The road less rocky

So after my marshmallow making expedition, and there was no way I could eat two whole batches by myself, I remembered my Dad, who's favourite treat is Rocky Road. And, I must admit, I haven't had Rocky Road for about 15 years, but I remember it being delicious filled with nuts and cherries and chocolate, and of course, marshmallows!

I couldn't remember the exact ingredients, so after a late night call to my Dad (in Australia), he said he liked it with peanuts and milk chocolate. So, that's what I bought. When I was in the store though, I couldn't help notice the cashew nuts as well, and I thought they would be really dellicious with semi-sweet chocolate. Mmmm...and then I thought back to yesterday's post about the rose water flavoured marshmallows and wanted shelled pistachios. Unfortunately, there is some type of recall for Californian pistachios so I wasn't able to find any.

I got out milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate, along with my nuts, my marshmallows and red glacé cherries (honestly, that's how I remember Rocky Road - with cherries in it). Yum, what a day I had.

I tempered both chocolates, which took me quite a while. The reason is, I normally like to use a glass bowl for tempering because when the chocolate is in temper, the glass holds the heat nciely while you work. It takes a little longer, well, a lot longer to bring the temperature down from the first heat, as it has to come down almost 30 degrees. The next time I temper chocolate for an "instant" use, I will use a stainless bowl.

You don't need to temper the chocolate if you don't want to, it just may bloom and it won't have the shine or the crack to it. It will still taste awesome though!

If you make the marshmallows from my last post, you will use about half a batch of marshmallows for each batch of Roocky Road

Rocky Road
taken from childhood memories
Makes 16 huge pieces

500g chocolate (I used Callebaut, and I made a batch with milk and then a batch with semi-sweet)
4 cups chopped marshamallows (chop into mini-marshmallow size pieces, or you could just buy mini marshmallows in a bag)
2 cups unsalted nuts (I used peanuts with the milk and cashews with the semi-sweet)
1 cup glacé cherries

Temper chocolate in a large bowl (large enough to hold all the ingredients).
When chocolate is in temper, add the chopped marshmallows, nuts and cherries and stir until well coated.
Pour mixture into a parchment lined pan, and leave to set. When chocolate is firm, cut into any shape you like and enjoy!