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Tea at Number 10 – these would take the biscuit
Clare Latimer passes round a jar of homemade chocolate cookies that should help the Prime Minister decide on a favourite
SOME of you may have seen my comments in the national papers last month about Gordon Brown’s lonely eating habits at 10 Downing Street in the evenings and how he heats his meals in the microwave.
Last week he could not make up his mind about what biscuits he likes and in the end he said any biscuit as long as it involved chocolate.
Well, I thought this week I would help him choose some good ones as there are many very nasty cheap chocolate biscuits and I would hate for more depressing things to happen to him at the moment. The kind of biscuit we choose defines our characters so I hope he can make up his mind soon.
Rocky Road
The easiest way to weigh the syrup is to place the tin on the scales and spoon out the amount you require, deducting it from the original weight marked on the scales. It saves a sticky weighing bowl and a great deal of wasted syrup. You can use ginger biscuits instead of the digestives.
Ingredients
Makes about 24 pieces
225g packet digestive biscuits
125g butter
100g mixed dried fruit
100g mini marshmallows
1 tbsp cocoa powder
125g golden syrup
225g plain chocolate
1 desp instant coffee powder.
Method
Crush the biscuits in a bowl, using the end of a rolling pin, until they resemble rough breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the fruit, marshmallows, cocoa powder and golden syrup.
Stir well until blended. Add the biscuit crumbs and mix well. Put the mixture into a 23cm x 35cm shallow baking tray and press down evenly and firmly.
Melt the black chocolate with 2 tablespoons of water and the coffee powder over a low heat, stirring to prevent the chocolate sticking to the pan. Pour over the top of the biscuit mixture and leave to set. When cold, cut into squares or fingers.
Jammie Dodgers
These biscuits can be cut into shapes and then, so that Gordon Brown can still have his chocolate, I have suggested that, for example, if you do shapes of reindeer you can dip the hooves into the chocolate and perhaps the antlers.
Stars could be half dipped, and for Halloween, perhaps witches heads with the hat dipped. Have a go at making your own shapes.
Ingredients
225g unsalted butter, softened
100g caster sugar
200g plain flour
100g ground almonds
Some smooth strawberry jam
50g plain chocolate.
Method
Put the butter, sugar, flour and ground almonds into a food processor and mix until it forms a ball.
Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for at least one hour. Preheat the oven to 140C / 275F / gas 1. Divide the mixture into two.
Sprinkle a little plain flour over your work surface and roll out one ball of pastry. The dough should be approximately 5mm thick. Using a cutter shape of your choice and cut out as many shapes as you can. Then lightly knead the dough trimmings together and roll out again.
Carefully place the shapes on a baking sheet, making sure you keep them slightly apart as they will expand when cooking.
Roll out the second ball of dough the same way. Cut out the same shapes as you will be doubling each biscuit, and place them on a baking sheet.
Now cut out a small circle in each biscuit in an appropriate place (for example, for a witches head perhaps two eyes ) using a small sharp pointed knife then cook the biscuits for 20-30 minutes or until just golden. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
When cold place a blob of jam onto the centre of the biscuits without the cut-out circle.
Place the top halves of the biscuits on and push down gently.
Melt the chocolate in a small saucepan with a teaspoon water to prevent it sticking over a very low heat.
Stir continuously. When smooth and melted, using a pastry brush, paint the part of the biscuit that you want to colour and then leave to cool and set.
Serve within two days. |
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