Millionaire's SHORTBREAD WITH ROSEMARY-INFUSED SALTED caramel

From this link.

Ingredients

225g plain flour

85g caster sugar

315g unsalted butter

1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

4 tbsps golden syrup

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 tsp Maldon sea salt

200g good-quality plain chocolate (at least 70pc cocoa solids)

Method

The rosemary-salted caramel is revolutionary. You would never think to pair the two ingredients, but rosemary adds a mature depth to this normally too-sweet treat. And the basic shortbread recipe is fantastic on its own, too.

Makes: 16 squares

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes

Cooling time: 1 hour

1Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3. Line a 23cm square brownie tin with greaseproof paper. Put the flour and sugar into a bowl and rub in 200g of the butter -- the texture will be sandy but malleable enough to form a ball shape when pushed together. Press this sandy shortbread mixture into the tin and smooth it with your knuckles. Prick it with a fork and bake for five minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 150°C/Gas Mark 2 and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until pale golden and no longer doughy. Let it cool in the tin.

2Melt the remaining 115g butter in a pan over a low heat for two to three minutes, then add the condensed milk, golden syrup and rosemary sprigs.

3Whisk the mixture well until the butter is thoroughly incorporated. Bring it to a slow simmer then, keeping the temperature even, cook for 10 minutes, stirring continuously, until thickened and light golden-brown in colour (this mixture can burn very easily, so never take your eyes off it). Very carefully remove the rosemary from the pan, then pour the sauce evenly over the cooled shortbread. Sprinkle with the salt and leave it to set.

4 Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for one minute and 45 seconds on high, or until fully melted, stirring halfway through. Leave to cool for five minutes, then pour and spread the melted chocolate evenly over the toffee mixture and leave to cool in the fridge for one hour. Once set, cut the caramel shortbread into 16 squares.

The squares can be stored in the fridge, but if you keep them at room temperature for a while the caramel goes lovely and gooey!

Pretzels

From this link

Ingredients

2 free-range eggs
350g/12¼oz plain flour
250g/8¾oz cheddar, grated, plus extra for topping
250g/8¾oz butter, softened
2 tbsp caraway seeds
salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Whisk one of the eggs in a bowl. Beat in the flour, cheese, butter, one tablespoon of the caraway seeds and a pinch of salt until the mixture comes together as a dough. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
3. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 1cm/½in thickness. Using a pretzel cutter or a biscuit cutter, cut the pretzels out and place onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. (you may need more than one baking tray.)
4. Beat the remaining egg in a bowl and brush over pretzels. Sprinkle the remaining caraway seeds over the pretzels and the extra grated cheese.
5. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Scotch Eggs

From this link

Ingredients

8 free-range eggs
500g/17½oz pork sausage meat
1 tsp dried sage
½ tsp dried thyme
pinch cayenne pepper
½tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp plain flour
125g/4½oz fresh white breadcrumbs
vegetable oil, for deep frying

Method

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook six of the eggs for 4-5 minutes until they are medium- to hard-boiled. Drain and run under cold water until cooled (this will prevent the yolks from discolouring). Peel and set aside. Beat the remaining two eggs together in a bowl and set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix together the sausage meat, sage, thyme, cayenne pepper and freshly ground black pepper until well combined.
3. Divide the sausage mixture evenly into six portions. Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten out to form a thin patty. Wrap each patty around the peeled boiled eggs, smoothing out the join and making sure there is no egg left exposed.
4. Roll the scotch eggs in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg and roll in the fresh breadcrumbs. Dip the coated eggs once more in the egg, then again in the breadcrumbs.
5. Half-fill a deep, heavy-based pan with the vegetable oil and heat to 170C/340F, checking the temperature with a digital thermometer (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended). Fry the scotch eggs in small batches for 4-5 minutes, turning the eggs occasionally, or until golden-brown all over and cooked through. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
6. Serve the scotch eggs immediately, sliced in half to reveal the soft yolk.