Chocolate Coffee Lamb - Swedish-style

If you've never combined chocolate with savoury it is not as alien as you might think. This recipe is rather rich and decadent as far as casseroles go and it seems the sweetness of lamb perfectly complements the chocolate. I first sampled the combination of savoury and chocolate quite a few years ago when I attended a chocolate tasting/demonstration evening at a favourite local restaurant http://thelavenderhouse.co.uk/  Among other things we had a starter of sea bass with a foaming white chocolate sauce and a main course of duck and chocolate. I also sampled a  delicious hot chocolate drink, (which was great for me as I don't drink coffee), and ever since, the chef-patron Richard Hughes always goes out of his way to make me a special hot chocolate every time I visit!

Swedish Chocolate Coffee Lamb served with chunky croutons and creme fraiche, mashed potatoes and broccoli.

This particular recipe comes from Green & Blacks Chocolate Recipes (2003) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Blacks-Chocolate-Recipes-Unwrapped/dp/1856264890/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1367396181&sr=8-2&keywords=Green+and+Black%27s+chocolate+recipes This book has a luxurious feel to it with lovely recipes to tempt and tantalise, woven into the book are tales about the Maya of Belize and the whole cultivation and production of chocolate as well as advice on techniques of cooking and handling the gorgeous stuff. There is lots of good photography although I still like to see a photo accompany every recipe! There is of course a real mix of recipes from muffins, cookies and mousses to the savoury dishes such as Chicken Mole or Spicy Organic Pork and Herb Chilean Chocolate Sausages.
So what else am I hoping to try in the future? There are some fabulous mousse recipes which are always good for our household this time of year when are hens are laying well. I tend to end up using the yolks for custard-based ice creams and then racking my brains for new ideas to use up the whites. On page 115 there's Nigel Slater's White Chocolate Cardamom Mousse, on page 117 a Bitter Chocolate Mousse With Blackcurrants and on page 119 a Chocolate Nougat Mousse which uses Toblerone (I can't wait to try that one).

The recipe I've chosen this time is the Swedish Chocolate Coffee Lamb on page 86 and what a success it was too! As the introductory blurb for the recipe states "Don't dare tell your friends what's in this dish until they have eaten it" and very sound advice I would agree. I once made the mistake  of telling my husband whilst he was finishing his Chocolate and Beetroot Cake, which he was lapping up, that it contained beetroot, well, that was it wasn't it! This casserole is very rich and perfect to warm you up on a chilly evening. It also freezes very well too, so make a batch and save some for a later date.
 .
Swedish Chocolate Coffee Lamb (copyright 2003 Green & Black's Ltd)

50g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp mustard powder
pinch of salt
1kg very lean lamb (fillet or leg) cut into 3cm cubes
75g butter
3 garlic cloves
1 large onion
12 shallots
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Kahlua (coffee liqueur)

Born and manufactured here in Norfolk!

250ml strong filter coffee
750ml lamb stock
50g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
SPICES AND SEASONING (CROUTONS)
A pinch of mace
12 cardamom pods, crushed
1 vanilla pod, de-seeded
1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated or 1/4 tsp of the spice powder
1 star anise
3 bay leaves
FOR THE CROUTONS
1 slice of white bread
1 slice of granary bread
TO GARNISH
1 tbsp creme fraiche
chopped parsley
Serves 4-6

1. Place all the spices and seasoning for the croutons in a frying pan and gently dry toast over a very low heat for about 10-15 minutes, but don't let them burn. Tip into a small bowl and reserve until needed for the croutons. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
2. Season the flour with the mustard powder, salt and pepper. Toss the lamb in half the seasoned flour and coat well. Rub together 25 g of butter and the remaining seasoned flour.
3. Crush the garlic, slice the onions into rings and finely chop the shallots. Fry all three in the remaining butter and olive oil until they are golden. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. In the same pan, fry the flour-coated lamb in batches until browned on all sides. Remove and put in a casserole dish and add the garlic, onion and shallot mixture. Don't wash the pan!
5. Add the Kahlua and the coffee to the sticky brown residue in the pan and whisk over a medium heat for about 4 minutes, scraping all the bits in the bottom of the pan, to form a glossy, smooth sauce; the sauce should reduce by a half. Add the lamb stock and the flour and butter mixture, continuing to stir. Bring to the boil and pour over the meat and onion mixture.
6. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 160 degrees for a further 45 minutes or until the lamb is tender.

Dry frying the spices

Frying the onion, garlic and shallots

Kahlua, coffee and stock

Ready to go in the oven

7.  Stir in the pieces of chocolate ensuring it is well blended.
8.   While the casserole is finishing off, you can prepare the croutons: blend all the reserved spices to a crumbled mass discarding the cardomom pods. Cut the bread into cubes (I like mine large!) and gently fry with the spices and olive oil.
9.   Garnish with a swirl of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and the croutons.
10.   Serve with mashed potatoes and green veg.

The lamb casserole with the chocolate stirred in

A lovely casserole to indulge in on a chilly spring evening

We did really enjoy this casserole and if your worried about the fact that it does contain chocolate and you don't fancy eating it in a savoury context, don't be! It's not entirely obvious that you are tasting chocolate, but what it does offer as an added ingredient, is a richness and silkiness to the sauce which we really appreciated.

Next time: My last run on the chocolate for a little while - Salted Chocolate Tarts. Watch this space!

Snickers Mousse and Boozy Chocolate and Prune Terrine: for kids and grown-ups alike

Strictly speaking I'm actually making more work for myself by completing two recipes from the same book, nevertheless this book is choc-full (excuse the pun) of wonderful chocolate offerings that I found it really hard to choose just one recipe!

Snickers Mousse, decorated with chocolate and peanuts

The particular book is simply called Chocolate (2003) by Sian Cook http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chocolate-Best-Secrets-Womens-Institute/dp/074324012X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366554220&sr=8-1&keywords=chocolate+sian+cook and is part of a box set I own entitled More Best-kept Secrets of the Women's Institute. The other three books in the set are  Home Cooking; Tarts; Breads and Bakes. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Kept-Secrets-Womens-Institute-Boxed/dp/0743248589/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366554302&sr=1-1&keywords=More+best+kept+secrets+of+the+women%27s+institute You can therefore buy the book as a stand alone text or buy the whole set. I ended up with the whole set one day after my husband came home from work with it. It was part of a selection of books and nick knacks that those companies come round and leave at the work place for you to then choose and order in the coming days at very reasonable prices. Obviously appreciating cook books meant I was luckily not offended or annoyed at this purchase by hubby as I might be at the purchase of say a new mop or feather duster!

As far as this particular book of the whole set goes I hadn't once again cooked anything from it (I have from the other three books though). It was tricky to choose something so I did opt for two recipes. Partly because I had some soft cream cheese left over from making my last recipe of chocolate cheesecakes ('waste not want not' and all that) so had a go at the Snickers Mousse and partly because I wanted to go for something a bit more grown-up with the Boozy Chocolate and Prune Terrine. I did toy with lots of other recipes, for example the decadent Tiramisu Cheesecake (page 30) or the rich looking Baked Chocolate and Raspberry pudding (page 60). The Boozy Chocolate Terrine (page 33) was also ideal as it could be made then frozen for up to six weeks, a relief as we have indulged in a lot of chocolate recently!

With the Snickers Mousse (page 41)we have another recipe that only uses four ingredients and is a doddle to assemble. I only made three individual mousses as I only had half the quantity of cream cheese (Philadelphia), but what I did do, and I'm glad I did it, was instead using half a Snickers bar I used a whole Snickers bar thus I urge you to use two Snickers bars when making six individual mousses as opposed to the one stated in the recipe as I think it wont be sweet enough and the Snickers flavours won't come through! That's the only modification I made and they did go down very well in our household!

Just four ingredients!

Snickers Mousse (copyright WI Enterprises Ltd 2003.)

Serves 6
1 bar of Snickers (Remember though I recommend two!)
300ml double cream
1 tbsp cocoa powder
200g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
Peanuts, chocolate, sifted cocoa powder to decorate

1. Chop up the Snickers and place in a bowl with half the cream and the cocoa. Melt over a  pan of simmering water, stirring from time to time and until the ingredients are blended together.
2. Allow the mixture to cool. Whip the remaining cream until it reaches the soft peak stage. Beat the Philadelphia into the chocolate mixture and then fold in the whipped cream until it is thoroughly incorporated.
3. Spoon the mousse into little dishes or ramekins and then decorate with grated chocolate, peanuts and/or cocoa powder.

Melted Snickers with the cream and cocoa

Soft peak stage

Incorporating all the ingredients

Ready to chill and firm-up in the fridge for a couple of hours

Boozy Chocolate and Prune Terrine(copyright WI Enterprises Ltd 2003)

I would pour on the cream first if using and then dust with cocoa to avoid chocolate -coloured cream!

Serves 6
10 prunes, halved
40ml brandy
225g plain chocolate, broken into pieces
40g butter, cut into small pieces
300ml double cream, whipped to soft peaks
Single cream to serve if you like

1. Place the prunes in a bowl, pour over the brandy and cover. Leave to soak for at least 2 hours - the longer the better.
2. Put the chocolate and 30ml (2 tbsp) water in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the butter a little at a time, beating well - the chocolate will loosen and become glossy. Allow to cool for a minute and fold in the whipped cream carefully until all incorporated. Stir in the prunes and the brandy.

Prunes soaking in brandy

Very glossy chocolate

Gently folding in the cream

3. Lightly oil a 450g (1 Ib) loaf tin (I used flavourless groundnut oil) and line with cling film. Spoon the chocolate mix into the tin and level the surface. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

1 Ib tin greased and lined with cling film

Ready to chill in the fridge

4. To serve, turn out the terrine on to a board or plate and cut into slices. Pour some single cream around each slice and dust lightly with cocoa powder.

Slicing up the terrine. I froze the remaining terrine for those unexpected guests that might drop by one day ;)

Our verdict:  this is a rich but rather delicious dessert, great to serve at a dinner party. With the prunes and brandy, it also reminded me of something you would serve at Christmas as well as any other special occasion.

Some tips: When turning out the terrine you do need to run a knife carefully around the edges in the tin to loosen it and help it come out. I did find it quite tricky slicing the terrine neatly and this was mainly due to the fact that the prunes were probably a little too large. Next time I would definitely cut them into smaller slices rather than just halving them. Also, as mentioned in the book this is one pudding that is best assembled in the kitchen and then presented to your guests.


Next time: Continuing April Chocolate Month but with possibly a rest from sweet chocolate treats and  moving on to something savoury with chocolate? Watch this space!

Chocolate Cheesecake: so easy you'll be amazed!

The easiest cheesecake ever, served with some ready-made raspberry coulis

When I made a couple of these mini cheesecakes I couldn't believe how wonderful they tasted and with only four ingredients! My husband and children soon gobbled these up and couldn't get enough of them! So where did I get this recipe from I hear you cry? The book is entitled The Takeaway Secret (2010) by Kenny McGovern http://www.amazon.co.uk/Takeaway-Secret-Cook-Favourite-Fast-food/dp/0716022354/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365931770&sr=1-1&keywords=the+takeaway+secret  and is absolutely perfect to recreate all your favourite takeaway foods at home at probably a lower cost and in a more health-conscious way without nasty additives and preservatives and the like. According to Kenny, this book was a complete labour of love where he experimented, recreated and did trial after trial over years to capture the tastiest and most authentic takeaway food at home. It was also born out of Kenny's diagnosis with Social Anxiety Disorder. To put it briefly, it meant he struggled with leaving the house and enjoying the pleasures of dropping in to the bakery for a sandwich or stopping off at the local fast food takeaway for a burger. Hence, he thought why not create your own dishes at home?

The book is divided in to chapters such as burgers, kebabs, the chip shop, Indian, Chinese, Pizza and pasta, drinks and desserts etc The other thing you need to know is that once you've enjoyed all the recipes in this book there's a second book More Takeaway Secrets (2012) http://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Takeaway-Secrets-Kenny-McGovern/dp/0716023008/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365932724&sr=1-1&keywords=more+takeaway+secrets which is again packed with more tasty delights and you may be pleased to know I do own a copy!

 As with so many of my cookbooks, and this is partly the reason for doing this challenge, I hadn't got round to cooking anything from either of these books until now. Flicking through The Takeaway Secret there are lots of tasty looking recipes that I'm intending to try, including the chicken fajita wrap (page 154), the homemade pitta bread (page 146) and the kebab shop style onion rings (page 116).

To make the Easy Chocolate Cheesecake (Deli-style) (page 169) you need a dessert ring. At the time I couldn't find my larger dessert ring so used two small rings about 6.5cm/2.5inches in diameter and obviously ended up with two small mini-cheesecakes which was fine as the recipe stated it was to serve two. The other alteration I made was instead of using just plain digestive biscuits I used plain chocolate digestives and this made it a wholly more chocolate affair! Anyway, here is this incredibly simple but extremely moreish recipe, you will not be disappointed!

Easy Chocolate Cheesecake (Copyright Kenny McGovern 2010)

Serves 2
4 digestive biscuits (I used plain chocolate ones)
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp hazelnut and chocolate spread, Nutella is brilliant!
2 tbsp soft cheese (I used full fat Philadelphia)

Just four ingredients!

The blitzed biscuits mixed in with the melted butter.

1. Add the digestive biscuits to a blender and blitz to crumbs.
2. Melt the butter and combine with the biscuit crumbs. Press the mixture into a dessert ring or two smaller rings and pat down firmly.

   

   The biscuit base pressed into the dessert rings
   
   
   

3. In a bowl mix the hazelnut and chocolate spread with the soft cheese until well combined. Have a little taste and add a bit more chocolate or cheese if need be and depending on taste.
4. Spoon the chocolate and cheese mixture onto the top of the biscuit base. Refrigerate for about 2 -3 hours or until set.
5. Remove the dessert ring/rings and serve.
6. As you can see from the first photo, I served my cheesecakes with some raspberry coulis which you can buy ready-made in a jar or easily make at home by blitzing some raspberries and icing sugar in a blender and pushing through a sieve.

Mixing the cheese and chocolate together

Turned out and ready to eat

These cheesecakes took just minutes to prepare and because they tasted sooooo good they would be excellent as pudding when entertaining friends and family!













Next time: Continuing my April Chocolate Fest, more chocolate recipes to include Snickers Mousse and Boozy Chocolate Terrine both from the same book to suit children and adults alike.

Chocolate fest: belated Easter treats such as Moist Chocolate and Rum Squares...

Here she is again, the wonderful Delia. I was going to leave it a while before I embarked upon another of her books but when I saw this recipe I thought it would make the perfect Easter treat and gift. Let me explain: in January I agreed to send gifts to the first five people who responded to a post on Facebook - it's all about passing on a bit of brightness and love, doing something nice for your friends and family. So this was the perfect opportunity to bake some comforting chocolate cake and obviously being Easter chocolate has to be on the menu.

Sampling a piece for dessert

As I've probably already mentioned in earlier posts, Delia Smith is one of my favourite cook's and that's quite simply because her recipes are so reliable. She writes in enough detail to enable you to feel confident that you'll achieve good results every time.

An Easter gift of Moist Chocolate and Rum Squares for my lovely cousin Hazel

The recipe for Moist Chocolate and Rum Squares comes from The Delia Collection: Chocolate (2003) (Page 54) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chocolate-Delia-Collection-Smith/dp/0563521333/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365622381&sr=1-2&keywords=the+delia+collection+chocolate This is another brilliant book full of tantalising chocolate recipes from cakes and cheesecakes, biscuits and cookies to hot and cold puddings. I have tried a few of these recipes already and have been very satisfied. For instance the Melting Chocolate Risotto on page 90 is sheer comfort food; On page 93 you can find A Very Chocolatey Mousse, very rich and indulgent. One of my favourite recipe's is the Miniature Choc Ices on page 120 - I remember serving these years ago as an alternative to after-diner mints or truffles and I even played around with making some mint ice cream and dipping small balls into melted chocolate and coating in sugar... As to be expected there are numerous other delights in this book waiting for you to try. I particularly like the look of the Squidgy Chocolate Log on page 94 and the Chocolate Choux Buns on page 70; another bonus to this book is that all recipes are accompanied by pictures either showing processes of cooking or the finished article.

So, to the Moist Chocolate and Rum Squares. These were great cakes that lasted quite a few days due to the almond and rum content and also very, very chocolatey! As Delia herself says, if you gave up chocolate for Lent they would be perfect to 're-initiate you into the whole chocolate experience'

Moist Chocolate and Rum Squares (copyright Delia Smith 2003)

Makes 9
150g dark chocolate, roughly grated
150g soft butter
150g golden caster sugar
5 large eggs, separated
150g ground almonds
 9 mini eggs for decoration
Creme fraiche to serve, if you like
For the icing
110g dark chocolate
2 tbsp rum
1 tbsp double cream
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees

1. Brush the base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin and line with baking parchment.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy. Beat the egg yolks together and then add them to the mixture, bit by bit
3. Gently fold in the ground almonds and grated chocolate.
4. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, you don't want them too stiff, and fold into the chocolate mixture.
5. Spread the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 55 minutes to 1 hour or until it feels springy in the centre.
6. Leave the cake to cool in the tin, then loosen the edges and cool on a wire rack. Turn it up the right way and sprinkle with the tablespoon of rum. (I used 2 tablespoon).
7. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. When melted, stir in the cream and a tbsp of rum and spread over the cake and decorate with mini eggs.

The creamed mixture with the egg incorporated

                                                                        The chocolate and almonds added

                                                                          Mixing in the whisked egg whites

The finished cake out of the oven















                                              Melting the chocolate

As well as these lovely Moist Chocolate and Rum Squares I also made my cousin some gorgeous Pistachio fondant fancies. This was a recipe from BBC Olive magazine and here's the link: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2872679/ I must confess that I also collect recipes from magazines and have quite a few folders in with all sorts of recipes that I've amassed over time! Perhaps this will be my next blog quest to cook as many recipes from my folders?!

P.s. The chocolate connection for these treats is in the 'fancy' top part - half a Lindt white chocolate ball!

                                                                      A tray full of these lovely fancies

Next time: Continuing with the chocolate theme, an extremely easy chocolate cheesecake. I also promise to get it on here a lot quicker this time!

Sensational Sesame Prawn Toasts: a real winner from Ainsley

I totally agree with Ainsley Harriott that 'once you've made these prawn toasties, you'll be making them again and again' - as I have made them again, since first photographing them for this blog! These toasties are very moreish and go fabulously well with something like the Hairy Dieters sweet and sour chicken or any other Chinese inspired meal you happen to be cooking at the time. Equally they could be served as a starter. The recipe can be found in Ainsley Harriott's Gourmet Express 1 (2000) (page 112) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gourmet-Express-1-Ainsley-Harriott/dp/B006R5D4HS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363558222&sr=8-1.

I haven't had this book long as I picked it up in a second-hand book shop and although it was first published 13 years ago it really does have a contemporary feel! It is proving to be one of my favourite's. The recipes are fairly simple and yet so tasty! Partly I am biased as Ainsley does tend to lean towards the Orient and East with his influences, and if you've read any of my previous entries you know I can't beat anything with spice and tropical flavours. His puddings are also fabulously easy on the one hand and yet quite decadent on the other. He's come up unashamedly with a grown-up version of a strawberry sundae (page 159), there's  a rather lovely looking recipe for Iced caffe latte cups (page152) - very simple and yet a probable good choice for a dinner party. The other interesting selection of recipes are his sauces and relishes, so for example there's Real tartare sauce (page 137), Banana raita (page 140) - apparently a perfect accompaniment to curry; Sweet chilli sauce (page 143) - always a favourite in our household; how about giving his Easy mint chutney (page 135) a go - I'm just waiting for spring to arrive and the mint to mutate!

If I was to be slightly critical about this book, I would have liked more photographic images. Not every recipe has a photo, but maybe that's because we're spoiled with a new generation of cookbooks that go all-out for style and presentation.

A yummy plateful of these moreish toasts

Sesame prawn toasts (copyright Ainsley Harriott 2000)

Serves 4
175g cooked peeled prawns
2cm piece fresh root ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 egg white
2 teaspoons cornflour
1/4 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 thin slices of bread, crusts removed
2 tbsp sesame seeds
vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Blending the prawns, ginger and garlic

Mixing the ingredients with the frothy egg white

1. Place the prawns, ginger and garlic in a food processor or mini chopper and whizz until finely minced.
2. Whisk the egg white until frothy, then stir in the prawn mixture, cornflour, Chinese five-spice powder and salt until well blended.
3. Spread the mixture evenly on to the bread, then sprinkle over the sesame seeds, pressing them in firmly with your fingertips. Cut each slice into 4 squares or triangles or whatever shape takes your fancy!
4. Heat about 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over a high heat, when hot, reduce the heat before adding the toasts. Cook prawn side down for 2-3 minutes until golden, then turn over and cook the other side - if need be add a little more oil. Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm.

The prepared bread waiting to be fried.

Cooking the toasts

A nice large plate of sweet and sour chicken too!

These toasts are absolutely lovely! I've made similar ones before with added ingredients such as chopped coriander, but these ones are so simple and just as good!

Next time: I'm trying get some Easter baking treats on (but these are versatile bakes that can be had any time of the year!). I've already made some doughnuts courtesy of Richard Bertinet, so hope to post that recipe in the next couple of weeks.

Millionaire's Shortbread: just a fraction naughty

 A quick update: in case anyone is wondering how many books I have worked through so far, here is the total: 23! Doing the the maths means I've only got another 177 books to get through - keep them coming!

Millionaire's shortbread has got to be the ultimate sweet fix; all that gooey caramel filling, plain dark chocolate and shortbread biscuit base is to die for! Although I've made this a number of times I hadn't made this particular recipe from this particular book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Housekeeping-Cookery-Book-Companion/dp/184340592X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361311715&sr=1-1 .  The Good Housekeeping Cookery Book: The Cook's Classic Companion (2011) is a very comprehensive cookery book to say the least, with just about everything covered from stocks and stuffings, sauces and dressings, canapes to meat, poultry, game, eggs, cheese, rice , grains, pastry....the list goes on! You can see from the published date this hasn't been out long and I have to confess I haven't made much use of it yet (well actually, this is the first time!). It's one of those books that you can reliably turn to if you need a recipe for say sticky toffee pudding or meat loaf or stuffed chicken breasts or even lobster thermidor. That's right, it's got all the classics and more. So what else is springing off the pages of this book I hear you say? It's all those recipes that you haven't ever got round to doing and that you maybe want to try for the first time using recipes that have been triple-tested by the Good Housekeeping team. So for me, the panna cotta (page 379) is crying out to be made as is the raised pork pie on page 217 and I really must get round to doing my own spinach and ricotta canneloni at some stage (p.249).

A small slice is all you need of this decadent treat

Millionaire's Shortbread (copyright The National Magazine Company Limited and Collins & Brown 2011)

Makes 20 squares

175g unsalted butter at room temperature, diced
250g plain flour
75g golden caster sugar
For the topping
2x397g cans sweetened condensed milk
100g light muscovado sugar
100g butter
 250g plain chocolate, broken into pieces

Making breadcrumbs

Forming into a ball

Going into the oven to bake

Making the caramel topping

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and then grease and line a 33 x 23cm Swiss roll tin. Put the flour, caster sugar and butter into a food processor and blend until the mixture forms crumbs, then pulse a little more until it forms a ball. Alternatively rub the butter into the flour and sugar by hand and assemble into a ball. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly to combine.
2. Press the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch and a very pale brown.
3. Now make the topping, put the condensed milk, muscavado sugar and butter into a non-stick pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring continuously until a fudge-like consistency. Spoon the caramel on to the shortbread, smooth over and allow to cool.
4. To finish, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water, then pour over the caramel layer. Leave to set at room temperature, then cut into 20 squares and enjoy with a cup of coffee!

Ready to set

The cooked shortbread

Somebody enjoying a slice!

The finished article

As I'd made this before, although using a slightly different recipe, I realised that we actually preferred a lighter version by having a thinner layer of caramel. Instead of using the quantities above, I actually halved the condensed milk, butter and sugar in this topping. The photographs in the book do show a thicker layer! Also don't worry if you haven't got any muscovado sugar, a light brown soft sugar is just as good.

Coming very soon: Chinese prawn toasts