Caramel Slice

The Apple store in Castle Towers has opened and I went to the grand opening with my friends. I got an oversized T-shirt, which was cool. You should all go and check it out, though apparently it's not as big as the one in the city. I wouldn't know, I've never been.

I've loved caramel slice ever since a Year 3 friend gave me a piece of her's. It was sweet, chewy and delicious. My mum would never let me buy one at he shops, though, because she thought it was too sweet. I've always put off making caramel slice because I didn't have the right pan size, but I got one from my recent trip to Victoria's Basement. I ran out of butter(!) when making the chocolate layer so I just used plain cooking chocolate. Next time, I shall use better quality chocolate.

My mum said they were nice, but a tad sweeter than she would prefer. She said it would taste better with chopped nuts. Whatever - I liked them (so did my friend and his mum) and that's all that matters.

Butterscotch Self-Saucing Pudding

I GOT A BLOWTORCH!!!!!!! So happy.

 

I have mentioned before that I rarely make things I have before. Last week I tried out a self-saucing pudding recipe from Taste. Quite simply, it blew my mind. It was rich but not too sweet, and the sauce was thick and delicious. I tweaked the recipe, adding more water and golden syrup for more sauce.

We had it with cream, and everyone loved it. The top is crunchy, but underneath is a soft spongey cake. The sauce is thick and works perfectly. My sister was about to cry when she realised there was none left. I promised I will make it again, which I did. I made it again this Friday with the same delicious result.

I couldn't believe that such a simple recipe could be so delicious. I am waiting to buy a can of Butane gas so I can finally used my new blowtorch.

Hmmm... What should I set on fire first?

Caramelised Croissant Pudding

I am so sorry it's been so long since my last post. It is currently school exams and I have been cramming like mad (yeah right...), and my blog has been bugging me so I thought I'd just pop by. I haven't been very busy cooking, due to exams, and I don't have much time now, this post will be fairly short. The recipe is also short, but insanely delicious. But beware, it certainly can't be good for your waistline.

The recipe is Caramelised Croissant Pudding, from Nigella Lawson. I just love Nigella's recipes as they are simple, unpretentious and dare to use full-fat everything. It's fine to dabble in strange and exotic recipes once in a while, but there's beauty in simplicity. I have made this recipe twice in two weeks, that's how much I love it. It's extremely easy and delicious. My family says it's too sweet, so for those without even the tiniest sweet tooth... don't bother. All that is in this pudding is sugar, water, milk, cream, eggs, a shot of alcohol and croissants (preferably butter).

I say it is extremely easy, but there is a step which calls for heating sugar and water until deep caramel-coloured. That may sound daunting, but it's not. Simply pour the sugar and water into a saucepan and heat on high heat. Do not be timid and heat on low, crank it up! It'll reach the right stage in no time. Another thing is to keep stirring while pouring in the cream. It foams up because the cream boils instantly, but keep stirring, because if you don't lumps of sugar will form. That's what happened the second time, but if you heat on low and stir constantly, the lumps disappear. Do not worry if there are lumps of cooked egg in the 'custard' mixture, because once baked, it blends into the rest of the pudding.

If you have stale croissants (or even fresh ones) lying around, please try it out! Well, it's back to study for me. My next post will probably be after my exams finish, so nothing from me for at least a week. Bye!

Recipe

Obtained here.

Serves 2 greedy people

2 stale croissants

100g caster sugar

2 x 15ml tablespoons water

125ml double cream

125ml full-fat milk

2 x 15ml tablespoons bourbon (Can substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, or omit)

2 eggs, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

2. Tear the croissants into pieces and put in a small gratin dish about 500ml (I used a lid of a Pyrex dish).

3. Put the caster sugar and water into a saucepan, and swirl around to help dissolve the sugar before putting the saucepan on the hob over a medium to high heat.

4. Caramelize the sugar and water mixture by letting it bubble away, without stirring, until it all turns a deep amber colour; this will take 3–5 minutes. Keep looking but don’t be too timid.

5. Turn heat down to low and add the cream – ignoring all spluttering – and, whisking away, the milk and bourbon. Any solid toffee that forms in the pan will dissolve easily if you keep whisking over low heat. Take off the heat and, still whisking, add the beaten eggs.

6. Pour the caramel bourbon custard over the croissants and leave to steep for 10 minutes if the croissants are very stale.

 7. Place in the oven for 20 minutes and prepare to swoon.