Celebrating with Chocolate and Wine

This month is shaping up to be quite exciting. Recently, I celebrated a few memorable happenings with a girl’s night. We indulged ourselves with a sample bottle of Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Cabernet Merlot and tried out a recipe for California Chocolate Bark. Honestly though, who needs any other reason to celebrate when you have Chocolate and Wine?

This is one of those super easy recipes that is perfect for a night in. You can easily alter the toppings to suit your taste buds. We opted for pecans, pistachios, dried cherries and a light sprinkling of coarse sea salt.

Have you ever poured freshly melted chocolate? Doesn’t it just make your heart swell with joy? After turning Ghirardelli chocolate chips into our personal pot of liquid happiness and watching it cascade onto a baking sheet, it was spread into a freestyle rectangle. Then there was the fun part…

Once the chocolate was ready and waiting, our preferred toppings were strategically placed onto what was to become a glorious treat. Oh, the anticipation!

Look at it. Just look.

I’d like to say that we waited patiently for the chocolate to set, but honestly, who would believe that? Two hours is a long time. In hindsight, we should’ve opened the wine in order to keep ourselves occupied. The wait was well worth the decadence that followed though. The wine paired wonderfully with the chocolate and all of the flavors from the toppings played nicely together. Overall, it lent a special hand in making our evening fun yet tastefully simple and memorable.

Here is the recipe to save and try for your next gathering:

California Chocolate Bark
To pair with Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Cabernet Merlot |  Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

12 ounces dark chocolate chips

1 cup whole roasted nuts (your favorite)

1 cup of your favorite dried fruit (figs, apricots, cherries, cranberries)

2-3 tbsp sea salt

How to Prepare

1. Spread a large piece of parchment paper over a sheet pan.
2. Chop nuts and halve or quarter dried fruit based on its size.
3. Add all chocolate to a microwave proof bowl. In 30-second intervals, microwave the chocolate, quickly remove and stir, then return to the microwave for 30 seconds until the chocolate is completely melted – about 3 minutes.
4. Acting quickly, pour the melted chocolate out onto the parchment paper in a rectangle.
5. Allow the chocolate to rest for about 30 seconds, then sprinkle nuts and fruit over the chocolate.
6. Let chocolate cool for another two minutes, then sprinkle sea salt over top. Set aside for about 2 hours or until firm. Do NOT put in the refrigerator to speed firming – the chocolate will grey.
7. Chop or break the bark into pieces.
8. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to one week and serve at room temperature. Serve with a glass of Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Cabernet Merlot.

– recipe courtesy of Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi –

Disclosure: I received a complimentary bottle of Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Cabernet Merlot. I received no monetary compensation for this post. All opinions are based on my own personal experience. You can view my full Disclosure Policy here.