"Les quatres mendiants" or four beggars, representing the four holy
orders:
Almonds for the Carmelites
Chocolate Beggars
In France, the traditional Christmas meal?dating back hundreds of years?is
called le gros souper (the big supper,) and ends with 13 desserts
symbolizing Christ and his 12 apostles. The desserts are served at the
same time and each guest must taste each of them. One of the desserts is
dried fruit called les quatre mendiants (the four beggars), because their
colors are those of the habits of the mendicant orders: raisins for the
Dominicans, dried figs for the Franciscans, nuts for the Augustines, and
almonds for the Carmelites. Feel free to substitute any nut or dried fruit
you like.
Makes about 36 1-inch chocolates
1 lb. dark chocolate (bulk organic chocolate chips are delicious, and
the least
expensive form of organic chocolate available)
1/4 c. whole almonds
1/4 c. pine nuts or walnut pieces
1/4 c. chopped dried figs
1/4 c. raisins
If you are using a mold that is not flexible plastic or rubber, you will
need to use candy papers or line the molds you use with aluminum foil. (If
you reuse aluminum foil, this is a great way to recycle those pieces.)
Melt the chocolate in the top half of a double boiler over low heat,
stirring often. Pour melted chocolate into the molds. Tap the molds on the
counter to level the chocolate and remove air bubbles. Distribute the
fruit and nuts equally over the tops. If the toppings sink, wait a few
minutes and try again. They should adhere, but not sink. Once the
chocolates have hardened, un-mold them and gently remove the aluminum foil
if used. To speed up the cooling process put the candies in the
refrigerator for 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container.
--
:GreyWitch
--
Rec.food.recipes is moderated by Patricia Hill at [email hidden].
Only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting.
Please allow several days for your submission to appear.
Archives: http://www.cdkitchen.com/rfr/ http://recipes.alastra.com/