White Chocolate Bark

More frolics with food.  Today we made Ina Garten's recipe for White Chocolate Bark.  It was easy to do and fun.  We lessened our dietary guilt by giving the lion's share to the staff in the lobby downstairs.  Another candidate for the book club get-together.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup whole shelled salted pistachios
16 ounces good quality white chocolate (not chips)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup medium-diced dried apricots

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Using a pencil, draw an 8" x 10" rectangle on a piece of parchment paper.  Turn the parchment paper over so the pencil mark doesn't get onto the chocolate and place it on a sheet pan.

Place the pistachios in one layer on another sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Place three quarters of the white chocolate in a heat-proof glass bowl and put it in the microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Stir the chocolate with a rubber spatula, return it to the microwave for another 30 seconds, then stir again.  Continue to heat and stir in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is just melted.  Immediately stir in the remaining chocolate and allow to sit at room temperature, stirring often, until it's completely smooth. 

Pour the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread it lightly to fill the drawn rectangle.  Sprinkle the top evenly with the cooled pistachios, the cranberries, and apricots.  Press the nuts and fruit lightly so they will set in the chocolate.  Set aside for at least 2 hours until firm, or refrigerate for 20 minutes.  Cut or break the bark into 16 pieces and serve at room temperature.