Chocolate mendiants
Mendiants are made with a thin layer of chocolate, stuck with toasted nuts, dried and candied fruit.
59 K 4.8/5 (4 reviews)
1 hour 2 min.
Easy
60 pieces
8 IngredientsLast modified on: May 27th 2020
For 60 pieces, you will need:
- 1
½ cup candied grapefruit peel - 2
60 raisins - 3
60 whole almonds - 4
30 walnut kernels - 5
60 hazelnuts - 6
60 pistachios - 7
60 pine nuts - 8
1 2⁄3 cup dark chocolate
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 30 min.
Cooking: 35 min.
All in all: 1 hour 2 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 3 min.
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
Chop ½ cup candied grapefruit peel into small dice.
Separate 60 raisins (they often come stuck together).
Chop ½ cup candied grapefruit peel into small dice.
Separate 60 raisins (they often come stuck together).
Stage 2 - 15 min.
Lay a sheet of cooking parchment on a baking sheet and spread out 60 whole almonds, 30 walnut kernels, and 60 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 60 pistachios and 60 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 1 2⁄3 cup 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 | 80 RDI=30 % | 680 RDI=60 % | 290 RDI=40 % | 3,660 RDI=180 % | 15,330 RDI: 180 % |
| 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 60 pieces : 8.10 €
- 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: Flaky brownie brioche, Little chocolate and hazelnut fondants, How to make chocolate chips, Chocolate ganache, Chocolate-verbena cream, ... See them all 36
Candied grapefruit peel
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Chocolate orangettes for Erika, Calissons, Chocolate cream with a crunch, irish coffee mousse, Grapefruit moelleux, Chocolate thins with toasted nuts, ... See them all 6
Raisins
Like these other recipes: 3-fruit brioche loaf, Benoîton, Moist cereal bars, Indian rice pudding, Soft apple cookies, ... See them all 20
Pistachios
Like these other recipes: Chocolate Truffles, Pistachio shortbread biscuits, Crisp apricot and pistachio tart, Saucipain, Chocolate thins with toasted nuts, ... See them all 18
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