Chef's Recipes

Philippa Sibley: White Christmas mendiants

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for white Christmas mendiants by Philippa Sibley.

By Philippa Sibley
  • 30 mins preparation
  • 10 mins cooking plus cooling, setting
  • Serves 60
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Philippa Sibley: White Christmas mendiants
“These little discs are a play on the elements of white Christmas. I’ve made these bite-sized but you could make them any size you wish.”

Ingredients

  • 25 gm slivered almonds (2 tbsp)
  • 400 gm couverture white chocolate, finely chopped
  • 6 glacé red cherries, cut into thin wedges
  • 5 gm Rice Bubbles (¼ cup)
  • 25 gm glacé cedro, finely chopped (see note) (2 tbsp)

Method

Main
  • 1
    Toast almonds in a frying pan over low-medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until golden (2-3 minutes), set aside to cool.
  • 2
    Melt 260gm white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally (keep temperature below 42C). Remove from heat, add remaining chocolate, stir until smooth. Pour over a 28cm x 36cm acetate sheet (see note) to 5mm thick, smooth with a palette knife. Set aside until almost set (15-20 minutes). Cut rounds from chocolate with a hot 6.5cm-diameter metal cutter, turn smooth side up. Melt chocolate scraps in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, then drizzle a little over each round. Scatter with toasted almonds, cherries, rice bubbles and cedro, set aside to set (30 minutes). Mendiants will keep stored in an airtight container in a cool place for a week.

Notes

Cedro is the glacé fruit of the citron tree, available from Simon Johnson, David Jones, and select delicatessens. If unavailable, substitute candied orange peel or candied lemon peel. Acetate sheets are available from art supply shops.
This recipe is from the December 2010 issue of
.

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