Sugar Savvy

At a recent chocolate tasting event, Anya Wayne, co-owner of the custom confectioner Bellatrix Confections, shared a recipe for a party mix designed to take advantage of the different varietals of chocolate now availble.

Of course, being a candy maker, Wayne has what she describes as a spare room full of chocolate to choose from.  I ended up picking up my ingredients from whatever was available at Whole Foods.   

Feel free to vary the ingredients, but keep Wayne’s Rules of Luxe Party Mix Making in mind:  The weight/proportion of chocolate to other ingredients should tip in chocolate’s favor by a bit more than half.  Don’t add more than three ingredients — the chocolate, one variety of dried fruit and either nuts or chunks of crystallized ginger.  The nuts can be roasted or caramelized. 

Pick your chocolate to match your other ingredients — sample a few before you decide to mix and match. She recommends a fruity-tasting, “high note” dark chocolate if you are adding dried cranberries to the mix or what she calls a “nutty/low note” chocolate such as a milder dark chocolate or a quality milk chocolate with caramelized nuts.  

I choose a mix of ingredients for the version pictured above that I thought would look festive at holiday parties, but the mix is very adaptable.  I also loved a version I made with the sugary crystallized ginger. Here’s some of Wayne’s suggestions for how to mix and match:

Try mixing dark chocolate with dried cherries and roasted skinless almonds or even Corn Nuts.  

Toss bits of white chocolate with cranberries and pistachios.

Mix up milk chocolate with roasted or caramelized walnuts with bits of candied orange peel. 

Bellatrix’s Luxe Party Mix 

4 ounces of high quality chocolate. Use large chocolate round or oval drops or “pallets” or chop bar chocolate into 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks.  (I used organic Dagoba 73 percent cacao content dark chocolate drops I found in the Whole Foods baking supply section.) 

2.5 ounces of sultana raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots or figs. (I used dried cranberries.) 

3.5 ounces of roasted almonds, walnuts or cashews or small cubes of crystallized ginger.  You can use caramelized nuts, but since they can be sticky, mix them in later.  (I used roasted pistachio nut meats.) 

Scant 1/4 teaspoon nut (such as almond, walnut or hazelnut), neutral (such as canola) or the very best extra-virgin olive oil (The oil helps make the salt stick.) 

1/4 teaspoon or to taste, finely ground sea salt. (I used my best fleur de sal, which worked perfectly) 

In a mixing bowl, combine the first three ingredients (except if using caramelized nuts), drizzle the oil over the mix. Toss well until the ingredients show an even sheen. Sprinkle in the salt and toss again. If using caramelized nuts, add them now and stir gently until mixed through. Serve in a bowl worth of such a mix or put into a gift bag for a very delicious hostess gift or holiday food present.