French Chocolate Bark

Ready for an impressive treat to make and gift this Christmas? Seriously, this French style chocolate bark is unbelievably great, and makes a perfect edible gift when packaged nicely in a little tin or box. Last year I made Peppermint Bark, and it is by far one of the most popular recipes on Piebirds, so I wanted to find another great easy chocolate recipe for all you fans out there who love making bark. This chocolate bark combines semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate and is topped to the hills with roasted cashews, dried cranberries and dried apricots.
French Chocolate Bark
recipe from Ina Garten

Ingredients:
8 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate
8 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate
1 cup whole cashews
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup diced dried apricots
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cashews on a baking sheet and roast for about 6 minutes, until lightly browned. Coarsely chop for the bark.
Measure your ingredients and place aside while you prepare your baking sheet and melt your chocolate.
On a piece of parchment paper draw a rectangle about 9 inches by 10 inches. Turn the parchment paper over and place on a baking sheet (so you don't get pencil on your chocolate). Make sure your lines are drawn heavy and thick enough to see them through on the opposite site of your paper.
In a double boiler (place a metal or glass heat safe bowl over a pan filled with a small amount of water) melt the two chocolates over medium low heat.
Pour the melted chocolate over the parchment paper inside the rectangle you drew.
Spread in an even layer using an offset spatula.
Sprinkle the cashews over the melted chocolate, and then the dried apricots and cranberries. Lightly press the toppings down using the back of an offset spatula.
Set aside and let harden, about 3 or 4 hours.
Once completely firm, cut into squares.
Package in a box (or tin).
Tie on a pretty ribbon and label and make someone very very happy.
For a white chocolate and peppermint bark recipe, check out this post here.
Enjoy! Pictures by my favorite food photographer, Travis Sharkey.