How To Make French Chocolate Mendiants

Make this delicate French Chocolate Mendiants recipe as edible gifts, or serve as petit fours with coffee or a digestif after a dinner party.

You really don't need much to make these delightful chocolate puddles. You can decorate them however you like, and what's more, they make fantastic gifts for chocolate lovers, too. Why not wrap some up for Valentine’s Day or as a hostess gift if you're going out for dinner?

Jump to:

• ❓What are mendiants?
• 📖 Ingredients List
• 👩🏼‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions
• 🍷 Wine pairing for chocolate mendiants
• ❄️ Storage & Freezing
• 🥣 Equipment
• ❓Recipe FAQ
• 🍽 Other petit fours recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

❓What are mendiants?

Mendiants are a French chocolate delicacy, traditionally served at Christmas but delicious at any time of year. They are chocolate discs topped with dried fruit, nuts, or other garnishes. The word "mendiant' translates to English as "beggar" in reference to religious orders giving alms to the poor. The history of mendiants comes from certain monastic orders, and the type of fruit used in the topping was related to a particular group of monks.

📖 Ingredients List

For the mendiants

You can use any type of chocolate for mendiants. I generally stick to dark, white, or milk. The important thing is that it is good quality chocolate. The brands I consistently go to are Callebaut, Ghiradelli, or Lindt. If using chocolate chips (callets) for this chocolate mendiants recipe, make sure they are professional quality (like these) and not coated in anything that will prevent them from melting properly. Chop chocolate bars into small, similar-sized pieces.

1. Dark chocolate - If you prefer a less sweet and more bitter taste, I recommend 85% cocoa solids. For a slightly sweeter taste, try 70%.
2. Milk Chocolate - Use milk chocolate with at least 32% cocoa solids for the best taste.
3. White Chocolate - white chocolate contains no cocoa solids, only cocoa butter. So, it behaves differently, and it's important to buy good quality as some lesser-quality white chocolate is pumped with artificial flavoring. Look for a cocoa butter content of at least 26%.

For the mendiants toppings

1. Freeze-dried raspberries - These make great garnishes, and berries always taste wonderful with chocolate. You can also use other freeze-dried fruits like strawberries or mango. You can also use traditional toppings like dried fruits (e.g., raisins, sultanas, or dried cranberries).
2. Flaky sea salt - I love chocolate and salt together, so this match is made in heaven, especially with the milk chocolate mendiants. Use fleur de sel for the most authentic taste.
3. Pistachio nuts - Chocolate and pistachio is another great flavor combination
4. Macadamia nuts - You can use other nuts, whichever is your personal favorite. Macadamia is mine, which I always like to pair with white chocolate.
5. Citrus zest - Grated zest adds a refreshing tang to this chocolate mendiants recipe. Dark chocolate mendiants and orange peel are a particularly festive pairing, whereas lemon and white chocolate work well in summer.

👩🏼‍🍳 How to make this recipe

Quick method for tempering chocolate

I recommend tempering chocolate for mendiants for the best snap and texture, but you can skip this step if you prefer, and they still taste great. But here's an easy way to do it.

1. Place two-thirds of the chopped chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (double boiler). Do not let the bowl touch the water.
2. Melt the chocolate in the double boiler and keep it on the heat until it reaches 43 - 46°C/110°–115°F.
3. Let the bowl of chocolate cool to 35- 38°C/95–100°F.
4. Add the remaining chocolate (chopped very finely) to the melted chocolate and stir to let it melt. This will temper the chocolate, and it is now ready to use.

How to make mendiants

1. Use a spoon to make round puddles of melted chocolate on a completely flat tray or cold surface lined with parchment paper. You can use a piping bag if you want to be really precise.
2. Whilst the tempered chocolate disks are still melted, add your toppings.
3. Allow the chocolate mendiants to cool and for the chocolate to set completely before carefully removing them with a palette knife to a serving platter or storage container.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions

Arrange mendiants on a platter to serve to guests. Box them up or wrap them in cellophane bags with a ribbon to make the prettiest, tastiest little gifts. And try some different flavor combinations! I have also made this homemade mendiants recipe with chia seeds and coconut flakes in the past. I like to make mendiants with different kinds of chocolate with a variety of toppings to create some variety on the plate, too.

🍷 Wine pairing for chocolate mendiants

Serve a chocolatey dessert wine with this chocolate mendiants recipe, like my favorite Alcyone Tannat from Bodega Pablo Fallabrino in Uruguay. They also taste great with port or an espresso martini.

❄️ Storage & Freezing

Store mendiants in an airtight container lined with parchment paper in a cool place or at room temperature. Chocolate mendiants do not need to be refrigerated unless you live in a warm climate. Treat them the same as you do your normal chocolate! They will keep for around a week. Do not freeze chocolate mendiants.

🥣 Equipment

Always weigh ingredients using a digital scale for precision.

You will need a heatproof bowl and a saucepan to melt the chocolate. If you have an induction stove, you can also melt chocolate directly in an induction-safe saucepan on the number 1 setting. If you are tempering chocolate, you will need a food thermometer.

I do not recommend melting chocolate in the microwave if you wish to temper it for this chocolate mendiants recipe. However, if you do not want to temper chocolate, feel free to melt chocolate in the microwave on a medium setting in 30 second intervals. Use a microwave-safe container.

I measure out chocolate mendiants using a tablespoon. You can pipe mendiants for precision, but I do not mind a more rustic look.

❓Recipe FAQ

🍽 Other petit fours recipes

Looking for other recipes like this chocolate mendiants recipe? Try these:

📖 Recipe