A few nights ago I had a quiet evening here at Struan Farm, and found myself on FoodTV watching "The Great British Bake Off." I always learn something from Mary Berry. This segued into "Nigella Kitchen," for part of an episode called "Don't Knock It Till You've Tried It." (Do we think Nigella's getting a wee bit defensive after the avo on toast fiasco? Perhaps a tad.)
The first dish she made was "Sweet and Salty Crunchy Nut Bars." I guess I would characterise this as a concoction, made with melted chocolate, butter, golden syrup, salted peanuts and crushed Crunchy Bars. The biggest decision with this recipe is whether to use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or a mixture thereof. Since milk chocolate is too sweet for my taste, I decided to give it a go using Whittaker's Dark Chocolate. The chocolate, butter and syrup are melted together on the stovetop then mixed with the nuts and crushed Crunchies and put into a tin in the fridge for several hours before cutting into slabs or wedges.
Nigella makes everything seem a naughty treat, and these would be no exception. They are easy to make, but very rich, even when made entirely with dark chocolate. I'm feeling so guilty that I'm thinking I should have prefaced this post by saying that John and I have been eating an exceptionally healthy diet to date in the New Year, mostly zucchini and tomatoes. I've sampled one in the interest of research, but after all our healthy eating, one small one is feeling like one too many, a lead weight sitting in my gut. Don't think we can stomach these. They're too much, Nigella!
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