Valentine's Day- Make Your Own Chocolate Bark

Chocolate, chocolate everywhere and lots of drops to drink.

Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate.  Valentine's Day IS chocolate.  Sounds like a good song.  

This chocolate is a semi or bitter-sweet bark that Dave had made for me for Valentine's Day a couple of years ago.  Truth to be told, his bark is better than mine.  Candy maker, I'm not, though my toffee was to die for this year.  (pat pat)

I also make it myself and put it on my Christmas trays.

 If you have a neighbor drop by for coffee, this is just the thing to pull out.  Or if you have someone you'd like to treat for Valentine's Day:  make someone happy.  But no matter what, make some just for you.  Simple and fast and inexpensive... This recipe came from the Food Network (courtesy Dave Lieberman), as do so many scrumptious things these days.  There is hardly an easier dessert to make except perhaps to clean strawberries and arrange them in a bowl come summer.  And that's not really making dessert.

Dave's Cranberry Almond Chocolate Bars with Tangerine Zest

1/2 c slivered almonds
3 cups chocolate morsels (I like 1/2 milk chocolate and 1/2 bittersweet)
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 tangerine, zested

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Line a 13x9" baking pan with aluminum foil.

Lay out almond slivers on baking sheet.  Bake in oven until light brown, shaking the baking pan occasionally to mix them around, about 10-15 minutes.

Melt the chocolate morsels in a double boiler over low heat.  Mix in the cranberries, almond slivers and tangerine zest.

Pour into prepared pan.  Smooth the chocolate mixture out into an even layer.  Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until hard, at least 1 hour.  Use a knife to break up chocolate into jagged, varied sized bars.
~~~~~~~~~

Just for fun...Here's an article about Aphrodisiac Food and Wine Pairings from wine authorities Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
~~~~~~~~~~
 

Need a tasty Valentine's Meal?  Try Bacon Pork Tenderloin on Lentils and Vegetables:

Wine?  Côtes du Rhône--nicely-priced round French red.

 Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,

Alyce

This is, in part, a repeat post from my blog @ http://www.moretimeatthetable.blogspot.com