Making chocolate bark: some basic questions

Hi, I'm not much of a chef but I'm making chocolate bark for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day. (I'm recreating something we just had: a layer of white, a layer of dark and then dried blueberries on top. YUM.) I've never worked with chocolate before! Can I melt my chocolate in a crock pot or should I fashion a double boiler? Also, I was told to spread the chocolate in a "sheet pan" with a "liner." What liner? And can I just use a cookie sheet? How long will it take a layer to cool and harden? Should I put it in the fridge to help it harden? Thanks from a total newbie to the world of chocolate confections :-) -Eric

pnoeric
  • Posted by: pnoeric
  • February 4, 2012
  • 6379 views
  • 2 Comments

2 Comments

Peter
Peter February 4, 2012
A glass or metal bowl sitting on top of a pot with a 1/2" of simmering water is all you need for melting. Definitely line the cookie sheet with parchment paper (which you can find with the tin foil and Sarah wrap in the store but is NOT the same as wax paper. Wax paper might work... or might not. Anyone know?)
 
Carebearcp
Carebearcp February 4, 2012
chocolate bark is really fun and super easy! it is so fun to make different things out of a simple recipe. to melt the chocolate, in my past, i have just used a heatproof bowl over a pot filled a little with simmering water. i think a cookie sheet would work fine and parchment paper works great for the liner. to harden, i would suggest putting just putting the chocolate out for a few hours or overnight. the fridge may work but sometimes when you put chocolate in the fridge it tends to "sweat" releasing some moisture which creates white streaks in the chocolate, but that may just be with tempered chocolate.... good luck!
 
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