Monday 18th Glamuary - Victoria's Chocolate Slab

A few years ago, my good friend Victoria Hamilton recounted details of her holiday to France over afternoon tea. Whilst there she fell in love with what she called a delicious chocolate slab that was served in shards with her coffee. She asked me if I could recreate this delicious wonder for her and I accepted the challenge. In Victoria’s words “it’s like a large slab of rich dark chocolate Rach, topped with fruit and nuts. They break it with a toffee hammer and serve you a single shard with your coffee, it’s just divine.”

A few weeks later I Invited Victoria round for coffee and presented her with shards of my chocolate slab! She concluded that it was exactly like that she had experienced on her trip and was thrilled with her parcel to take home. This recipe will forever be known in my cookery book as ‘Victoria’s Chocolate Slab’. It’s simply delicious, so easy to make and is the perfect gift, wrapped in floristry cellophane and ribbon with a handwritten tag, to take to a host or hostess as a thoughtful homemade gift. I can tell you it’s always well received wherever I take it! 

To make this delicious treat you will need:

• 200g (2 bars) Green & Blacks 85% Dark Chocolate
• 100g (1 bar) Green & Blacks Raisin & Hazelnut Milk Chocolate
• 100g (1 bar) Green & Blacks Hazelnut & Currant Dark Chocolate

For Sprinkling:

• Dried Cranberries
• Dried Blueberries
• Flaked Almonds
• Whole Almonds
• Chopped Roasted Hazelnuts
• 1 x Rectangular silicone cake mould (11” x 7.5”) – You can also make individual chocolates using this recipe if you wish using chocolate or petit four moulds (silicone is the best so you can easily pop the chocolates out once set).

• NB – As we are in lockdown I was unable to buy my exact ingredients so in the slab pictured you will notice that the dried blueberries are missing and I also had to use a different combination of Chocolate. I actually used 5 bars instead of 4 as follows: 
• 200g (2 bars) Green & Blacks 85% Dark Chocolate
• 100g (1 bar) Green & Blacks Hazelnut & Currant Dark Chocolate
• 100g (1 bar) Green & Blacks Almond Milk Chocolate
• 90g (1 bar) Green & Blacks Dark Chocolate Raspberry & Hazelnut (Velvet Edition)

Method:

1. One bar at a time grind/blend the chocolate in a blender or food processor into tiny chocolate particles and set aside. You must break the chocolate down this way so that the raisins, currants and nuts in the chocolate also resemble fine tiny pieces. It also makes the melting stage very easy.
2. Once you have successfully blended all 4 chocolate bars, place the chocolate into the top of a Bain-Marie/Double Boiler and melt the chocolate.
3. Once melted simply pour the chocolate mixture into a rectangular silicone cake mould and place in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes. If you are making individual chocolates in a chocolate or petit four mould, they will only need 5 minutes in the fridge before the next stage.
4. After 10 minutes remove from the fridge or 5 minutes for individual chocolates/ petit fours. At this point you will see that the chocolate is semi-set and perfect to sprinkle all of your lovely dried fruit & nuts over the top. Be as liberal as you like here. Then return to the fridge and allow the chocolate to set. It’s important that you chill and part-set the chocolate slab before adding the fruit and nuts as this ensures they sit nicely on the top and don’t sink into the slab.
5. Once the chocolate is set you can remove from the fridge to gift wrap if it is a present, before returning to the fridge until you require it. If you simply intend to enjoy your slab and why not! then remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 5/10 minutes, pop out of the silicone mould and you can then very easily break it into shards with your hands and arrange it on a presentation plate.

The slab/shards will keep for a couple of weeks separated with greaseproof paper in an airtight container, in your fridge. Although it never has chance to last that long in our house!

It’s one of those treats that people are always amazed by, they think you’ve spent hours over it but in reality, it’s so quick and easy.

A final very important point:

It absolutely has to be Green & Blacks Chocolate that you use in this recipe. I have tried with others and you only get this perfect result if you use the chocolates I have mentioned above. I have no paid partnership or affiliation with Green & Blacks, I simply find their chocolates work best in many of my puddings and sweet recipes, both for quality and flavour.

Enjoy!

Love RB xxxx