Saturday 21 April 2012

Rocky Road

This is the best recipe I have found for rocky road. The original recipe was quite Christmassy with amaretti biscuits but you can add whatever combination you like for the rocky part of the Rocky Road.

Providing you have the essentials such as some kind of biscuit that can be crushed and broken you could probably put anything in: nuts, cherries, popcorn (I saw Jamie Oliver do this on TV).

In the picture below, I replaced the amaretti with digestives as that is what I had in the cupboard. I have tried it with amaretti  biscuits and it is rather scrummy!



Basic Mix
250g/9oz dark chocolate, chopped
150g/5oz milk chocolate, chopped (you can change the ratio of dark and milk chocolate depending on your taste)
175g/6oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
4 tbsp golden syrup

The Rocky Bits!
200g/7oz amaretti biscuits
150g/5oz shelled Brazil nuts
150g/5oz red glacé cherries
125g/4oz mini marshmallows

1. Place the dark and milk chocolate pieces into a heavy-based pan. Add the butter and golden syrup and cook over a low heat to melt and combine

2. Place the amaretti biscuits into a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin to make crumbs of various sizes.

3. Place the Brazil nuts into another freezer bag and bash in the same way.

4. Take the pan of melted chocolate mixture off the heat and add the crushed biscuits and nuts.

5. Add the glacé cherries and mini marshmallows. Fold the mixture carefully to coat all of the solid ingredients with the syrupy chocolate mixture.

6. Pour the mixture into a 25cm/10in x 30cm/12in greased and lined baking tray and smooth the surface as much as possible (although it will look bumpy).

7. Refrigerate for two hours, or until firm enough to cut.




Notes:
1. Dont be tempted to add the marshmallows to the mix first, add them last so the mix has cooled a bit or they will melt into a big sticky goo. 
2. I had less digestives that I thought when I made this and actually had to add a pack of Oreos. Didn't quite have the desired effect as they didnt crumble as much and soak up the moisture so dont give a 'crunch' - worth experimenting though.
3. Original recipe from Nigella Lawson

    Friday 20 April 2012

    Chocolate Orange Cookies

    I must confess, I didnt make these yummy cookies: my lovely neighbour Sue did and has kindly given me the recipe. I did eat them though and can vouch for their tastiness!

    I am lucky that my neighbour and I share a passion for baking and we are quite often seen traipsing across the front garden with a sample of the latest cake/cookie/cheescake etc for the other to try.




    6oz soft butter
    3oz caster sugar
    6oz plain flour
    3oz corn flour
    3oz chocolate orange segments chopped into small pieces

    1. Heat oven to 190C/Gas 5/375F

    2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a food processor or mixer.

    3. Add the flour and cornflour, then mix until it forms coarse breadcrumbs and then add the chocolate pieces

    4. Shape into 20 balls and place onto a greased baking sheet. Press down with a fork and bake for 10-15mins.

    Monday 2 April 2012

    Salted Caramel Chocolate Torte

    Definitely a dessert to impress at a dinner party! This is one of those desserts that actually tastes as rich, chocolately and satisfying as it looks. I would be happy to pay for this at the end of my meal in a posh restaurant, even if I do say so myself.




    175g digestive biscuits
    85g butter , melted
    397g tin of caramel (such as Carnation caramel)
    1 tsp sea salt , plus extra to serve
    300g plain chocolate, broken into chunks
    600ml tub double cream
    25g icing sugar
    2 tsp vanilla extract

    1. Line the base of a deep, round 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin with a circle of baking parchment. Line the sides with one long strip that comes just above the sides of the tin - staple or paper clip where the strip overlaps to hold it in place.

    2. Crush the biscuits in a plastic bag or bowl with the end of a rolling pin. Stir into the melted butter, then evenly press into the bottom of the tin. Chill for 10 mins.

    3. Reserve 2 tbsp of the caramel. Stir the sea salt into the remainder and spoon into the centre of the biscuit base. Gently spread so the base is evenly covered but a visible 1-2cm border of biscuit remains around the edge. Chill for 20 mins while you make the chocolate layer.



    4. Gently melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir 1 tbsp of the cream into the reserved caramel, then cover and chill until ready to decorate. Once the chocolate has melted, turn off the heat but leave the bowl where it is, and gradually stir in the remaining cream until you have a smooth, shiny, thick chocolate sauce. Mine started to turn into a big lump to begin with, byt keep perservering and stirring well as you add the cream and it should results in a smooth creamy mix.  Sift in the icing sugar and stir in with the vanilla extract. Lift off the heat and let the mixture cool for 10 mins.

    5. Ladle or pour the chocolate mixture around the edge of the torte first, so it fills the biscuit border, sealing the caramel in the centre. Then ladle or pour in the rest and gently shake to smooth the surface. Chill for at least 5 hrs or up to 24 hours until firm.



    6. Remove the torte from the tin, then carefully peel off the strip of paper and transfer to a serving plate. Spoon the reserved caramel-cream mixture into a small food or freezer bag. Snip off the tiniest tip of the corner to make a very small opening, then squiggle lines of caramel over the top.


    Chill until ready to serve. Scatter with a pinch or two of sea salt before serving (though I didnt do this), then thinly (or not so thinly) slice. Eat with a drizzle of single cream, if you like.

    Notes - The recipie was originally from the BBC Good Food Website  I didnt bother with the individual chocolates on top as suggested in the original recipe for a number of reasons:
    1 - They are quite expensive;
    2 - I couldnt find any;
    3 - It would interfere with portion sizes if you dont put them in the right place;
    4 - It would be more noticeable to my husband that I snuck another slither from the fridge when I had the munchies after breakfast the next day!!!