Dark Chocolate Crème Caramel

May 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This is a lovely recipe for Chocolate Crème Caramel, quite simple to make. Just a basic caramel made with white sugar and water and chocolate custard. I flavoured this with vanilla, one of my favourite ingredients, but it could also be flavoured with coffee or citrus, for me that would be orange. Any good quality dark chocolate would be suitable.

Caramel
140 grams white caster sugar
80 ml cold water
Custard
100 grams Green and Blacks cooks dark chocolate, 72% – chopped
180 ml milk
180 ml double cream
2 large fresh eggs plus 4 egg yolks
75 grams golden caster sugar, if preferred
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

  1. Preheat oven to 150ºC, 300ºF, gas mark 2.
  2. Require – four 250 ml shallow ovenproof ramekins.

Caramel

  1. Put the sugar and water into a saucepan set over a medium heat, bring to the boil while stirring until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is the colour of dark honey.
  3. Divide between the ramekins; place onto a wire rack and leave to set, meanwhile make the chocolate custard.

Chocolate Custard

  1. Put the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl.
  2. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan set over a medium-low heat, warm until bubbles appear on the surface.
  3. Immediately pour over the chocolate, leave for one minute then stir until smooth.
  4. Put the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla into a bowl, whisk to combine.
  5. Gradually add the chocolate milk, while whisking until blended.
  6. Strain into a jug, pour into ovenproof dishes and place into a roasting tin (place a folded tea towel in the bottom of the roasting tin before adding the ramekins – this ensures the crème caramel cooks evenly as they are not in direct contact with the heat source).
  7. Transfer to the oven, add enough hot water to come half way up the ramekin sides.
  8. Bake for 15 minutes, or until set.
  9. Remove from the water bath and allow to cool, chill in the fridge for approx. two hours, or until cold.
  10. Turn out onto dessert plates, serve with lightly whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Filed Under: Crème Caramel, Easter, Valentine´s Day Tagged With: , , , ,

Millionaire´s Shortbread Tart

April 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We both love millionaires shortbread so decided that it was time to try out a shortbread tart, this is the result.

Vanilla Shortbread Crust
150 grams plain white flour
30 grams cornflour
120 grams unsalted butter, softened
60 grams unrefined caster sugar
Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
Caramel Filling
175 grams unsalted butter
175 grams golden caster sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
400 gram tin condensed milk
1 tsp sea salt flakes
Chocolate Topping
200 ml double cream
220 grams organic dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
2 large fresh egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
To serve
French vanilla ice cream or lightly whipped double cream

Preparation

  1. Butter 23 cm tart tin, preheat oven 150ºC, 300ºF, gas mark 2.

Vanilla Shortbread Crust

  1. Sift flour and cornflour into a bowl, reserve.
  2. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla seeds until pale and fluffy; resift the dry ingredients into the bowl while mixing to bring the ingredients together.
  3. Transfer to the prepared tin, lightly and evenly press the pastry into the base and up the sides of the tin using your fingertips.
  4. Smooth out using the back of a dessert spoon then pierce the base with the tines of a fork.
  5. Cover with clingfilm, chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  6. Blind bake on the middle shelf of a preheated oven for 10 minutes, remove and brush with lightly beaten egg white, bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until a very light golden colour.
  7. Remove from oven and place onto a wire rack, leave to cool completely before filling.

Caramel

  1. While the crust is baking, make the caramel.
  2. Put the butter, sugar, syrup and condensed milk into a saucepan over a low heat, stir while warming until the butter melts.
  3. Gently cook the mixture for approx. 8 minutes – stirring throughout – until thick and fudgy.
  4. Stir in the sea salt flakes, pour into the shortbread crust and leave to cool.

Chocolate Topping

  1. Set oven temperature to 180ºC, 355ºF, gas mark 4.
  2. Put the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl, reserve.
  3. Pour the cream into a small saucepan, warm over a low heat until bubbles appear on the surface, pour over the chocolate and leave for one minute then stir until smooth.
  4. Allow to cool to room temperature then whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla extract.
  5. Spoon the chocolate mixture over the caramel, spread out evenly with the aid of a palette knife.
  6. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for approx. 25 to 30 minutes, or until almost set – it should still have a slight “wobble”, transfer the tin onto a wire rack and leave to cool.
Filed Under: Pastries, Pies and tarts Tagged With: , ,

Toblerone Millionaires Shortbread

September 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This is a fun recipe, created along the lines of one of my recipes using three different types of chocolate.

Shortbread
190 grams plain white flour
60 grams fine semolina
75 grams unrefined caster sugar
175 grams unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
Optional – 50 grams Toblerone white – coarsely chopped
Caramel
100 grams unsalted butter
100 grams light muscovado sugar
2 x 397 tins of condensed milk
Topping
125 grams Toblerone dark – roughly chopped
125 grams Toblerone original – roughly chopped
50 grams Toblerone white – roughly chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 150ºC, 302ºF or gas mark 2.
20 cm diameter 3 cm deep loose base flan tin, lightly butter

Shortbread – beat the butter – using a wooden spoon – until soft, then beat in the sugar, followed by the flour, semolina and finally the chopped Toblerone. Lightly knead the mixture together until it forms a dough. Move onto a lightly floured work, roll into a circle – turning occasionally. Transfer to the tin, press lightly up to the edge. Prick the shortbread lightly with a fork and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until firm to the touch and a light golden colour, leave to cool in the tin. Tip – keep handling to a minimum and do not over bake – the shortbread should not be coloured.

Caramel – stir throughout the process of making the caramel – put the butter, sugar and milk into a saucepan, warm gently over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved then increase heat and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently, while stirring continuously for about 5 minutes – or until the mixture has thickened slightly. Pour over the shortbread layer and leave to cool

Topping – put the original and dark Toblerone into a bowl set over a pan of hot or barely simmering water, leave to melt – when melted, stir until smooth then pour over the caramel layer. Repeat the melting process with the Toblerone white, when melted stir, then drizzle over the dark and original Toblerone in a lattice pattern, leave to set.

Filed Under: Shortbread Tagged With: , , ,

Chocolate and Coffee Millionaires Shortbread

July 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I quite like millionaires shortbread, this one is just a little different as the topping includes a little coffee and has a very plain shortbread base. I recently made one shortbread where the base included both chocolate buttons and almond slivers – I am sure purists will gasp in horror at this one. Very very different from the traditional version I first tried – and fell totally in love with – many years ago. Recipes evolve, things change! Someone suggested adding a little chilli to the chocolate topping, I just do not fancy that at all.

Update – I decided to change the shortbread recipe slightly to the more traditional ratio of ingredients, i.e. 3 flour, 2 sugar, 1 butter. This involved only one minor change, i.e. from 8 ounces to 9 ounces of flour. When made for children I change the recipe to include Green and Blacks dark milk chocolate and on occasion, I changed the coffee to half espresso coffee and half Tia Maria coffee liqueur.

Green and Blacks have a lovely range of cooks chocolate which are excellent (especially easy when melting as in this recipe), I have used these with another recipe for caramel shortbread, half of each, but the ratios could be changed to suit yourself.

Shortbread
9 oz plain white flour (all purpose)
6 oz unsalted butter
3 oz unrefined caster sugar
Filling
2 oz unsalted butter
2 oz light muscovado sugar
1 x 14 oz tin condensed milk
Chocolate topping
6 oz Green and Blacks dark cooks chocolate – 72% cocoa solids
6 oz double cream
1 tbsp espresso coffee (or Tia Maria)

1. Prepare a 9 inch diameter square cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper
2. Preheat oven to 170ºC, 338ºF, gas mark (approx.) 3 to 4.
Shortbread Base
3. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, stir in the sugar.
4. Knead the mixture until it forms a dough, then press into the base of the prepared tin.
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven for approx. 25 to 30 minutes, or until a light golden colour.
6. Allow the base to cool completely before adding the topping.
Topping
7. Heat the filling ingredients together in a saucepan, stirring constantly to prevent sticking – continue until the mixture begins to simmer and thickens.
8. Spread over the base, even out and smooth the top then allow the to cool completely before adding the chocolate topping.
Topping
9. Put the chocolate, cream and coffee into a bowl set over a saucepan containing barely simmering water, warm until the chocolate melts, stirring occasionally – when melted stir until smooth.
10. Spread evenly over the shortbread filling and allow to set.
11. Once the chocolate has cooled and set, cut up into rectangles with a sharp knife and serve or store in an airtight tin/container.

Filed Under: Ganache, Shortbread Tagged With: , , , ,
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