Mary Berry's Florentines

As recently featured on The Great British Bake Off, I absolutely had to give these a try! The recipe is Mary Berry's taken from the Good Food Website.

Ingredients 

(Makes 18)

50g butter

50g demerara sugar

50g golden syrup

50g plain flour 

25g glacé cherries or dried cranberries finely chopped

50g candied peel

25g chopped almonds

25g walnut peices finely chopped 

200g dark chocolate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line 3 baking trays with greaseproof paper.

2. Measure the butter, sugar and golden syrup into a medium saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted.

3. Remove from the heat and add the flour, cherries or cranberries, candied peel, almonds and walnuts, stir to combine.

4. Spoon 6 teaspoons full of the mixture into each of the 3 baking trays, well spaced out to allow for spread in the oven. 

5. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden. Timing is crucial, not long enough and they won't set to a crisp once cooled, too long and they will catch and burn.

6. Using a pallet knife, lift them from the paper onto cooling racks to cool completely.

7. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water in a pan, ensuring the bowl doesn't touch the water. Use a chocolate thermometer to heat the chocolate to exactly 53 degrees to temper it, as you stir it you will notice it becomes glossy and shiny. 

8. Remove the chocolate from the heat and continue to stir until it reaches 23 degrees, then spread it onto the back if each of your cooled Florentines. Mark the chocolate with a fork, creating wiggly/ zig-zag lines in it. Then leave to set completely! 

9. Store in an airtight container until ready to enjoy.

Mediteranean Chicken One Pot

Adapted from Delia's Chicken Basque recipe, this has become a firm favourite. I always love a one pot for convenience in the week, but the lovely flavours make this taste like more of a weekend treat! 

Ingredients 

(Serves 4)

4 whole chicken legs 

3 peppers, one red, one yellow, one green, cut into quarters 

2 onions, quartered and broken up

150g sliced chorizo 

50g sundried tomatoes in oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

50g black olives 

1 orange, thinly sliced

Easy cook rice measured to 225ml in a measuring jug 

1 tsp hot paprika

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme 

1 tbsp sundried tomato paste 

275ml chicken stock

175ml white wine 

2 tbsp olive oil 

Salt and pepper 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

2. Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper then place skin side down in a hot, ovenproof pan with a little olive oil in the bottom. Fry until the skin becomes crisp and brown then turn to seal all over. Remove from the pan and set aside for later.

3. Add a little more oil to the pan and fry the onions and peppers for a few minutes until the onions soften and the peppers begin to char a little. Add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes more. 

4. Add the paprika, chorizo and sundried tomatoes to the pan and stir for a couple of minutes until the chorizo releases some of it's fat and colour. Pour in the wine and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan and cook off the alcohol.

5. Add the rice to the pan, followed by the stock, tomato purée, thyme, olives and a little salt and pepper to season, stir everything together and bring up to a gentle boil.

6. Place the chicken skin side up back in the pan on top of the rice, then lay the slices of orange on top. Place a lid on the pan or cover it in foil, and pop it in the oven for 1 hour.

7. Remove from the oven, check the chicken is cooked through and serve.