Chocolate bark is seriously the easiest ever entertaining solution.
It takes about thirty seconds to make, you can create endless flavor combinations (another favorite of mine is white-and-dark chocolate peppermint bark), and everyone is inexplicably impressed by it.
The key to making the stuff: use the best chocolate you can find. In this recipe quality does make a big difference.
1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in thirty-second increments, stirring in between.
2. Mix in the almonds.
3. Spread the chocolate onto a wax paper-covered baking sheet, making sure that the almonds are distributed more or less evenly.
4. Sprinkle over flaky sea salt (I like to experiment with different exotic salts, but for this one I went with Himalayan Pink Salt), and let harden in the refrigerator before breaking into pieces.
More Mix-In Ideas (try picking one nut, one fruit, and one extra – like sea salt or coconut flakes):
Dried cherries
Dried mangos
Candied orange peel
Hazelnuts
Macadamia nuts
Almond slivers
Pistachios
Pine nuts
Toasted coconut flakes
Crushed peppermint
Crushed toffee
Crushed pink peppercorns
Finely slivered chilis
