No bake chocolate caramel biscuit slice
250g packet Arnott’s salada original biscuits
200g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
3 tsp vegetable oil
Caramel
2 cups (500ml) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup golden syrup
125g butter, chopped
2 tbs (40ml) full cream milk
1 Grease a 18cm x 28cm (base) slab pan. Line the base and sides with baking paper, extending paper above the pan edges.
2 To make the caramel, combine the condensed milk, brown sugar, golden syrup and butter in a large microwave safe pyrex bowl or jug (see jb tips) and slightly thickened. Microwave uncovered, in 1-minute bursts on High/100%, for 5-8 minutes (this will depend on the power of your microwave), whisking every minute (don’t skip this step) until the mixture turns light caramel and thickened. Stir in milk until well combined. Stand to cool for 10 minutes (if caramel is too hot it will soften biscuits too much).
3 Arrange one-third of the biscuits, in a single layer, over the base of the prepared pan. Spread 1 cup of the warm caramel evenly over the biscuits. Repeat layers two more times so you have three layers of biscuits and caramel. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
4 Melt the chocolate in a heatproof microwave bowl, uncovered, in 1-minute bursts, stirring every minute with a metal spoon until smooth. Stir in the oil. Pour evenly over the slice. Refrigerate overnight until firm.
Remove slice from fridge 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the top with sea salt flakes, cut into pieces and serve.
Jb tips Make sure you use a medium-large (6-8 cups) heatproof glass bowl/jug bowl (like pyrex) that does not too scratches, definitely has no chips as the hot caramel can work its way into the scratches and cause the bowl to break.
Always use a dry tea towel or protective mitts to remove the bowl from the microwave, placing it on a board as its gets very hot.
The beauty of making caramel in the microwave, is its quick, easy and doesn’t burn or scorch on the base.
Watermelon, goats curd salad with Janelle’s chilli lime salt
Serves 6 as side
¼ seedless watermelon, cut into wedges
150g goats’ cheese or soft feta, broken into chunks
Micro herbs or 40g rocket
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve
Optional extras; thinly sliced Quke, baby cucumbers; thinly sliced red onion; kalamata olives; mint leaves
Janelle’s chilli lime salt
2 tbs Asian fried shallots
2 tbs sea salt flakes
1 tsp brown sugar
2 limes, rind finely grated
1 tsp chilli flakes, optional
1 For the chilli lime salt; Place the shallots into a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook shaking pan for 1 minute or until warm. Transfer to small food processor. Add remaining ingredients, process until well combined. Store in a clean air tight jar at room temperature for 3 up to months.
2 Place the watermelon onto a serving platter. Top with goats’ cheese and micro herbs. Just before serving, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, squeeze over the lime wedges and sprinkle generously with chilli lime salt.
3 Delicious with barbecue chicken, lamb, sausages.
Janelle’s Kumato® Chilli Jam
Makes 2 cups
4 birdseye chillies, ends trimmed, seeds in, roughly chopped
4 long red chillies, ends trimmed, seeds in, roughly chopped
1 small red onion, peeled, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large red capsicum, seeds and membrane removed, roughly chopped
500g Kumato® tomatoes, cored removed, chopped
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 3/4 cups (395g) white sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) red wine vinegar
1/2 cup (125ml) port
1 Combine the chillies, onion and garlic in a food processor. Process until very finely chopped. Transfer to a large, heavy-based saucepan, cover with a lid. Place on low heat and cook, covered, for 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or until soft.
2 Meanwhile, place the capsicums into the food processor, pulse until finely chopped.
3 Add the capsicum, Kumato® salt, sugar, vinegar and port to the pan. Stir over medium heat for 8 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.
4 Increase the heat to high and boil, stirring often for 30-45 minutes until thick and jam-like. Spoon hot jam into hot sterilised jars or cold jam into cold sterilized jars. Seal and allow to cool.
5 Keep in the fridge for up to 12 months.
For more fabulous Kumato recipes go to www.perfection.com.au
Janelle’s Chocolate brownies
These are the brownies everyone talks about, they simply are the best and they require no skill. You will know when they are ready the house will be filled with the smell of chocolate!
200g good quality dark chocolate, chopped (like Plaistowe and club)
200g butter, chopped
1/3 cup cocoa powder
11/3 cups caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup self-raising flour
200g good quality white or milk chocolate, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 Preheat oven 180°C no fan (see cooks tip). Grease and line 3cm deep, 2cm deep, 16.5cmx26cm (base) slab pan, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends (you can then lift the brownie out of the pan when cooled).
2 Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, for 2 minutes on High/100%, stirring every minute with a metal spoon until smooth.
3 Stir cocoa powder into the warm chocolate mixture until cocoa dissolves. Stir in sugar and eggs. Mix well.
4 Sift the flours together over the chocolate mixture, stir to combine. Stir in the white or milk chocolate and walnuts. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out with moist crumbs sticking. Cool completely in the pan. Cut into squares to serve.
Janelle’s salted caramel, choc chunk, peanut butter cookies
Makes 4
375g jar peanut butter (Bega brand)
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg
200g milk, dark or white chocolate, chopped into large chunks
2/3 cup thick salted caramel sauce (see recipe below)
Sea salt flakes
1 Preheat oven 180°C fan forced. Line two trays with baking paper.
2 Combine peanut butter, sugar and egg in a bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens, (keep stirring until it does). Add chocolate and stir to combine.
3 Divide the mixture into 4. Shape into 12-14cm rounds on the trays. Make 4-6 small indentations in the top of each cookie and drop spoonfuls of salted caramel into each indentation.
4 Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden, they will feel soft while hot but will firm on cooling (you can smell when they are ready). Allow to cool on trays for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving.
Jb tip you can use smooth, crunchy or super crunch peanut butter but I found Bega works best!
For salted caramel sauce; pour 1 cup white (not caster) sugar into a small clean, dry non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts and turns deep golden. Remove from the heat, carefully pour 1 cup thickened cream (sugar will spit a little and turn to toffee). Return pan to medium-high heat, cook stirring constantly for 5-8 minutes until the toffee dissolves and sauce is smooth. Bring to gentle boil, boil, without stirring for 5 minutes to thicken slightly, sauce will thicken on cooling. Add 2 tsp sea salt flakes, stir to combine. Pour into a heatproof jug and refrigerate until cold and thick. Sauce will keep 3 months in the fridge.