Sunday, 19th June – it has been a while since the last post. I guess we all have phases where we loose focus for one reason or another. And one day you find this focus again. And I wanted to find a new approach with this blog. What makes more sense is to have simple recipes, easy to realise, which does not take a lot of time, does not require great technique or sofisticated material. Go back to simple things. And here comes this shortbread recipe, which I tasted a while ago. Tasting it once again, and that was it. The same sensations came back: smooth caramel, melting biscuit and crunchy chocolate. This is not the lightest one but so delicious.

INGREDIENTS

Shortbread

• 225g flour
• 175g cold butter
• 75g sugar

Caramel

• 150g butter
• 390g condensed milk
• 200g sugar

Icing

• 350g dark chocolate

PREPARATION

Shortbread

Material: oven, food processor, baking tin, baking paper, knife

Time: 5 minutes

1. Preheat your oven at 150°C.
2. Cut the cold butter in small cubes. Combine the flour and the cubes of butter in the bowl of the food processor and mix briefly until you get crumbs.
3. Add the sugar, and mix again briefly. Do not hesitate to shake the bowl to make sure everything is mixed.
4. Put baking paper in the baking tin. Add the preparation and make sure that it is spread on all the surface. I used a brownie baking tin. Press firmly with your hands to even and pack it.
5. Bake the shortbread for 30 minutes. It should start to take a golden colour. Take out of the oven and let cool down.

Caramel

Material: sauce pan, wooden spoon

Time: 15 minutes

1. Put the butter, condensed milk and sugar in a saucepan and melt it. Stir from time to time until the butter has completely melt.
2. Take the preparation to a boil, and stir. It should get thicker and start caramelized. Once it turns golden, take out of the heat and let cool down.
3. Put on top of the shortbread. To fasten the cooling down, put the shortbread with caramel in the fridge while you are taking care of the chocolate icing.

Icing

Material: big saucepan, small saucepan, wooden spoon, big knife

Time: 5 minutes

1. Prepare a hot-water bath with the big and the small saucepans (i.e. put water in the big saucepan, placing the small saucepan inside the big saucepan; be careful not to put too much water – there should still be 3 cm until the top of the big saucepan when the small saucepan is inside).
2. Place the chocolate cut in little pieces inside the small saucepan, and let melt. Stir occasionnally.
3. Once completely melted, take it out of the heat. Let cool down a little bit.
4. Take the shortbread out of the fridge and pour the chocolate on top of it.
5. Let completely cool down. Until the chocolate gets hard.
6. Cut in cubes.