Florentines
As it was Father's Day yesterday, I decided to make my dad one of his favourites - florentines! They're always something I had wanted to try, particularly as the good quality ones in the shops are so expensive, compared to the cost of the ingredients!
There are so many variations on florentines, and for the most part, the ingredients in the recipe can be changed around to suit what you enjoy most. I've stuck with a fairly traditional combination, although I've added slightly more fruit.
When putting chocolate on florentines, it is again, down to what you prefer, but also what compliments things better; use dark chocolate if you have a lot of sweet fruit, and milk chocolate if you use citrus. My dad's favourite is milk chocolate and as it was for Father's Day, I went with that!
Florentines are something that I think look best 'rustic', they are traditionally different shapes, because of the way the mixture spreads when it cooks. However, I have included some tips and tricks to show you how to make them a consistent shape and size.
Ingredients
Method
As it was Father's Day yesterday, I decided to make my dad one of his favourites - florentines! They're always something I had wanted to try, particularly as the good quality ones in the shops are so expensive, compared to the cost of the ingredients!
There are so many variations on florentines, and for the most part, the ingredients in the recipe can be changed around to suit what you enjoy most. I've stuck with a fairly traditional combination, although I've added slightly more fruit.
When putting chocolate on florentines, it is again, down to what you prefer, but also what compliments things better; use dark chocolate if you have a lot of sweet fruit, and milk chocolate if you use citrus. My dad's favourite is milk chocolate and as it was for Father's Day, I went with that!
Florentines are something that I think look best 'rustic', they are traditionally different shapes, because of the way the mixture spreads when it cooks. However, I have included some tips and tricks to show you how to make them a consistent shape and size.
Ingredients
- 60g unsalted butter
- 60g caster sugar
- 60g golden syrup
- 60g plain flour
- 30g glace cherries, chopped
- 60g walnuts, chopped
- 60g mixed peel
- 175g milk chocolate, broken into pieces
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180c/350F/Gas 4. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
- In a pan, heat the butter, sugar and golden syrup, on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for around 10 minutes or until the butter and golden syrup has melted, and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Mix the cherries, mixed peel, nuts and flour together and then put them in the pan and stir well.
- On each baking sheet, you will be able to make four florentines, so it will need to be done in batches.
- Put heaped teaspoons of the mixture on the baking sheet, spaced well apart.
- Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until they mixture has spread and turned a golden brown colour.
- Leave to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, and then remove using a palette knife, and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat until you have around 20 florentines.
- Once the florentines have completely cooled, you can coat them in chocolate.
- Heat the chocolate in a bowl, over a pan of simmering water, until melted.
- Turn the florentines upside down on the wire rack (so the smooth side is facing up), and place a teaspoon of chocolate on each one, using a palette knife to spread the chocolate evenly.
- Leave for two hours to set.
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| Top left, the melted butter mixture, top right, the fruit and flour, bottom left, spreading the chocolate on the florentines, bottom right, the finished product using the muffin tin shape. |
Tips, tricks and hints
- You can re-use the same baking sheet, for a new batch of florentines, providing that there is no residual mixture left from the last batch.
- To make perfectly round/consistent florentines, use a muffin tin, line with cupcake cases and only use half a teaspoon of the mixture. They will take around 6 minutes in the oven. Leave to cool completely in the cases before removing.
- You can also use a circular cutter, to make bigger, but more evenly shaped florentines, it's best to do this whilst they're still a bit warm, to stop them from breaking as you try to cut.
- Melt some white chocolate and place in a piping bag with a small nozzle, and drizzle the chocolate on the front of the florentines to add a different presentation.
Different flavour combinations
- Use chopped dried red berries in place of the mixed peel and cherries, and then dip in white chocolate.
- Use no fruit and use different chopped nuts to have a nuttier flavour.
- Instead of putting your florentines on a wire rack, place them over an upside down muffin tin. Use as an alternative to brandy snap baskets and fill with cream!
- Use dried mango and pineapple instead of mixed peel and cherries, and stir some desiccated coconut into white chocolate for a tropical flavour.
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| The florentines as they are, without chocolate! |