Chocolate Biscuit Pudding

One of my all time favorite desserts, this chocolate biscuit pudding is very light and super creamy. A breeze to prepare and a guaranteed hit! It was passed on to me by my sister in law.

Ingredients

2 Egg yolks

1.5 tbs sugar

50g cubed unsalted butter (at room temperature)

125ml double cream or thick cream or whipping cream 

125g dark cooking chocolate (and a little extra, grated for garnishing)

35-40 Marie biscuits (if unavailable, any plain biscuit should do)

Milk to soak the biscuits in (a cup and a bit should do)

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbs brandy or rum (optional)

Handful of chopped cashew nuts for garnishing (optional)

Method

Beat the yolks and sugar together till it forms a smooth very pale yellow mixture. Add in the cubes of butter one by one. Add in the vanilla and the brandy. Keep beating till all the butter is well combined.

Double boil the chocolate till completely melted. Set aside to cool a bit.

Once the egg and sugar mixture is ready, pour in the melted chocolate and beat till combined.

In a separate bowl, beat the cream till it forms soft peaks. 

Fold in the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture. Fold till mixture is well combined.

Soak each Marie biscuit in milk (do not over soak such that the biscuit falls apart, it should retain its shape and still be slightly crunchy in the middle) and layer in a glass dish. Pour in a fraction of the chocolate cream mix and even it out. Soak the remaining biscuits and layer it out. Follow with a layer of the chocolate cream. 

Continue till the biscuits are over. How many layers will depend on the size of your dish. The pudding should be finished off with a layer of the chocolate cream garnished with grated chocolate and chopped cashew nuts.

Note- this isn't meant to be an overly sweet dessert. Keep in mind that depending on how sweet your chocolate and cream is, you may want to slightly tweak the sugar content to suit your tastes. Given the chocolate and cream is very sweet in Sri Lanka I use only 1.5 tbs of sugar. But when I make it in Australia where the cream doesn't have a drop of sweetness and when I use a chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa, I add a bit more sugar. It's all upto you, really, how rich or light you want it to be :) 

Enjoy!

Sri Lankan Milk Toffee

These originate from Sri Lanka. In Sinhalese they are referred to as 'kiri toffee' which directly translates to 'milk toffee'. They are traditionally made on special occasions although in the recent past they have become more readily available in supermarkets, bakeries, etc. across Sri Lanka. There is nothing however like homemade milk toffees. It's pretty easy to make although I should probably warn you that like most sweets/desserts in Sri Lanka these milk toffees are super sweet. I often have them with a cup of freshly brewed black tea (without sugar of course!)

So here is the recipe:

Ingredients
300g sugar (preferably brown sugar as it gives the toffees a nice colour)
300ml condensed milk
2-3 tbs water
30g chopped cashew nuts (not too finely chopped, you want a bite) - Optional. Tastes just as good without cashew nuts. You can also use chopped sultanas/raisins as a substitute (or use both cashews and sultanas!)

Method
Combine the sugar with the water and place pan on medium heat till the sugar begins to dissolve. Do not stir once on heat as the sugar will crystalise.

Once the sugar is melted, pour in the condensed milk and keep stirring till it becomes thick and gooey and takes on some colour. This takes a while. Let the mixture bubble away till it becomes a brown gooey mess. Many make the mistake of taking the mixture off the heat too early. Similarly, you don't want to keep it for too long that you burn the sugar! A good indicator to know the mixture is ready is when it starts leaving the sides of the pan.

Here's a picture from Google images for a guide on the exact colour you're after:

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=milk+toffees&hl=en&client=safari&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=lC7kUKzKN4jWrQeBhICQCg&ved=0CDoQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=672

About a minute before the mixture comes off the heat, add the chopped cashews/sultanas and mix well till combined. 

Prepare a 20cm (or smaller) square baking tray by lining it with baking paper and then brushing the baking paper lightly with a bit of butter.

Once the mixture is ready, pour into baking tray, spread it so its even, and set aside to cool for about 5-10 mins. You don't want for the mixture to set completely as you will not be able to cut neat pieces of toffee. Slightly unset in the middle is a good indicator to start cutting the mixture.

This recipe should make around 20-30 toffees depending how big or small your squares are.

Enjoy!