Florentine fun!
What can you do with florentines that didn't quite go to plan? Well, I found a solution today...
Let's begin though with the florentines themselves. I like making these as table gifts on Christmas eve, and then having them on the table on the following afternoons. Lovely, caramel-sweet nibbles, stacked full of fruit and nuts, and then painted with chocolate on one side. Mmmmm...
What happened this year? well, I made the mixture (see below), but then forgot that they are tiny blobs and the mixture that should have made about 30, made 9! Nine VERY spread out, no, ONE sheet of florentine mixture came out of the oven 10 minutes later - oops!
I sliced it up into nine large squares using my pizza cutter, and once cooled, packed it away in an airtight container until I could think what to do with it... I didn't add the chocolate, that would have been wasteful if I had had to throw it away ;-)
And that's where I remembered it was today! It kept well.
A trip to the supermarket and a tub of good vanilla ice-cream later and we now have a pretty good florentine ice-cream dessert for those of us who have a sweet tooth, or just like a little something to finish our meal. I love the citrus bursts as you bite into the mixed peel hidden in the cream. Give it a go!
If you'd like to have a go making your own Florentines, here's the recipe I have used for years from my Good Housekeeping bible...
Florentines.
100g butter
125g caster sugar
125g flaked almonds
25g sultanas
5 glace cherries, chopped
25g chopped mixed peel
15ml single cream
225g chocolate - I use white and plain, but you can use milk too, or how about a mixture of all three...
Line baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat.
add the sugar and stir until dissolved, then boil for one minute.
Remove from the heat and stir in the fruit, nuts and cream, mixing well.
Drop SMALL teaspoon blobs onto the baking trays, allowing room for the florentines to spread out - you may need 3 baking sheets, or like me, get the paper ready to put the next batch in once one is done.
Bake at 180 C for 10 mins, or until they are golden brown.
Once out of the oven, you can use a knife the neaten up the edges, by pushing the mixture inwards.
Leave them to cool on the baking paper for 5 mins, before lifting them off and onto a cooling rack for another 20 mins or more.
By this time they should be hardened. This will be the time to coat the backs with chocolate.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water.
Cool for 10-15 mins, and just as it is beginning to set, spread it over the back of the florentines.
Leave the chocolate to set fully before sneaking a taste!
A bit of effort, but well worth it as a special treat!
Let's begin though with the florentines themselves. I like making these as table gifts on Christmas eve, and then having them on the table on the following afternoons. Lovely, caramel-sweet nibbles, stacked full of fruit and nuts, and then painted with chocolate on one side. Mmmmm...
What happened this year? well, I made the mixture (see below), but then forgot that they are tiny blobs and the mixture that should have made about 30, made 9! Nine VERY spread out, no, ONE sheet of florentine mixture came out of the oven 10 minutes later - oops!
I sliced it up into nine large squares using my pizza cutter, and once cooled, packed it away in an airtight container until I could think what to do with it... I didn't add the chocolate, that would have been wasteful if I had had to throw it away ;-)
And that's where I remembered it was today! It kept well.
A trip to the supermarket and a tub of good vanilla ice-cream later and we now have a pretty good florentine ice-cream dessert for those of us who have a sweet tooth, or just like a little something to finish our meal. I love the citrus bursts as you bite into the mixed peel hidden in the cream. Give it a go!
 |
| Break the florentines into little pieces before mixing into the ice cream |
 |
| Pop it into a clean tub and get it back in the freezer - quick! (Apologies for the 'shaking with excitement' fuzz) |
If you'd like to have a go making your own Florentines, here's the recipe I have used for years from my Good Housekeeping bible...
Florentines.
100g butter
125g caster sugar
125g flaked almonds
25g sultanas
5 glace cherries, chopped
25g chopped mixed peel
15ml single cream
225g chocolate - I use white and plain, but you can use milk too, or how about a mixture of all three...
Line baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat.
add the sugar and stir until dissolved, then boil for one minute.
Remove from the heat and stir in the fruit, nuts and cream, mixing well.
Drop SMALL teaspoon blobs onto the baking trays, allowing room for the florentines to spread out - you may need 3 baking sheets, or like me, get the paper ready to put the next batch in once one is done.
Bake at 180 C for 10 mins, or until they are golden brown.
Once out of the oven, you can use a knife the neaten up the edges, by pushing the mixture inwards.
Leave them to cool on the baking paper for 5 mins, before lifting them off and onto a cooling rack for another 20 mins or more.
By this time they should be hardened. This will be the time to coat the backs with chocolate.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water.
Cool for 10-15 mins, and just as it is beginning to set, spread it over the back of the florentines.
Leave the chocolate to set fully before sneaking a taste!
A bit of effort, but well worth it as a special treat!
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