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Mendiants
Chocolate nut and fruit discs
Mendiants: Provençal chocolate discs topped with nuts and dried fruit
Mendiants are little discs of chocolate topped with an almond, a hazelnut, a raisin and a dried fig, the four "beggars" of the Provençal Christmas, whose colours were said to match the robes of the four mendicant orders of monks; they are part of the thirteen desserts and a favourite home-made Christmas gift. The common mistake is letting the chocolate set before adding the toppings, so they fall off. Chef's tip: pipe only six discs at a time and top them straight away.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
- 7 oz dark chocolate
- 20 raisins
- 20 shelled pistachios (optional)
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Melt two-thirds of the 7 oz dark chocolate gently over a pan of barely simmering water, take off the heat and stir in the rest until it melts and the chocolate is smooth and glossy.
5 minStep 2: Spoon small discs of chocolate 4 cm across on to baking paper, six at a time, and press on an 20 whole almonds, a 20 whole hazelnuts, a few 20 raisins, a strip of 3 dried figs, cut in strips and a 20 shelled pistachios. Whole nuts are a choking risk for children under 5, so chop them for little ones.
15 minStep 3: Leave to set at cool room temperature, then peel off. Keep in a tin for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 80 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mendiants take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
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