Tropical Chocolate Bark

Tropical Chocolate Bark Makes 30-40 pieces of bark 1.5 pounds good-quality milk chocolate 1 1/2 cups mixed dried tropical fruit, such as papaya, pineapple, and mango, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup coconut chips 1/2 cup puffed rice cereal 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped salted cashews 4 ounces good-quality white chocolate (should contain cocoa butter) Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in 20-second intervals in the microwave. You want it to be just melted—don’t let it bubble or burn. As it’s melting, stir it occasionally with a heatproof spatula. Remove the chocolate from the microwave or the heat, and add the nuts and cherries or the pretzels and toffee bits. Stir to distribute. Pour the mixture onto two parchment-lined cookie sheets, and spread it evenly with a spatula. Put the sheets in the freezer and let the bark sit until hardened. This should take about 1 hour. If you don’t have room for both pans in the freezer, place them in the fridge—they will just take a bit longer to harden. Melt the white chocolate until just melted. Using a fork, flick white chocolate across the surface of the bark as if you’re Jackson Pollack. Return to the freezer to harden. Using your hands or a knife, break the bark into bite-size pieces. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.