Nuts in April

 The Easter weekend is coming up, and this year my birthday is sandwiched between death and resurrection on the Saturday. I shall not be doing any cooking for the whole weekend, which will be novel. While the children run around the garden looking for eggs on Sunday, weather permitting, I shall be opening my parent's fridge and raiding their cupboards like a student back from Uni.(I would usually post a bread recipe at this time of year so I can make jokes about knocking the dough back and watching it rise again. I still find it this joke funny after countless repetitions, even if no one else does.)This recipe has nothing to do with dough, but more to do with sugar, chocolate and nuts. While I've bought various eggs for various offspring, I also decided to make a little side treat of chocolate brittle for the adults. For some reason, we had a mountain of nuts and chocolate in the cupboard and using it for this weekend seemed apposite. If you can avoid burning the first lot of caramel so much the better. I'd recommend not leaving its side until it's ready. For example to wander off and read the sleeve notes on 'Sing it Again Rod'.You'll have to work quickly when the caramel is ready and be careful to not burn yourself. Hot caramel is a new kind of pain. You can use peanuts, almonds, pine nuts, pistachios and add salt, chilli, vanilla essence and all kind of things to add variety. This one is a simple salted caramel version. You can also use less dark chocolate and replace it with milk chocolate if you prefer. The children are keen to each have one of these smashed over their Viennetta for pudding this evening, I think that is a cracking idea.Ingredients220g dark chocolate (I used 70% cocoa)30g dark chocolate buttons200g sugar150g hazelnuts, roughly chopped, some left largeA pinch of saltMethodPrepare a large sheet of baking paper on the kitchen worktop and give it a quick spray of cooking oil to help stop the caramel nuts from sticking.Slowly melt the sugar with a pinch of salt in a heavy-based pan, one large enough to fit the chopped nuts in when the sugar has melted. Copper pans are the best for this if you have one.Shake the pan every now and then as the sugar melts, be careful to not let it get too dark and burn. This is horrible and bitter, like Ukip crossed with Heather Mills.When it's melted and a lovely dark caramel colour, quickly pour in the nuts and stir well on the heat until they're all coated. Pour the mix out onto the prepared paper, shape into a rectangle with a metal palette knife and leave to cool.Melt the chocolate for one minute and 20 seconds in the microwave (you could do it the traditional way in a bowl over simmering water if you prefer, but really?).The chocolate should still look as though it's mostly kept its shape. Beat it with a small whisk and throw in the chocolate drops. Keep stirring until they melt and the chocolate is smooth and shiny.Cut the nut brittle into small rectangles or squares and dip each one in the melted chocolate. Sprinkle with some of the fallen off nuts and caramel if you like and leave to set. You can wrap these individually in paper or store in an airtight container until ready to eat/dish out.Happy Easter. 

Scouts' Honour

When I was a little girl I used to dream of being a brownie. Sadly that never came true, and anyway, being a boy I was sent to The Scouts.  I hated it and thought it a complete waste of an evening. That may have been down to the fact that every time I tried to contort my fingers into the three-fingered salute I looked like my arthritic and ancient aunt. So, I gave it and all hopes of a woggle in the woods a two-fingered salute, never to return.So now, all grown up, I find myself in the kitchen (not wearing a fetching brown dress or green jumper) melting chocolate to make these delicious and fudgy brownies. A whole tray of them may well be too much to eat in one sitting, but when I put them down on the table yesterday, they pretty much vanished.

Tart Me Up

There is no competition for me when it comes to tarts. If I had to choose one, even over tart au citron, tart tatin, tarte aux poires and chocolate tart, it would be the little glazed strawberry tarts with creme patissiere you get in Parisian bakeries. Unbeatable. However, I'm not in Paris as often as I'd like so they remain an occasional piece of heaven.Most tarts take a little effort though, and that's fine. But not this one. Today's recipe is a really quick shortbread tart with a simple chocolate ganache topped with fruit, herbs, chia seeds, honey and strawberry powder (you can use cocoa if you prefer).The base is the standard shortbread 1:2:3 recipe (sugar, butter, flour) but I've used coconut sugar and coconut flour instead. You can use caster and wheat if you prefer, the recipe is the same. This way gives a lovely coconutiness to the base which goes very well with the chocolate and is also gluten free for those of you who are gluten intolerant.You'll have some shortbread mix left over as well for bonus biscuits which you could use for this recipe or just plain with a cup of Earl Grey tea. Use your favourite soft fruits and plenty of honey. Pretend it's one of your 'five a day'.IngredientsFor the shortbread100g cold butter200g coconut sugar300g coconut flourFor the filling250ml double cream250g dark chocolate (70% cacao), smashed upBlueberries, raspberries, strawberries and kiwiA sprinkle of chia seeds1 tbsp raw honeyA few basil and thyme leaves1tbsp strawberry powderMethodMix together the butter flour and sugar in a bowl by hand until well combined and breadcrumb-like.Press evenly into a fluted 20cm (9") tart tin and bake at 170c for about ten minutes, or until golden brown. Make sure it's evenly cooked.Leave to cool while you make the filling.Bring the cream  to just below the boil then pour onto the chocolate and stir well until melted, glossy and smooth. Pour into the tart case then top with the fruit, chia seeds and herbs and leave somewhere cool to set.Drizzle with honey, add the herbs and dust the strawberry powder over to serve.