SWEET & TREATS
Mendiants
Mendiants or if translated “Beggars” are often made with a candied fruit, almonds and pistachios. I decided to use cranberries, crystallised ginger and pistachios as this combination glistens with the colour of Christmas.
Traditionally from Provence, Mendiants form parts of the 13 desserts given at Christmas. The colour of the fruits and nuts applied to the chocolate evokes the symbols of the four orders of beggars of the Church, reminiscent of the robes of the orders of beggar monks of the Church of the Middle Ages:
- Franciscans / gray brothers (founded in 1209) represented by raisins
- Carmelites / brown brothers (founded in 1206-1214) represented by hazelnuts, walnuts
- Dominicans / white brothers (founded in 1215) represented by almonds cut in half
- Augustinians, the brothers of St. Augustine /dark purple (founded in 1244-1256) represented by figs, cranberry berries
These little gourmandises take minutes to create and will make the perfect treat for your Christmas guests, so let’s get cooking 
Traditionally from Provence, Mendiants form parts of the 13 desserts given at Christmas.
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time20 min
- Total Time30 min
- Serving Size30/40 Mendiants
Ingredients
- 200g of 70% Dark chocolate
- 30g Crystallised ginger
- 30g Dried cranberries
- 30g Pistachio nuts – chopped
- Sea salt flakes
Method
Lay two sheets of non-stick baking paper on a flat surface. Turn the paper over and place on a cool flat surface or baking tray.
Prepare all your topping ingredients. So chop the ginger, cranberries and place in small bowl to be used. Lightly toast the pistachios and keep aside.
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl and cook au bain-marie. A bain-marie is the method of cooking above hot water in a small saucepan – Fill the saucepan with water up to a quarter and bring to a gentle simmer. Place the bowl on top, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl (your bowl needs to be large enough not to fit entirely into the saucepan). Melt the chocolate without stirring and remove from heat but keep the bowl in the saucepan so it remains melted.
Using a teaspoon, spoon the chocolate onto the baking paper in batches of five. Decorate with pistachios, ginger, cranberries and a few sea salt flakes.
Continue in batches with the rest of the chocolate but you will need to work quickly, it will get messy with a lot of chocolate to lick!!!
When set, carefully peel off the paper and place into small cellophane bags, tie with a pretty ribbon to make a thoughtful and delicious gift for Christmas.
Leave to cool and set, but avoid to put them in the fridge since the chocolate will lose its glossiness.
Enjoy… Bon appetit! ♥♥♥
