Apricot Pistachio White Chocolate Bark

Chocolate Bark is one of the easiest things to make. All you need to melt some chocolate and sprinkle whatever fruit, nuts, edible flowers, leaves, etc over it. Let it set, break into pieces and you’re in business. You’ll see how easy is with this  Apricot Pistachio White Chocolate Bark.

It doesn’t matter what kind of Chocolate Bark you choose to make. It’s the same method whether you use dark, milk or white chocolate. What is important is the quality of chocolate you use. Use the best chocolate you can and your Chocolate Bark will reflect that.

I generally prefer dark Chocolate Bark because I don’t really enjoy very sweet chocolate. I don’t white chocolate at all. To me, eating white chocolate is like eating sweetened milk powder! However this time I decided to make Apricot Pistachio White Chocolate Bark. I’ll tell you why.

Another couple of days, and India celebrates its 73^rd Republic Day. I like making food in the colours of the Indian flag to celebrate these days when I can. So I’ve previously made Tri-coloured Flag Cookies, Tri-coloured Pinwheel Cookies, a Yoghurt Tart and Tri-coloured Rice. I wanted to make chocolate bark in the colours of the Indian flag – saffron, white and green. So white chocolate was the way to go, with dried apricots and pistachios to reflect the colours. I also added crushed cardamom for a truly Indian flavour. If you’re not particular about the colour scheme, add some dried rose petals and a pinch of either chai masala or garam masala for a truly Indian Chocolate Bark. Be conservative with the masala though.

You can also melt white chocolate with a double boiler or bowl set over a simmering pot of water. Make sure to keep the water at just a simmer, not a rapid boil. Make sure the bowl of chocolate does not touch the water when it is set in place in the pot. And keep water from splashing into the chocolate. Go slow, stir, and don’t overheat the chocolate.

I used to use the double boiler method to melt chocolate until I discovered the microwave method. There’s also the advantage of never getting water into your chocolate and it seizing up. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put in a microwave safe glass bowl. Microwave at 50% power in 30-second intervals, stirring well each time. A couple of stints in the microwave and you’ll have perfectly melted chocolate.

There’s no real measurement or proportion of ingredients to keep to. The recipe below is just a guide. Don’t overload the chocolate with fruit and nuts though. Slated pistachios taste nice with chocolate but unsalted are fine too. Lightly toast them for better flavour and texture.