Chile Chocolate Almond Bark with Salt Crystals

Name: Chile Chocolate Almond Bark with Salt Crystals
Yield: makes about 3/4 pound
Ingredients: 1 cup whole almonds, skins on; 6 ounces dark chocolate (about 70 percent cacao), broken into pieces; 1 or 2 dried Thai bird chiles or piquín chiles; 3 two-finger pinches flake salt, fleur de sel, or sel gris, or a combination

December 14, 2011

Remember the peanut butter cup commercials? Man and woman, so happy in their busy day, walking around with snacks in their hands, the sky above the color of a blue slushie the houses plastered in marzipan pastels, a happy-sounding tune of endless comic surprise piped through the air, the world a perfect place. Then—whoopsie, so clumsy of me—they smack into each other, exchanging flavors, and a wonderful new treat is born. Introducing nuts to chocolate is all well and fine and, sure, millions have been made on the combination. But if only the candymakers had the temerity to take the next step, something truly delicious could have come of it: chocolate, nuts, and a faint wave of chile heat all strummed like harp strings by the dexterous fingers of a luscious salt. Use this recipe to explore new dimensions of your favorite chocolate by trying it with a variety of salts. Choose the type and quantity of chile depending on your desire for heat.

Recipe notes

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