The best sweet grazing board

Name: The best sweet grazing board
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 100 g bar No.1 Blonde Chocolate; 100 g bar No.1 Dominican Republic 49% Milk Chocolate; 100 g bar No.1 Madagascan 75% Dark Chocolate; Brandy, Disaronno Originale Italian Liqueur or Irish Cream (optional); 1.2 L whole milk (or more, if liked); 250 g can Président Crème

Martha Collison's gourmet hot chocolate board is the perfect centrepiece, packed with plenty of goodies for kids and adults alike. Choose your favourite chocolate to turn into flakes, serve everyone a mug of steaming milk and they’re ready to get creative.

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Serves6 (with leftovers)
CourseAccompaniment
Prepare10 mins
Cook-
Total time10 mins

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Ingredients

For the hot chocolate

100g bar No.1 Blonde Chocolate
100g bar No.1 Dominican Republic 49% Milk Chocolate
100g bar No.1 Madagascan 75% Dark Chocolate
Brandy, Disaronno Originale Italian Liqueur or Irish Cream (optional)
1.2 L whole milk (or more, if liked)
250g can Président Crème

For the grazing board

200g pack pink & white marshmallows
150g pack crumbly stem ginger fudge
100g pack milk chocolate honeycomb
⅓ x 150g pack dark chocolate mint thins
½ x 12 pack Cooks’ Ingredients Mini Eton Mess Meringues
½ x 250g pack Bonne Maman Chocolate Chip Cookies
½ x 100g pack Jules Destrooper Butter Crisps
12 Chloe’s Hazelnut & Cocoa Wafer Rolls
2 Merry the mince pies

Method

Start by making the hot chocolate flakes. I use a food processor with a grating disc attachment to create small flakes, without the chocolate melting. Feed the blonde chocolate squares into the processor until finely grated, then tip into a ramekin. Repeat with the 2 types of dark chocolate. If you don’t have a food processor, grate the chocolate using a fine grater. I recommend freezing the bars for 20 minutes before grating to delay the melting. The chocolate flakes will keep for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Choose a large presentation board or platter and place the ramekins of grated chocolate in the centre. Arrange all the treats in segments, layering large wafers and cookies to fill the space. Avoid placing items of the same colour next to one another to create the most impact. Pour any alcoholic additions into small jars or shot glasses and nestle into the board.
When ready to serve, warm the milk in a saucepan until steaming (200ml per person), then divide between mugs. Each person can add 6-8 tsp flaked chocolate – the same flavour or a mixture – to the mug, then stir well until melted. If the chocolate doesn’t quite melt, place the mug briefly into the microwave and heat gently until completely melted. Top with the whipped cream and any toppings as desired.

Cook’s tip

If making your own chocolate flakes is too much of a challenge, try using a regular powder or shop-bought beads such as Cocoa Canopy Hot Chocolate Beads.
Alcohol is a great addition to hot chocolate, but other flavourings are just as delicious. Try adding a few drops of peppermint or vanilla extract, or put some sea salt or orange zest in small containers to be added alongside.
Filling every space is key! Grazing boards create a feeling of abundance and generosity, but you don’t need to be excessive with the treats. Pick a suitably sized board or platter for your family, then overlap items to fill as much space as possible.