Florentines

I didn't think there could be anything more wonderful than the combination of caramel, nuts and chocolate that is the Florentine. Those crazy American's (and more specifically Thomas Keller of Bouchon Bakery) have proved me wrong. The addition of a layer of shortcrust pastry in their florentines is pure genius, making them more substantial and biscuity than the original wafer-like kind, and possibly even more delicious.
 

Things I have learnt from making florentines...

It took a surprisingly long amount of time to get the caramel dark enough when heating in the pan, and you do need to stir continuously otherwise it will catch and burn, leaving a bitter taste in your florentines

There is no need to spend too long trying to smooth the caramel covered nuts out beforehand. They tend to clump together rather, but when you bake them the caramel will softer again and the filling will even itself out

It is tricky to catch the chocolate at just the right moment to make the pretty patterns on the back. I ended up trying to do it too soon and then sweeping most of the chocolate off the top. I think it must take a lot of practice to pick just the right moment, which sounds like the perfect excuse to make some more!
 

 

Florentines: makes 24 squares

(adapted from this florentine recipe)

 

For the pastry:

200g plain flour

100g unsalted butter

½ teaspoon salt

3-4 tablespoons cold water

• Make the pastry as per the instructions in this link
• Preheat the oven to 180°C
• Line a baking tray with parchment and roll out the pastry to a thin sheet a little larger than the tray Place the pastry on top of the parchment, pushing the pastry into the corner and edges and trimming off the excess where necessary
• Cover with another piece of parchment paper followed by some baking beans
• Bake in the oven for 15 minutes before removing the parchment and baking for another 15 minutes
• Leave to cool in the tin whilst you make the florentine topping

85g butter

150g caster sugar

3 tablespoons of golden syrup

1/3 cup double cream

1 cup of sliced almonds

½ cup chopped pistachios

½ cup diced candied orange peel

¼ cup plain flour

100g dark chocolate

• Heat the butter, sugar, syrup and cream over a medium heat until the butter melts
• Turn up the heat slightly and bring to the boil, stirring continuously to prevent the mixture catching
• Boil until the mixture thickens and becomes a good caramel colour
• Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the flour, followed by the nuts and candied peel
• Spread the mixture over the pre baked pastry shell
• Bake in the oven at 175°C for 20-25 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool
• Trim off any rough pastry edges and flip over so the pastry layer is on top
• Melt the chocolate and spread over the pastry in a thin, even layer
• Leave to set for a minute or two before using a pastry comb to make wavey patterns in the chocolate
• Cut into squares just before the chocolate is completely set
• Store in an airtight container for up to a week