#florentines

Florentines are up today. I went with Lacey's dark chocolate almond cookies for these. These are definitely one of the more visually interesting cookies.

These are crispy with a good balance of almond, dark chocolate, and toffee flavors. For me, the chocolate is a bit darker than I prefer and toffee is a bit meh so these are just okay.

Niccolò Mauruzi da Tolentino at the Battle of San Romano

I’d never baked Florentine biscuits before -I’m not too keen on the chocolate/citrus combo!- but if I’d been in the Bake Off Tent on Biscuit Week, these Apricot, Nut and Seed Florentines is what I would have baked. They are lovely with a cuppa, both chewy and snap-py, and I reckon they’d make Prue happy!

Ingredients (makes 14):

75 grams/2.65 ounces soft dried apricots

25 grams/1 ounce Blanched Almonds

2 tablespoons pecan halves

3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

50 grams/1¾ ounces unsalted butter

50 grams/1¾ ounces demerara sugar

50 grams/1¾ ounces Lyle’s Golden Syrup

50 grams/1¾ ounces plain flour

150 grams/5.30 ounces good quality dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 180°C/355°F. Line two baking trays with baking paper; seat aside.

Finely chop dried apricots, Blanched Almonds and pecans. Spoon in a bowl; stir in pumpkin seeds. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, demerara sugar and Golden Syrup. Heat over a low flame, until butter is melted.

Remove from the heat and stir in flour, and dried apricot, nut and seed mixture. Stir well to mix.

Spoon 14 tablespoonfuls of the mixture, spacing them well to allow spreading, onto prepared baking trays. 

Place in the hot oven, and bake florentines, at 180°C/355°F, 12 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and lift baking paper sheets off the baking trays, placing them carefully onto a flat surface. Let florentines cool and harden completely.

In a medium bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, melt half of the dark chocolate, until smooth and silky. Chop remaining chocolate very roughly. Remove bowl from the heat and stir in remaining chocolate until perfectly smooth and glossy.

Spoon a heaped teaspoon tempered dark chocolate onto the flat surface of each florentine, spreading it evenly. Place biscuits upside down onto a plate or tray, and let chocolate cool and harden completely.

今回は、愛知県犬山市で作られている”入鹿はちみつ”を使ったアーモンドのフロランタン。

この入鹿はちみつは、自然の花々から蜜蜂が集め、巣に蓄えて熟成した天然のはちみつです。

花の種類によって甘さや香りが異なり、消化吸収が良く体に必要なミネラルを含んでいるそう。

たくさんの栄養を含んでいるため体力回復にも効果があり、料理に使うと肉や魚の臭みを和らげてくれる効果もあります。

そんな体にも良いはちみつを使ったフロランタン。

今回は”みかん”の花から採れたはちみつを使ってみました。

ほのかに柑橘のすっきりとした香りのするはちみつ。そこへスライスアーモンドをプラスして、サクサクのシュクレ生地。

シンプルなのに味わい深いお菓子になりました。

サクサクの生地とアーモンドのキャラメル。

濃厚でしっかりしたお菓子には、すっきりとした紅茶がよく合いそう。

可愛くラッピングして、プレゼントにも最適です。

🌲Helka🌲2019.3.20

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