Chocolate mendiants
Mendiants are made with a thin layer of chocolate, stuck with toasted nuts, dried and candied fruit.
52 K 4.8/5 (4 reviews)
1 hour 2 min.
Easy
40 pieces
8 IngredientsLast modified on: May 27th 2020
For 40 pieces, you will need:
- 1
2.1 oz candied grapefruit peel - 2
40 raisins - 3
40 whole almonds - 4
20 walnut kernels - 5
40 hazelnuts - 6
40 pistachios - 7
40 pine nuts - 8
8.8 oz dark chocolate
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 30 min.
Cooking: 35 min.
All in all: 1 hour 2 min.
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: 18:30.Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 3 min.
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
Chop 2.1 oz candied grapefruit peel into small dice.
Separate 40 raisins (they often come stuck together).
Chop 2.1 oz candied grapefruit peel into small dice.
Separate 40 raisins (they often come stuck together).
Stage 2 - 15 min.
Lay a sheet of cooking parchment on a baking sheet and spread out 40 whole almonds, 20 walnut kernels, and 40 hazelnuts.
Toast the nuts in the oven for 15 minutes.
Toast the nuts in the oven for 15 minutes.
Stage 3 - 4 min.
After this time, take the nuts out of the oven. Tip the almonds and walnuts off the baking sheet and (if necessary) rub the hazelnuts in tea towel to remove the skins.
Leave to cool.
Leave to cool.
Stage 4 - 10 min.
Reuse the same paper and baking sheet to toast 40 pistachios and 40 pine nuts in the oven for 10 minutes. Being smaller, they will not take as long.
Leave to cool.
Leave to cool.
Stage 5 - 10 min.
Melt 8.8 oz dark chocolate over a bain-marie. The usual method is to put the chocolate in a bowl, but if you use a small bottle instead, this makes the next stage easier.
Stage 6
Check that the chocolate is fully melted.
Stage 7
For this recipe, I used a silicon mould with rectangular compartments, but you can use whatever you have to hand - the shape doesn't matter.
Stage 8
Pour a thin layer of chocolate into the moulds (now the bottle comes into its own).
Stage 9
Then arrange the fruit and nuts on top.
When everything is on, press down into the chocolate with your fingers.
When everything is on, press down into the chocolate with your fingers.
Stage 10 - 20 min.
My tip: work like a production line. Pour all the chocolate first, then add the all almonds, next the raisins, etc.
This way, all your mediants will look the same.
This way, all your mediants will look the same.
Stage 11
Refrigerate for 2 hours to set the chocolate and make sure the fruit and nuts are stuck.
Stage 12
Take your mendiants out of their moulds gently, and leave to come back to room temperature before handing round or tucking in yourself.
Remarks
The French name means "mendicants", after the 4 types of fruit and nuts traditionally used in the Provençal thirteen Christmas desserts to represent the 4 mendicant religious orders: raisins for the Augustines, hazelnuts for the Carmelites, figs for the Franciscans and almonds for the Dominicans.
You can vary the topping depending on the fruit and nuts you have to hand, but do try to keep a mix of toasted nuts + dried fruit + candied fruit.
You can vary the topping depending on the fruit and nuts you have to hand, but do try to keep a mix of toasted nuts + dried fruit + candied fruit.
Keeping: Several days in a sealed container.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 50 RDI=20 % | 450 RDI=40 % | 190 RDI=30 % | 2,440 RDI=120 % | 10,220 RDI: 120 % |
| Per 100 g | 10 RDI=5 % | 100 RDI=10 % | 40 RDI=7 % | 550 RDI=30 % | 2,320 RDI: 30 % |
| Per piece | 1 RDI=1 % | 10 RDI=1 % | 4 RDI=1 % | 60 RDI=3 % | 260 RDI: 3 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 40 pieces : 5.40 €
- Per piece : 0.15 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Dark chocolate
Like these other recipes: Leopard cake, Millefeuille, Chocolate-verbena cream, Italian hot chocolate , Nanou's chocolate cake, ... See them all 36
Candied grapefruit peel
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Chocolate cream with a crunch, irish coffee mousse, Grapefruit moelleux, Chocolate orangettes for Erika, Brioche royale, Chocolate thins with toasted nuts, ... See them all 6
Raisins
Like these other recipes: Apple Strudel, Dublin fruit scones, Sweet pancake rolls from Brittany, Raisin breads (pains aux raisins), Caramel semolina pudding with raisins, ... See them all 20
Pistachios
Like these other recipes: Pistachio powder or paste, Chocolate cereal bars, Granola, Mini apricot and pistachio brioches, Pistachio shortbread biscuits, ... See them all 18
Other recipes you may also like
Fruit coulis (fruit purée)
Contrary to what people usually think, coulis is not just a simple fruit purée with sugar. Of course, this is the general principle, but it's possible to make something much better and more refined. This recipe is for a strawberry coulis (see below for other fruits): how to make it, but also how...October 20th 2012778 K 43 25 min.
Sorrel soup
Smooth with a slight sharpness, this soup has a very particular taste.May 8th 2011400 K3.8 1 hour 4 min.
Broad bean salad with Parmesan
A salad that combines crunchy almonds, tender broad beans, with the flavours of balsamic vinegar, parmesan and herbs.February 21th 2011275 K3.8 25 min.
Leavened bread
It might be harder to achieve good results than with traditional yeast bread, but what a flavour! It also keeps better. This recipe is designed for baking bread in a wood-fired oven but, of course, you can use the conventional oven in your kitchen.May 23th 20171.20 M 23.8 6 hours 30 min.
Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée)
Puff pastry is an incredible assembly of thin layers of butter enclosed in thin layers of dough. After cooking this give a succession of thin crisp pastry leaves that produce exceptional desserts or pies. It's a jewel of French patisserie. Making your own puff pastry is not very difficult, it's just...January 19th 2011453 K 63.3 2 hours 45 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-05-11)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.