Getting back into the kitchen

If this year has taught me anything it has to be the importance of concentrating on the small things. At a time when so much feels to be out of our control, we’ve all learnt the hard way that making grand plans or trying to look too far ahead is a fool’s errand and bound to end in disappointment. Taking things one day at a time has been my coping mechanism for 2020 and I don’t see much changing as we move into next year.

Thankfully the news about coronavirus vaccines is offering some glimmers of light, all the more so in our case, as my partner’s mother has her first injection tomorrow. She’s recovering slowly from the fall I mentioned in my last post but is well enough to go ahead with this. She’ll then get her second jab in early January and all being well should then be immune to the virus. Unfortunately, she’s getting herself very stressed about it. We’re doing our best to keep her calm but things weren’t helped by yesterday’s news concerning Norwich, where we live, as it appears to be one of the main areas in the UK affected by a new strain of coronavirus. Everyone seems confident it shouldn’t change anything, but it’s yet another example of not knowing what’s just around the corner.

The highpoint for me in the last week was finally getting back into the kitchen. Caring duties had put things on hold but this weekend the urge for something sweet got just too strong. Hopefully, a sign things are getting back to normal, or at least what currently passes for it.

The bake I went for was florentines. Biscuits made with nuts and candied peel which are cooked with sugar, butter and honey. Once the biscuits have cooled they are then coated on one side with chocolate.

They are an ideal bake for these times as you can use whatever dried fruit or nuts you have to hand. A purist will tell you it has to be almonds and apricots but if you fancy having a go, use whatever you have to hand.

I find this recipe makes a dozen good size biscuits

Ingredients

• 50g plain flour
• 25g mixed peel
• 25g dried fruit – finely chopped…I used dates for my bake
• 50g flaked almonds – chopped
• Zest of an orange…you can use lemon zest if you prefer
• 50g butter
• 50g light brown sugar
• 50g golden syrup
• 100g chocolate…I use plain but milk will work

Method

• Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 and line two baking trays
• Combine the flour, peel, dried fruit, nuts and zest in a bowl
• Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan over a low heat. Remove from the heat once the butter has melted and the mixture is bubbling. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes.
• Pour the dry mix into the caramel mixture and stir to combine.
• Use a spoon to place a dozen small rounds of the mixture onto the baking trays. Make sure to leave lots of room between each round as they spread well during baking.
• Bake for 8 minutes. When ready each round should have spread out and turned golden brown.
• Leave the biscuits on the tray for a few minutes before gently removing them to a cooling rack.
• Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water. Once the biscuits are cool use a teaspoon to spread chocolate over one side of each of them.
• Let the chocolate set, I find 30 minutes in the fridge, then serve.