Day 22 and uh oh, an old recipe has come to haunt the blog. Yes, the Salted Caramel and Pepper Madeleines have indeed been around before. They were originally featured on my Alice in Wonderland inspired Afternoon Tea and they are one of my favourite recipes to make and eat. The addition of the black pepper really heightens the sweet flavour of these little cakes.
The Popcorn and Cranberry Rocky Road, however, is a completely new recipe to the blog (I promise). It was inspired by American Christmas films and specials I watched growing up. In many of them you would see people stringing popcorn and cranberries onto a string to put onto their trees (not sure how real this tradition is but film and TV really made it seem like it was all over America or something). I thought, well they would be perfect in a recipe together and what’s a more perfect recipe for Christmas than Rocky Road. It harkens back to my teenage-hood when I used to make and give out Rocky Road to all of my friends as presents and even made homemade kits to make Rocky Road as gifts for Christmas itself. It also tastes amazing, which is a big bonus. However, a warning– it’s incredibly moreish so just try and make sure some gets to the buffet table or gift bags, okay?
Salted Caramel and Black Pepper Madeleines
Ingredients:
- 100g Plain Flour, plus extra for your tin
- 100g Caster Sugar
- 100g Melted Butter, plus extra unmelted butter for your tin
- 2 Egg Whites, 1 Egg Yolk
- 1tbsp Salted Caramel, plus extra for top
- 2tsp Cracked Black Pepper, plus extra for top
- 1tsp Vanilla Extract
Method:
- Heat oven to 190C/Gas Mark 5. Butter a 12-hole madeleine mould with your unmelted butter and dust lightly with flour.
- Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl.
- Put the butter, egg yolk, vanilla, pepper and caramel into a separate bowl and whisk with a fork to mix.
- Whisk the two egg whites until stiff.
- Fold the butter mixture into the dry ingredients until evenly mixed, then fold in the egg whites in two batches using the whisk.
- Divide between the prepared moulds.
- Put the madeleine tin on top of a bigger tray.
- Bake for 10-12 mins until golden brown and firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the moulds for a few mins, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. Heat up some salted caramel sauce in the microwave for ten seconds and then drizzle over the top of your madeleines. Crack some black pepper over the top and enjoy.
Popcorn and Cranberry Rocky Road
Ingredients:
- 110g Salted Butter, plus extra for the baking tin
- 200g Good Quality White Chocolate, broken into 1cm pieces
- 3tbsp Honey
- 1 Orange, zested
- 70g Crispy Pretzels
- 80g Popcorn Kernels
- 125g Dried Cranberries
- 50g Mini Marshmallows or large Marshmallows cut smaller
Method:
- Grease an 25cm brownie/square tin and cover the inside with baking paper, using butter to hold it down.
- Place your popcorn kernels in a large microwave-proof bowl. Add a splash of sunflower/vegetable oil and cover with cling-film. Put in the microwave, on high, for 2-4 minutes. When the kernels have a few seconds delay between popping in this time, they’re ready. Remove the clingfilm and put aside to cool.
- Put your pretzels in a freezer bag and, using your hand, break them until you have a range of sizes—from little chunks to half the size etc.
- In a medium pan, put your butter, chocolate, honey and the zest of your orange. Place over a low heat and stir until it has all melted and blended together. Take off the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- Put all your other ingredients in another bowl and add your popcorn (taking care not to add any un-popped kernels) and pretzels.
- Pour over your chocolate mix and stir until it’s all coated. Mix thoroughly as fun treats can get stuck at the bottom otherwise. Season with salt to taste.
- Put your rocky road mix into your prepared tin and spread out evenly.
- Allow it to set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.
- Take out of the tin onto a clean chopping board and cut into squares. Serve and enjoy.
The Literary Onion 