Have you ever heard the saying
"His bark is worse than his bite."?
I remember the first time I heard it, I think that it was my Grandma who said it to me when our kick ball went into the neighboring yard and we tried, unsuccessfully, to retrieve it from the less than pleased man who lived there. Holy smacks, was he crabby... And loud about it..
Of course we told our Grandmother...and that was her response. I remember thinking to myself,
huh....that's a strange thing to say...but it left an impression that I carry with me to this day.
How about
"You're barking up the wrong tree."? Yep...this "Grandpa gem" was uttered at least a couple of times in my life. Generally, when I was trying to convince him to allow me to do something that we
both knew wasn't going to happen.
I have, in my arsenal, an entire generation of witty euphemisms that my Grandparents gave to me over the years. Every now and then, I summon one from the depths of my memory and use it...generally with my children...because the look on their faces when I casually toss one of these gems into casual conversation is priceless!
Feel free to use them if you'd like, I'm sure that my Grandparents (and probably yours) would laugh right out loud to hear us quote them! Today, however, I'm sharing a different kind of bark. Layered Peppermint Bark. It's really easy to make, has only a handful of ingredients and takes less than two hours from start to finish.
Layered Peppermint Bark
Ingredients:
- 17 ounces of good-quality white chocolate (I use Ghiradelli or Baker's), finely chopped
- 30 red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed (about 6 ounces)
- 7 ounces semisweet (not unsweetened) or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
Directions:
Make a 12 x 9-inch rectangle from foil and place it on a baking sheet. (You can also cover the bottom of a baking sheet with foil and mark a 12 x 9-inch rectangle.) Stir white chocolate in a double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow
bottom of bowl to touch water). Continue stirring until the chocolate is melted and smooth and
candy thermometer registers 110°F. (chocolate will feel warm to touch). Remove the pan and pour 2/3 cup of the melted white chocolate onto
the rectangle of foil. Using an offset spatula, spread the chocolate to fill
rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed peppermints.
Chill until set,
about 15 minutes.
Stir the semisweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract
in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and
smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour the semisweet
chocolate mixture in long lines over white chocolate rectangle. Using
icing spatula, spread the semisweet chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate
until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.
Rewarm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely
simmering water to 110°F. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over the
firm semisweet chocolate layer; spread to cover. Immediately sprinkle
with remaining crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20
minutes.
Lift the foil and bark onto work surface and trim the edges. Cut the
bark crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips. Using a metal spatula, slide the bark
off foil and onto work surface. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections
and each section diagonally. These can be made 2 weeks
ahead but need to be kept cool. Let stand 15 minutes at room
temperature before serving.
I packaged mine in boxes lined with
waxed polka dot tissue and tied it with some red and white ribbon before
adding a hand stamped chalk board tag that was inspired by a Secret
Santa Gift that I recently received. I'll tell you more about that next week. For today, I'm going to
"Let sleeping dogs lie."
xo,
I'm linking this post to:
At The Picket Fence
Larissa Hill Designs
Stone Gable
The Bold Abode
Thistlewood Farms
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