Dark Chocolate Bars with Pistachio Filling

To make this Dark Chocolate Bar with Pistachio Filling recipe, start by preparing all the ingredients for the pistachio ganache.

Pistachio ganache: Place the white chocolate chips in a pastry bowl.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 20 or 30 seconds to make sure the chocolate doesn't burn. It should be melted to at least 80%.

Heat the whipping cream in a saucepan.

When the cream starts boiling...

...pour it over the white chocolate feves in a thin stream...

... and combine with a rubber spatula.

Gradually, the cream incorporates into the chocolate, to obtain a white chocolate ganache.

Add the pistachio praline to this chocolate preparation...

...and mix carefully with the spatula...

...until you have a smooth and homogeneous mixture.

Let this pistachio ganache set at room temperature (no fridge) until it becomes creamy.

Tempered dark chocolate: Organise all the necessary ingredients. I used the easy tempering technique with Mycryo cocoa butter.

Place the dark chocolate into a bowl...

...and melt them in the microwave in steps of 20 to 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the chocolate starts to melt slightly.

Return to the microwave and mix with the spatula. The chocolate should start to soften.

Continue melting the chocolate while stirring between each interval in the microwave.

Gradually, the dark chocolate melts; check its temperature using a laser thermometer, showing 36.1°C here.

Continue the melting process...

...until it reaches a temperature between 45 and 50°C. This target temperature is only for dark chocolate, regardless of its percentage and brand.

Once the right temperature is reached, mix the chocolate with a spatula to cool it down.

The temperature has dropped to 43.8°C.

Mix the melted chocolate again by bringing it up on the sides of the container and scraping to bring it back to the centre.

Continue with these motions to further lower its temperature.

Now the dark chocolate reads 39.8°C.

Continue mixing the chocolate until its temperature reaches 35°C.

When the dark chocolate is at the right temperature, add the Mycryo cocoa butter (1% of the weight of the chocolate)...

...and mix until it completely melts. Do not confuse it with simple cocoa butter, which will not give the same result as Mycryo cocoa butter, which is tempered cocoa butter.

When the Mycryo cocoa butter is incorporated, continue mixing...

...to bring down the temperature of the dark chocolate to 32°C. This is the ideal temperature for using tempered dark chocolate.

Once the dark chocolate is at the right temperature, place the Sparkling 3 tablet chocolate mould flat on the work surface and pour the tempered dark chocolate into it.

Tap the sides of the mould with a chocolate spatula to ensure the chocolate fills the cavities entirely and to bring up any air bubbles.

Turn the mould over the container to empty the cavities and scrape the surface of the mould using the spatula to eliminate all drips.

Place the tray on the work surface and scrape the surface to level the edges, which must be very clean. Let the dark chocolate crystallize at room temperature, in a cool room (around 18°C). To speed up the crystallization process, you can place the mould in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes.

Filling: When the dark chocolate is crystallized, place puffed rice grains in the cavities...

... as shown in the photo.

The ganache will have slightly set; transfer it to a piping bag. No nozzle needed. Cut the end of the piping bag to create a small opening to control the flow of ganache. Pipe the ganache...

...into all the mould cavities.

Ensure that the filling does not exceed the edge of the mould. Keep a free space of about 2 to 3mm to be able to seal the mould.

Tap the mould on the work surface to pack the ganache. If some grains of puffed rice have come to the surface, do not hesitate to push them in with your fingertip so that no element protrudes from the mould. Let the ganache set at room temperature. The ganache should firm up and become thicker.

Cover the pistachio ganache with tempered dark chocolate. If you have kept the remaining chocolate at 32°C, it can be reused. Otherwise, you will need to temper it again by going through all the steps as if it had never been tempered.

Seal the three cavities with the chocolate...

...and tap the tray on the work surface to make the chocolate flow into all the empty spaces.

This is what the result should look like.

Then smooth the surface with the chocolate spatula to remove excess chocolate.

Scrape the edges of the mould if necessary and let it set at room temperature (about 18°C) or in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes.

When the dark chocolate is crystallized, cover the mould with parchment paper and a baking sheet. Then flip everything onto the work surface. This method will prevent early release and breakage.

Slightly twist the mould between your hands to detach the chocolate sheets.

If the tempering was done correctly, the chocolate bars should come off easily.

Here is a close-up view of a dark chocolate tablet.

Store in a cool place due to the cream contained in the pistachio filling, and consume quickly.

Here is the inside of our dark chocolate tablet filled with pistachios... Enjoy!