Recipe - Chocolate, Cherry & Honeycomb Parfait

Ingredients

200g chocolate - I used milk as I'm not a massive fan of dark chocolate but the choice is yours!
85g blanched almonds
150g margarine
85g glace cherries
100g dried cranberries

For the honeycomb:

5tbsp granulated sugar
2tbsp golden syrup
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method to the madness

Begin by making the honeycomb. Generously grease a baking tray with vegetable oil. Melt the sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan over a low heat. Once it has all melted together turn up the heat until it bubbles into a gorgeous caramel colour.

Whisk in the bicarbonate of soda. The syrup will foam up and once it has pour it immediately into the greased baking tray and set aside in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Once set whack with a knife until you have broken it all up.

Line a loaf tin with enough clingfilm so there is some clingfilm hanging over the edge and try to make it as crease-free as possible. Roughly chop up the almonds before moving on to the chocolate mix.

Break up the chocolate into a glass bowl and add the margarine before heating over a pan of simmering water until they are melted together.

Take the bowl off the heat and stir in the chopped honeycomb, almonds, cherries and cranberries.

Spoon the mixture in to the tin and fold the overhanging clingfilm loosely over the parfait and pop in the freezer for an hour.

Remove from the freezer and transfer the parfait to the fridge until completely set. Once you're ready to serve, carefully lift the parfait from the tin, unwrap the clingfilm and cut into slices.

I think the second time I make this I will pour the mixture straight from the pan into the tin and freeze. I let the mixture cool for too long and as such the butter slightly separated itself. The mixture is a gooey, sticky sugary, melty taste explosion and I would recommend making this.

C x

Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes - Recipe

Today boys and girls is a recipe for something very special indeed which is only right as this is my 50th post on this blog. It is possibly the nicest dessert I have ever made. If, like me, you have already forgotten that you are meant to be on a diet this is perfect…

Ingredients (makes 12) 

Double Chocolate Crust

180g Double Chocolate digestives

60g unsalted butter, melted 

Cheesecake Filling

300g cream cheese, softened to room temperature

130g caster sugar

60g crème fraiche

2 large eggs

100g chocolate chips 

Salted Caramel sauce

200g caster sugar

90g salted butter, cut up into 6 pieces

120ml single cream

1 teaspoon salt

Method to the madness 

First we need to make the mini cheesecakes: 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.

For the crust: In a food processor, pulse the digestives into a fine crumb. Add the butter and pulse until it’s all mixed together. 

Press 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture into the bottom of each liner. You should have enough for 12. Bake for 5 minutes and allow to slightly cool as you prepare the filling.

For the filling: In a food processor mix the cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth. Add the sugar and crème fraiche and whiz on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whizzing on a low speed after each addition. Pour in the mini chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter on top of the crusts until nearly full. 

Bake for 20-23 minutes. The centers may also have risen up quite a bit, but they will deflate as the cheesecakes cool. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature, for at least 1 hour. Transfer to the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least two hours or overnight for best results.

Once those are in the fridge it’s on to the sauce. Salted caramel is like pourable sunshine. It just makes me so darn happy with its sticky sweet and salty goodness. I made enough to cover the cheesecakes and also have loads left over so I can just pour it on top of EVERYTHING. 

Heat the caster sugar in a medium NON STICK saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn or you will have to start all over.

Once the sugar is completely melted (like the above), immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added and stopping to try and take photos is not advisable…..

Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes and then very slowly, drizzle in the cream. 

Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute before removing from the heat and stiring in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using.*

 Pour into a jam jar to keep

Right before serving, top each cheesecake with salted caramel and additional chocolate chips, if desired, I used cookie crumb sprinkles. 

 Cover the cheesecakes tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store cheesecakes (without caramel) in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Admire your masterpieces.

 xxx

*(You can cover the caramel tightly and store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Warm the caramel up for a few seconds before using in a recipe).