Baci Di Dama

INGREDIENTS

• 50g plain flour

• 15g cocoa

• 50g butter, softened

• 50g ground hazelnuts, You can also grind your own, make sure you get the nuts without the brown skin, and blend with the sugar in a food processor. The sugar stops it turning in to a butter.

  If you can not find the hazelnuts, ground almonds will still be delicious.

• 50g caster sugar,

• 70g fine milk chocolate, an switch to dark chocolate if you prefer

BACI DI DAMA – ladies kisses 

1.     Place all the dry ingredients on to a clean counter and make a well.  Add the softened butter to the centre of the well. 

2.      Combine and make into log, add flour to hands if becomes sticky – you want it to be relatively dry.

3.     Wrap with cling film and place in the fridge (20 minutes minimum).

4.     Cut in to 8g pieces and form round balls, place in fridge (20 minutes minimum)

5.     Pre heat oven to 160 degrees, 

6.     Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper and place the cooled balls on to them. 

7.     Bake for 20-25 minutes.

8.     Allow to cool on cooling rack. 

9.     Once cooled, melt the chocolate and seal two biscuits together to make the Baci Di Dama. 

Orange and Strawberry Financiers – makes 12

For the financiers

·      200g unsalted butter

·      120g ground almonds

·      230g caster sugar

·      80g plain flour

·      Zest of 2 oranges

·      200g 2chicks egg whites

For the fruit glaze

·      50g liquid glucose – dr oetker

·      30g caster sugar

·      80ml water

·      1 tbs honey – any is fine

·      Juice of 1 orange

·      ½ tsp vanilla paste

For the decoration

·      1 orange

·      200g strawberries

·      Fresh mint sprigs

Method – preheat the oven to 210 fan

1.     Put the butter in a medium saucepan and melt and heat to beurre noisette. Remove from the heat and pass through a sieve into a jug. Put in the fridge for ten mins to cool slightly.

2.     Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, make a well in the center and slowly whisk in the egg whites. Slowly pour in the butter and whisk until fully combined

3.     Put the batter in a piping bag/jug and pour evenly into the moulds, bake for 5 minutes then reduce the temperature to 180 and bake for a further 10 minutes. Leave to cool in the mould for 5 minutes then take out and cool on a rack.

4.     Make the glaze, add all the ingredients to a saucepan bring to the boil and reduce to a syrup, leave to cool then coat the cakes.

5.     Prepare the fruit, cut the ends off the orange and with the orange flat on a chopping board work around the fruit cutting down along the segments taking off the pith and skin, leaving the fruit. Run the knife through each segment to release it so you have all the orange segments with no skin or pith attached. Cut each of the segments in half. Slice the bigger end of the strawberries off and slice vertically into 3mm pieces

6.     Arrange the strawberries and oranges on the financier, starting from the back, orange, then strawberry and repeat so you have covered the top of the cake. Warm the glaze if needed and brush on the fruit. Decorate with a small mint leaf.

Pate Sable Biscuits -

Makes around 290-300g makes 18-20 biscuits with a 7cm cutter

If well wrapped will keep in the fridge for a week or the freezer for up to 3 months

·       125g plain flour

·       100g butter , room temp

·       50g icing sugar, sifted

·       Pinch of salt

·       1 egg yolk

·       Egg wash – 1 egg yolk with 1 tbs milk

·       Flaked almonds

Method – preheat the oven to 180 fan

1.     Heap the flour on a work surface and make a well. Put in the butter, icing sugar and salt. Working with your finger tips mix and cream the butter with the icing sugar and salt, then add the egg yolks and work them in with your finger tips.

2.     Slowly draw the flour into the centre and continue to work delicately with your fingers until you have a homogenous dough.

3.     Using the palm of your hand push the dough away from you 3 or 4 times until it is completely smooth. Wrap in cling film until ready to use.

4.     Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick and stamp out the desired number of biscuits.

5.     Place them on a baking tray, brush with egg wash and arrange 5-6 almonds on each one depending on size.

6.     Bake for 8 minutes. Leave on the tray for a few minutes then move to a rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.