BAKING PROJECT

Salam friends,

Ramadhan is just around the corner and as part of  Hari Raya preparation, I am inviting a friend, Chef Gunawan to conduct a Demo class to make Raya Cookies.  Detail of the class is as follows -

How to register – A deposit of RM50 is required to book a seat.  Kindly bank-in to any of  the following account :

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Chef Gunawan specialized in Bakery, Pastries & Confectionery and is an expert in Austrian and Dutch dessert.  Has worked in the following companies – Malaysia International Shipping Corporation, Hotel Impiana KL, Concorde Inn KLIA, Prince Court Medical Centre KL.  Also participated as Judge in cooking shows, conducting cooking demos in TV and functions, and teaching Kemas participants. An active member of the Chef Association of Malaysia.  

After flipping thru a few cookbooks, I decided to try and make Florentine (Florentiner) cookie.  The process sounds simple and my hubby love to munch on this kind of stuff.  The main ingredient is sliced almonds, which I have laying somewhere in the fridge.   One tool you might need to make Florentine is a candy thermometer, but again,  you can do without it, don’t worry.

The recipe : -

Preheat the oven to 175 C.  Take 1 1/2 cup of the almond, mix with the flour and salt.  Put in a blender and grind to small bits (not to powdered state).   Remove and mix with the remaining slice almonds.

In a pan over slow fire, mix the sugar, honey, heavy cream and butter.  Stir with a wooden spoon until all the sugar has dissolved.

Increase the heat and let it boil.  If you have a candy thermometer, heat till 113C/ 235F (about 10 minutes).

Remove the pan and toss in the almond mixture, stir until all is blended, about 1 minute.  Once slightly cool, add the almond essence/ extract.

Line a sheet pan with silpat or parchment paper.  While it is still warm and soft, scoop a tablespoon and flatten it.  Space 2 inch apart to allow for expansion.  Here  I’m using my muffin tin.  Bake for about 20 minutes till golden brown.  Once cool, dip or drizzle with chocolate.  Can be kept for up to a week.

My Florentine turned out quite nice and yummy, but I think I made it too thick resulting in jaw fatigue due to the extra chewing required .  I put about 1 tablespoon in one muffin hole, in the future will try and use 1 teaspoon instead.   This is a great snack to have, though I must admit the butterscotch is sweet.  But to those who love nuts, I bet they would love this.  Try it.