Tina, who was profiled in our spring issue has this to say about these festive and delicious treats: “Biting into one of these clusters is pure bliss. The sweet, tart, juicy pomegranate seeds burst in your mouth and the rich, dark chocolate melts all around them. The flavors and textures are pretty amazing together, and they’re deceptively easy to make. The key to making this recipe a success is being sure that your pomegranate seeds are dry, dry, dry! If there is too much moisture on the seeds your chocolate will seize, and that would be a big problem! (See below.) I use Green and Black’s 70 percent dark chocolate bars. They’re three and a half ounces each, so two of them get the job done. You could substitute any dark chocolate bars, or chips.”
Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Clusters
Recipe by Tina Annibell of Nourished Living
Makes about 20 clusters
7 oz dark chocolate (at least 70 percent cocoa)
1 ½ cup pomegranate seeds (that’s the typical yield from 1 pomegranate)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Seed your pomegranate: I like the score it and pull it apart submersed in a bowl of water method; it’s fast, easy and not messy, (check out this video demo). Dry the seeds: Your pomegranate seeds must be bone dry! I lay a dish towel on the counter, then pour my seeds on top of it, in a single layer. I lay a second dish towel over the seeds and dry them by gently rolling them around. Too much moisture will cause your chocolate to seize. Do not skip this step. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Create a double boiler by placing a glass or metal bowl on top of small saucepan filled with a couple inches of water. The bowl should sit a few inches above the water. Bring the water to a simmer, then toss chocolate pieces into the bowl and gently stir until it is completely melted. Combine the seeds with the melted chocolate. Once the chocolate has melted,toss in the pomegranate seeds and gently stir until all the seeds are coated with the chocolate. Scoop about a tablespoon of your chocolate coated seeds into little puddles on the parchment paper. Repeat until finished. Pop tray into the fridge for about one hour or until set. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
