VALENTINE CHOCOLATE BARK

Read on for my recipe for Valentine chocolate bark

Aah hearts all a flutter and Cupid’s arrow all a quiver for Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. The shops have of course been pushing those heart shaped chocolates since the 26th of December. Why not break with tradition and make your beloved your own Valentine Chocolate Bark this year.

Valentine’s Day

Lots of different theories exist about the origin of St Valentine’s day, there were in fact several St Valentines. However the most popular theory about Valentine’s Day origin is that Emperor Claudius II didn’t want Roman men to marry as bachelors made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret weddings. For this, Valentine was jailed and executed. While in jail he wrote a note to the jailer’s daughter signing it “from your Valentine”.

The most important parts of Valentine’s Day are the sending of cards and the giving of tokens of love, and people often go for a romantic meal together. Tokens of love are often flowers and chocolates.

Card Facts

• The Greeting Cards Association’s report for 2014 says that the UK are a romantic lot. Last year card sales for Valentine’s Day were £40.2 Million.
• More interesting though was the fact that  average retail price of the cards was £1.86, this is the highest of all card categories. Now that was in 2014, just look at the price of the simplest Valentine’s card nowadays!

Chocolate Facts.

• Ninety per cent of the world’s cocoa is grown on small family farms by about 6 million farmers who earn their living from growing and selling cocoa beans.
• The average farmer earns an average of £50 a year.
• You should look for the Fairtrade sign when buying chocolate as this ensures that the farmers get paid a fair price for their cocoa beans.

Valentine Chocolate Bark

I’m using two types of chocolate here, a dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa solids) and a white chocolate that I colour and flavour with turmeric. The other ingredients are all spices said to enhanse one’s libido and have aphrodisiac effects. Ho hum, what can we say about that…….

Cinnamon

Ginger

Chilli

Now a word on the chilli powder. Do check the label and make sure it is straight chilli in there. A lot of chilli powder is in fact a blend of chilli, marjoram, garlic and salt. While I’m all for added flavour I do draw the line at garlic etc in this chocolate!

The other ingredients for this Valentine Chocolate Bark are a good pinch of quality sea salt and some edible grade dried rose petals. I got mine from buywholefoodsonline and they smell divine. You will also want some pistachio nuts (unsalted please) which you will roughly crush with a pestle and mortar.

This Valentine Chocolate Bark recipe is so simple and really fun to make. You just have to melt the two different chocolates in separate bowls over simmering water (or in a microwave) and add the Turmeric to the white chocolate to get that gorgeous golden greenish colouring. Add the other spices to the dark chocolate.

To make the Valentine Chocolate Bark simply pour the dark chocolate into a tray lined with baking parchment and smooth it out. Then take the coloured chocolate and gently drizzle this over in swirly patterns.

Now the fun part, grab a cocktail stick and go in there dragging the coloured chocolate about. This will make a marble pattern rather like the backing papers on old books.

Once you are happy with your pattern then sprinkle on the crushed pistachio nuts and rose petals. Finally add that magical sprinkling of salt.

Pop the tray in the fridge to set then snap into shards and voila, you have Valentine Chocolate Bark.

Happy Valentine’s Day when it comes.

K x

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