chocolate florentines with pomegranate molasses
Chocolate florentines with pomegranate molasses and sour cherries are chewy and tangy, just the thing to add elegance at the end of a meal. Equally good with a cup of olive leaf infusion for an afternoon pause. The chocolate is not just indulgent, it pairs so well with the sour cherries and the pomegranate molasses. However, you can of course skip the chocolate painting stage. Feel free to substitute sour cherries with cranberries or currants. They’re a bit sweeter but just as chewy.
We based ours on the florentine recipe in Nigella Lawson‘s How to be a domestic goddess. Instead of using double cream, we added Zejd’s pomegranate molasses. Not a lot, but enough to add tartness and bind things together. The mixture is fairly dry, pressing the almonds into a ball as you go helps to stick them together. The citrusy sumac goes so well with the pomegranate molasses, for those who already have it in their cupboard. The flecks of this spice mixed through the almonds, add another layer of sharpness. Dark chocolate, melted and spread on the base, is a regal combination with sour cherries.
Since they don’t take long to make or cook, these come in handy as an emergency pudding. Perhaps the Domestic Goddess herself would serve with some vanilla ice cream!
makes about 16
ingredients
100g almonds, flaked
40g sour cherries, (chopped in half if they look big) or currants or cranberries
25g butter
70g caster sugar
15g plain flour
2 tablespoons of Zejd pomegranate molasses
1 tsp Zejd sumac (optional)
75g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
method
- Melt the butter and sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan on a low heat. The mixture should melt slowly, catch it before it bubbles.
- Add the flour stirring until all is well blended, then remove from the heat.
- Put 2 tablespoons of Zejd’s pomegranate molasses into the saucepan and mix well. If you’re adding sumac, this is the time to do so. Switch on the oven at 190degrees/fan 170 degrees/ Gas 5.
- Tip the almonds and the sour cherries into the mixture and coat as well as you can. The mixture will be quite dry.
- Take a small amount, the size of a conker, and roll it into a ball, pressing the almonds together. Place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Leave enough space for the biscuits to spread. With the back of a spoon, press each one to flatten the top slightly.
- Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes. By which time the biscuits will have flattened and spread. Watch the edges don’t catch and begin to burn. Remove from the oven.
- With 2 teaspoons, while the biscuits are hot, push in the edges to make the florentine a bit more sturdy. Leave on their tray to cool down.
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave. When melted, with a round edged knife or the back of a teaspoon, coat the backs of the florentines (careful removed from the baking paper). Leave them chocolate side up to dry.
These would make a beautiful gift, wrapped up in some tissue paper and tied with a ribbon. Alternatively, put your feet up and enjoy them with a cup of olive leaf infusion!