PHLORENTINES 2

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Florentines…..

Just looking at this combination of ingredients sitting side by side on my bench today threw me QUICK AS A FLASH back to my childhood.

I have such clear, and wonderful. memories of Mum in the kitchen, spatula in one hand, cooked Florentine in the other, lathering thick lashings of dark chocolate all over the back of the biscuit. After each one was “choclified” she’d place them back, upside down, onto the cooking rack for the chocolate to dry. I’d sit there, silently hoping for her to be extra generous with each biscuit, because excess chocolate meant excess droplets over the edge of the cookie, through the holes in the cooling rack, onto the bench and into my mouth…

Since they ‘had their day’, back in the 70’s and 80’s, Florentines have been revamped, revitalised, reinvented. But there’s a lot to be said for sticking to traditional recipes. Not to say that I don’t experiment and step outside the box when it comes to cooking, but with the Florentine, I think they’re pretty perfect as they are.

So today, you’re getting the authentic recipe, the original one. The one from Mum.

(Oh! I lie! I lie!!! Mum NEVER uses honey when she makes them, and as you will see below I have used honey. Honey acts as a binding agent – in addition to the condensed milk – as Mum found that sometimes hers didn’t stick together so well……. and lie #2 I have actually chucked in some Mixed Peel, as I AM OBSESSED WITH MIXED PEEL……but apart from that……Mums Mums Mums!)

INGREDIENTS

1 x 395g tin Condensed Milk

100g red glace cherries

100g sultanas

80g mixed peel (if you don’t want to use mixed peel – weirdooooo! – use an extra 40g of sultanas and an extra 40g glace cherries)

6 teaspoons honey (we use 5, then 1 at end of mix)

200g roasted, unsalted peanuts

300g cornflakes

400g dark chocolate

METHOD

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Pour condensed milk into bowl.

2) Add chopped cherries

3) Add Sultanas

4) Add mixed peel and then mix it all together!

5) Add 5 teaspoons honey

6) Add peanuts

7) Add cornflakes

8) Mix together well. Be gentle. Fold rather then stir. Some cornflakes will obviously snap but you don’t want them all to! You don’t want to crush them! Your intention is that they stay whole.

9) Place balls of mixture (about 2 tablespoons worth) onto a baking paper lined tray and pop into oven for aboutttttt 13 minutes or until golden brown.

10) Take out and place on cooling rack. Allow to cool RIGHT DOWN. Maybe an hour?! You want them to be firm before you attempt chocolate.

11) Melt chocolate gently in a pan.

12) Dip each biscuit into chocolate and place upside down on cooling rack to dry. Once all done and chocolate is drying / is dry, you can double dip them! Or, you can use a palette knife and get some extra chocolate on the back of each one, that’s what I did. I prefer more chocolate than less, but everyone’s tastes are different.

And you’re done! You can serve them on a white platter, on baking paper…..

Or on a wooden board sitting on a chair!!

But I think they are best suited to a girly afternoon tea party, sitting on a pretty pink Limoges plate! (Wedding gift from the GORGEOUS (Bride to be herself!!) JT!)