Market Fresh – Chilling Out with Style

 

In a perfect world I would spend this month leisurely baking cookies, tying tartan ribbons around the hundreds of(imaginary) jars of jam I made last summer, and writing personal notes in every single holiday card. But the reality of December is an entirely different matter. In addition to my regular work schedule, there are dozens of parties to attend, an inordinate amount of cooking and entertaining at home, and lots of time spent with friends with whom I may have lost touch during the year. Paired with endless trips to the grocery store and last-minute shopping for gifts, it’s easy to become frazzled and lose sight of what’s really important. I know. I do it every year.

An early morning excursion to the farmers’ market is my personal form of therapy, however. No nasty traffic jams or cranky shoppers at that hour. No fluorescent lights or recorded carols to raise my anxiety level. Just warm people and nature at its most beautiful, in the crisp morning air.(If the truth be told, I secretly enjoy the rainy mornings even more, when only the most discriminating shoppers show up.)

While I pick up what I’ll need for weekday meals and potlucks, I scout out the many bargains available at the market. Along with fragrant wreaths and seasonal flowers, gifts of good taste abound. Our farmers’ market carries much more than perishable produce; there is locally produced extra virgin olive oil, vinegars, artisan jams and preserves, and glistening jars of sun-dried tomatoes. All make deliciously practical gifts.

As I linger over all the little bags of freshly dried fruits and nuts at the market, my mind always wanders back to the kitchen. Gifts from the kitchen show you care—but procrastinators like us don’t have much time for starting a new project mid-December. Then my mind turns to chocolate bark. Homemade candy in less than an hour. No thermometers, no marble slabs, no sugar that refused to caramelize. Easy breezy.

Face it: this is a chocolate-coated month. There is simply no way around it. But joining the masses doesn’t mean you can’t sneak a few healthy ingredients into the mix. And it’s the quality of the ingredients that give this recipe the edge.

Good chocolate abounds in the Bay Area, and buying in bulk makes it affordable. As far as all the bumpy little goodies that lend personality and flavor to your bark, shopping at the farmers’ market ensures the nuts are part of this year’s crop—not something recently liberated from a warehouse freezer—and the dried fruit is consistently plump and moist.

Packaging is also key: I opt to pack homemade bark in either clear cellophane bags tied with red-and-white bakers’ twine, or plain white Chinese takeout boxes. (Most restaurant supply stores sell them in large plastic sleeves for next-to-nothing.) Or, when I find small tins that aren’t festooned with crazy caricatures of snowmen and reindeer with red noses, I stock up on them. If you’re a thrift shop or flea market kind of person, you can usually find great prices on single china plates—so pretty to pile a mound of bark on top, and wrap in clear cellophane with a festive bow.

A custom-made gift has never been simpler.

Chocolate Bark with California Nuts and Fruit

• 2/3 cup unsalted California slivered almonds, coarsely chopped walnuts, or pistachios
• 1 to 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt, to taste
• 1 cup dried California fruit, such as chopped apricots or figs, cherries, or dark or golden raisins
• 1 pound semisweet or other favorite chocolate, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the nuts in a pan and bake, stirring once or twice, until just golden and fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes for almonds or walnuts; or 5 to 7 minutes for pistachios. Sprinkle with salt and toss gently to coat. Set aside to cool.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, add about two-thirds of the chopped chocolate. Cook over low heat just until melted. Remove the bowl and add the remaining chocolate; stir gently with a rubber spatula until melted and smooth.
3. Pour the warm chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread into a rectangle that roughly measures13-by-9-inches. Working quickly so the chocolate doesn’t set, scatter the salted nuts and dried fruit evenly over the top; then gently tap the baking sheet on a counter to remove any air bubbles and allow the toppings to sink into the chocolate slightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 15 minutes. Break the bark into irregularly shaped pieces. Serve at once, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 1/2 pounds—enough for 3 generous gifts.

Some thoughts on making your bark as good as your bite:

• Most people agree that chopping chocolate can be tedious, but it makes the whole melting process go such much faster and efficiently, you really don’t want to take a shortcut here. I find a serrated bread knife makes the job a little easier.
• For a change, top the bark with chopped crystallized ginger and/or candied orange zest.
• Or add a little zip to the chocolate by stirring in a teaspoon or two of chipotle or other chili powder and a generous pinch of ground cinnamon
• For those who choose to gild the lily, melt a little white chocolate and drizzle it over the completed bark. A holiday homage to Jackson Pollock.

The Danville Certified Farmers’ Market, located at Railroad and Prospect, is open every Saturday, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. For specific crop information call the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association at 1-800-949-FARM or visit their web site at www.pcfma.com.