Recipes Mendiants Be the first to rate & review! A mendiant is a small chocolate disk topped with pieces of candied fruits and nuts. Jacques Torres likes to use pistachios, almonds, walnut halves, a piece of candied pineapple and a piece of candied papaya. You can vary this recipe to accommodate your own design. These elegant chocolate candies are quite beautiful when made with roasted nuts caramelized in corn syrup. Torres likes to display them side by side on a silver tray. It's best to make only 10 to 15 at a time, or the chocolate will set before you have a chance to add the nuts and candied fruit. Beautiful Desserts By Jacques Torres Jacques Torres Instagram Twitter Website Fondly referred to as Mr. Chocolate, Jacques Torres is the authority on all things related to this confectionery delight.His story begins in the South of France in a small town on the Mediterranean Sea in the southern region of Provence called Bandol. At an early age, Jacques was inspired to start a culinary career and was enraptured with pastry making. He began his apprenticeship when he was 15 years old at the best pastry shop in Bandol. After three years of passion and dedication, in 1980, he landed a job with two-Michelin-starred chef Jacques Maximin at the Hotel Negresco in Nice, France. Jacques eventually became the executive pastry chef and for 8 years this opportunity took him around the globe. In 1986, Jacques was awarded the prestigious M.O.F. (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) medal in pastry. He was (and still is) the youngest pastry chef in history to earn the distinction; he was only 26-years-old.In 1988, he ventured to the U.S. as the corporate pastry chef for Ritz Carlton Hotels and was headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1989, the legendary restaurateur Sirio Maccioni invited Jacques to New York City to work at his world-famous restaurant, Le Cirque, as the executive pastry chef. For 11 years, Jacques served his cutting-edge, magical, and memorable desserts to presidents, kings, and celebrities at the iconic restaurant.Through his early years as a pastry chef, Jacques developed a deep affinity and love for chocolate. He fulfilled his American dream in 2000 with the opening of his first chocolate store and factory, Jacques Torres Chocolate in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. Jacques was a pioneer in the bean to bar movement, he was the first artisan chocolatier in New York City to start from cocoa beans and make his own chocolate. Jacques and his chocolate became an instant success attracting fans from all over the country. In 2004, he opened his second chocolate factory in the Soho neighborhood of New York City on Hudson Street. The demand for his confections grew rapidly, so he opened more stores throughout Manhattan, including ice cream locations. In 2013, Jacques moved his two production facilities (from DUMBO and Soho) to one state-of-the-art 40,000-square-foot chocolate manufacturing plant at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. There are three retail locations throughout New York City.Jacques prides himself on specializing in fresh, handcrafted chocolates using premium ingredients free of preservatives and artificial flavors. From sourcing the perfect cacao beans to techniques steeped in tradition, Jacques combines genuine passion with handcrafted mastery to produce purely delicious, real chocolate. His motto is, "Real is my promise to you." Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 1, 2015 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Yield: MAKES ABOUT 4 1/2 DOZEN MENDIANTS Ingredients 1 cup assorted nuts, chopped 1/2 cup light corn syrup 10.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, tempered 1/3 cup diced assorted candied fruit Directions Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the chopped nuts and corn syrup in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over low heat to liquefy the corn syrup. You only want to heat the mixture until the corn syrup is thin enough to coat the nuts evenly; this will take 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Using a large slotted spoon, allow the excess corn syrup to drain as you scoop the coated nuts onto a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Be sure to spread them in an even layer so they will roast evenly in the oven. Bake the nuts until they are evenly caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. To test for doneness, you can break a nut in half and check to see if it is light brown on the inside. Keep an eye on the nuts because the sugar will burn very soon after it caramelizes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place on a wire rack. When the nuts are completely cooled, break apart any that are clustered together. Fill a cornet half full with the tempered bittersweet chocolate. Pipe a chocolate circle 1 1/2 inches in diameter onto a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. If you do not have a cornet, you can use a spoon; drop a spoonful of the chocolate onto the parchment paper and spread it into a 1 1/2-inch round with the back of the spoon. In either case, keep the thickness of the round as even as possible. Makes about 10 rounds. Then, create your own design as you top each round with the roasted nuts and candied fruits. Work quickly, or the chocolate will set before you've accomplished this. If the nuts and fruit do not stick to the chocolate, lightly dip them in the bowl of tempered chocolate and "glue" them to the top of the disk. When you finish these, repeat the process until you have used all of the tempered chocolate, nuts, and candied fruits. Set the mendiants aside to harden until ready to serve. Store the mendiants in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Notes Recipe courtesy of Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres. Rate it Print