SALTED CARAMEL, PECAN AND CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD
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This is the love child of pecan pie and "millionaire's shortbread", with its caramel and chocolate. What can I say? It's a marriage made in heaven.
MAKES 20 PIECES
115g salted butter, plus extra for greasing
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 cup plain flour
For the topping
350g bought dulce de leche or thick caramel spread
½ tsp salt
100g pecans, roughly chopped
175g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
15g butter, cubed
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Lightly grease a 20cm x 30cm baking tin and line with baking paper.
Place the butter, sugar and flour in a large bowl and rub together with the tips of your fingers, until the mixture starts to resemble moist rough breadcrumbs. Press the mixture firmly into the base of the prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes or until a light golden colour. Set aside. Once cool, spread with the dulce de leche. Stir the salt in with the pecans then scatter these over the top. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until set.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir well and pour into the tin, smoothing it out with a palette knife to make an even top layer of chocolate. Chill for at least 30 minutes, then cut the shortbread into squares and serve. If there are any leftovers, keep them chilled otherwise the caramel will become too soft.
CARAMEL HOT CHOCOLATE
I like to call this a hug in a mug – it will warm and comfort you no matter what kind of day you've had. It serves two so you can share if you're feeling generous.
100ml thickened cream, plus 2 tbsp
25g butter
1½ tbsp soft brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups whole milk
100g dark chocolate, finely chopped, plus grated chocolate to serve
1 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder
Place 2 tbsp thickened cream, the butter, sugar and salt into a pan and cook over a low heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved to make a salted caramel sauce. Set aside. Whisk the remaining 100ml of cream in a bowl until it just holds its shape and set aside.
Heat the milk in a small pan until it's scalding hot, but don't let it boil. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and cocoa, and stir until melted.
Serve immediately with a dollop of the whipped cream, a drizzle of the salted caramel sauce and a scattering of grated chocolate.
BANANA AND SALTED TOFFEE PUDDING
This is a variation on one of my most popular recipes and I think people love it so much because it's impossible to mess up. Even if it's overcooked or underdone, it will still taste delicious. Don't let the bizarre method put you off: all the caramel topping you pour over the batter will make it beautifully moist and create an irresistible toffee sauce.
SERVES 6
¾ cup plain flour
½ tsp salt
½ cup caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 banana, mashed
¾ cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
85g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
vanilla ice-cream, to serve
For the topping
¾ cup soft dark brown sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Combine the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Add the mashed banana, milk, egg, vanilla and butter and whisk well. Pour into a greased 2.5 litre ovenproof dish.
To make the topping, place the sugar, golden syrup, salt and water in a small pan and bring to the boil. Carefully pour over the pudding and bake for 30-35 minutes, until firm to the touch.
Serve immediately with vanilla ice-cream.
Food preparation by Rosie Reynolds and Marina Filippelli. Props merchandising by Rachel Jukes.