Marble Bark with Pistachios and Fleur de Sel: Sweet & Salty |Cooking With Amanda

On occasion I like to mix things up a bit in the chocolate department. Typically we tend to lean heavily towards milk chocolate. We all love it so it is what I use most often. Every now and then I like a change of pace.

My family, not so much. They like their milk chocolate. My husband likes white chocolate as well. Any chocolate that appears dark scares them off. I can be just as guilty of this. So occasionally I push myself out of my milk chocolate comfort zone and try other kinds. Life is an adventure after all.

I make bark quite often. I love Turtle Bark, it's one of my favourites. The mix of chocolate with a nice salty caramel is amazing. I was making a batch recently and it occurred to me I could do a salty chocolate bark without caramel. Pistachios just lend themselves to it since I usually nosh on the salted variety. One thing lead to another and I was mixing up a batch of Marble Bark with Pistachios and Fleur de Sel.

I am a serious pistachioholic so I have way too many pistachio recipes on my blog. I almost feel bad but then I'd have to admit I have a problem. And that, my friends, is never going to happen. A life without pistachios would be far too unrealistic for a gal like me. I throw them on everything, including Roasted Carrots.

I'll admit I thought this was wicked cool. All the chocolatey goodness with a hint of salty kick. This is a bit outer limits for some folks. But if you're the kind of chocolate lover who likes to experiment and munch more adult flavours this one is for you. If you're not a fan of salt on bark just leave it off. Simple as that.

I have to tell you Marble Bark is super fun to make. You get to play with your food, which is really under-rated if you ask me. Any chance I get to make a mess and swirl things about is a good day in my books. You can get creative and make patterns, or just get really abstract with it. It's open to interpretation.

When I make bark I like to make sure the nuts get mixed about and not just tossed on top. So I layer mine, making sure there are nuts on the bottom, mixed inside the chocolate and tossed on top. It takes a few extra minutes but it's totally worth the time it takes to do it. When I bite into it I want crunch in every morsel. It's just how I roll.

Makes sure you buy good quality chocolate to make this. Do not buy cheap chocolate bars and expect decent results. I buy bakers chocolate. It works like a charm, no fussing about necessary.

When melting chocolate for bark I actually prefer to use the double boiler method. Using the microwave is great for most things. However the double boiler is great for this recipe because you can pop the pots back over the warm water while you layer and swirl.

If you don't have a double boiler you can place a heat safe bowl over the pot of water instead. Just make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Just remember if you are not a fan of the salt on chocolate trend just leave it off. No big whoop.

We love homemade candy! Try Aimee's homemade peanut brittle or Ashton's homemade almond joy bars.

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Marble Bark with Pistachios Recipe

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Ingredients

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
1/4-1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel

Directions

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Get two double boilers ready by adding water to the bottom part of the pot. Place over medium heat and allow them to bubble up. Turn down to a medium low heat and place the top pot, or heat proof bowls over top.
Add white chocolate to one pot.
Add semi-sweet chocolate to the other pot.
Melt each until smooth.
While you're waiting for the chocolate to melt, toss a good handful of the pistachios right on the parchment.
Once the chocolate is melted completely you can turn the burners off. The warm water will still keep the chocolate melty enough to work with.
Now alternate dropping spoonfuls of the melted white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate over the pan so they are close to each other but not on top of one another. Use about half the chocolate for the first layer.
Toss another handful of pistachios over top, spreading them evenly about.
Now finish dropping and drizzling the rest of the white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate around on the cookie sheet.
Take a butter knife and start swirling it around to create the marble effect. You just drag it at an angle and it works beautifully. You can do it as plainly or artfully as your little heart desires.
Toss the rest of the pistachios over top.
Now carefully sprinkle the fleur de sel evenly over top.
Pop your cookie sheet in the fridge to allow the chocolate bark to set up and harden. I'd allow it to set up for about an hour.
If you want to speed up the process you can pop it in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
Remove and snap into pieces. You want them jagged and fun shapes. I'm not a big fan of cutting bark. I like the rustic look of snapping it so it appears more random.
Bark can be stored for about a week in the fridge, or about 3 months in the freezer.
Serve with a big old salty chocolate smile!