Nigella’s Sweet and Salty Crunch Nut Bars

I love Nigella, and was lucky enough to get her latest book, Kitchen, for Christmas. DH was really taken with this recipe and encouraged me to make it… Oh, it was rich! But, not surprisingly, it disappeared pretty quickly! Next time (she says, feeling the kilos pile on her hips just thinking about it!) I might try it with all milk chocolate, as Nigella herself says she prefers.

Ingredients:

200g milk chocolate

100g dark chocolate

125g unsalted butter

1 x 15ml tbsp golden syrup

250g salted peanuts

2 x 80g Crunchie bars

Line a spongeroll tin with cooking paper. Nigella suggests disposable foil tins as an option too.

Melt the butter and golden syrup on a low heat in a heavy based pan. Break up the chocolate and add to the golden sludge.

Put the peanuts into a mixing bowl and crumble in the Crunchie bars.

When the chocolate mixture has just melted, pour it over the nuts and honeycomb and stir together.

Pour into prepared tin, and spread out and flatten as much as you can using a silicon spatula.

Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before cutting into chunks or wedges – depending on your tin of choice.

Makes about 20 pieces.

Dessert Island Discs: Pavlova

Not mine - this pav was made by Aussie ubercook Donna Hay. Photo by Chris Court.

Time to up the sugar intake! If it’s a special occasion around here – particularly Christmas or someone’s birthday – then the dessert of choice is pavlova and whipped (chantilly) cream. My husband can eat one all by himself, and has been known to have leftovers for breakfast.

Pavlova is a meringue dessert native to New Zealand, named after the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova. The best kinds are crunchy on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside. Here is my favourite recipe:

4 egg whites (ensure they are at room temperature)

Beat with electric beaters until stiff white peaks.

Add one cup of caster (superfine) white sugar.

Beat until stiff (about 20 minutes).

Shortly before finished, add

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 tablespoon cornflour.

Pour onto non-stick baking paper on an oven tray. Try to keep the circumference of the pavlova about 20cm, and build up as high as possible to make more marshmallow in the centre. I like to tease out the edges to make crunchy peaks.

Bake at 110degC for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to 60degC to cook a further 45 minutes. Leave in the warm oven overnight.

Shortly before serving, cover with whipped (chantilly) cream and fresh berries or chocolate chips/shavings.

Bon appetit!

Again, not mine - but it does look very yummy!