in zigzags and decorative patterns. Run the tip of a skewer through the chocolate in different directions to make swirls. Sprinkle with the toppings as desired. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, then break into pieces.

WHITE CHOCOLATE BARK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using a pencil, draw an 8 by 10-inch rectangle on a piece of parchment paper placed on a sheet pan. Turn the parchment paper over so the pencil mark doesn't get into the chocolate.
• Place the walnuts in 1 layer on another sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool and then chop roughly into large pieces.
• Place 3/4 of the chocolate in a glass bowl and place it in the microwave on high power for 30 seconds. (Don't trust your microwave timer - time it with your watch.) Stir with a rubber spatula. Put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds and stir again. Continue to heat and stir every 30 seconds until the chocolate is just melted. Immediately, add the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. (If you need to heat it a little more, place it in the microwave for another 15 seconds at a time.)
• Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread it lightly into the drawn rectangle. Sprinkle the top evenly with the cooled walnuts, the cranberries and apricots. Set aside for at least 2 hours until firm, or refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cut the bark in 16 pieces and serve at room temperature.

WHITE CHOCOLATE BARK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using a pencil, draw an 8-by-10-inch rectangle on a piece of parchment paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the pencil mark doesn't get onto the chocolate and place it on a sheet pan.
• Place the pistachios in one layer on another sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Place three quarters of the white chocolate in a heat-proof glass bowl and put it in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. (Time it with your watch for accuracy.) Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula, return it to the microwave for another 30 seconds, then stir again. Continue to heat and stir in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is just melted. Immediately stir in the remaining chocolate and allow it to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. (If you need to heat it a little more, place it in the microwave for another 15 seconds.)
• Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread it lightly to fill the drawn rectangle. Sprinkle the top evenly with the cooled pistachios, the cranberries, and apricots. Press the nuts and fruit lightly so they will set in the chocolate. Set aside for at least 2 hours until firm or refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cut or break the bark in 16 pieces and serve at room temperature.

DARK CHOCOLATE BARK

Steps:

• Melt the two chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
• Meanwhile, line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a ruler and a pencil, draw a 9-by-10-inch rectangle on the paper. Turn the paper face-down on the baking sheet.
• Pour the melted chocolate over the paper and spread to form a rectangle, using the outline. Sprinkle the cashews, apricots and cranberries over the chocolate. Set aside for 2 hours until firm. Cut the bark in 1-by-3-inch pieces and serve at room temperature.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CANVAS AND CHOCOLATE PAINTS

Steps:

• You can make this "canvas" any size you would like.
• There are two options for making a chocolate canvas. The first one requires a plastic deli tray, on which you pour a 1/4-inch-thick layer of white chocolate (remember, the chocolate canvas will assume any pattern that exists on the tray). Allow it to set, and when it hardens, the chocolate will retract from the sides of the tray. To unmold the canvas, simply overturn the tray, being careful to support the chocolate.
• The second way is to use an offset spatula to spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer of tempered chocolate onto a sheet of parchment paper, being sure to spread it all the way to the edges. Lift the chocolate-covered paper by its corners and move it to a clean space on your work surface. Let the chocolate harden slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. The chocolate will be firm enough to cut but it will not be hard. Use the tip of a sharp paring knife or X-Acto knife to cut a square or rectangular "canvas".
• Paints: Mix cocoa butter with food coloring until it has the viscosity of cooking oil.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARK

Steps:

• Line a 9x13" baking pan with aluminum foil.
• Break up the white chocolate into small pieces and melt in either a double boiler set over simmering water, or in the microwave according to the package directions.
• Do not let the chocolate burn!
• Remove from heat and stir in the 1/3 cup of crushed candy canes.
• Immediately pour this mixture into the prepared pan and spread spoon with a rubber spatula, leaving a 1/2" border around the edge of the pan.
• Don't worry if it doesn't look perfectly shaped, but try to get it as evenly flattened as possible.
• Melt semisweet chocolate pieces.
• Drizzle the melted semisweet chocolate all over the surface of the white chocolate.
• Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of crushed candy canes.
• Set in the fridge until it firms up- this only takes a short time (about 15 minutes or so).
• Cut or break the bark into serving pieces.
• Jagged edges are ok.
• These will look nice wrapped in plastic tin and tied with pink& white curling ribbon to give as holiday treats.

WHITE CHOCOLATE UNICORN BARK

Steps:

• Measure all your ingredients into separate bowls. Heat the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-sec bursts until melted, stirring each time. Or put it in a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) a pan of simmering water (an adult should help with this bit). Stir frequently until the chocolate has melted smoothly.
• Pour the melted chocolate into four or five small bowls. Use the food colouring to dye the chocolate in the colours you like best. Food colouring can be very strong, so start by adding a tiny amount, mixing well, then add more if you like.
• Line a large tray or board with baking parchment and spoon the different coloured chocolates onto the parchment in puddles, in any order you like. The different colours should start to join up and become one big puddle.
• Use a skewer or a cocktail stick to swirl the colours together, but don't swirl too much, otherwise the colours will blend into one. Gently shake the tray from side to side to help the chocolate sit in an even layer and fill in any gaps.
• Decorate with your sprinkles, sweets and marshmallows. Leave the chocolate to set in a cool place, or overnight, until set hard. Then break it into pieces and place in gift boxes lined with baking parchment. Will keep in the fridge for up to a week.