Toad in the hole and Millionaire's squares

Well now that the house is back to normal with just the usual amount of chaos (!) and we have eaten the results of the cookery classes, it's time to start adding a few new ones to the blog.

Yesterday I made caramel millionaire's squares. I have never made them before, they always look delicious in cafes but are almost always a disappointment. I think they need to be eaten while still very fresh.

I got the recipe from the condensed milk tin and it could not be simpler.

Millionaire's squares

First make the base, you can make a shortbread biscuit base with 25g melted butter and 200g crushed shortbread biscuits but having no biscuits, i just made a pastry base and blind baked it first. (Recipe is in an older entry, you will find it if you search on the side bar)
Then make the caramel. I used a large non-stick frying pan.

Melt
150g soft dark brown sugar
150g butter
until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
Then add
1 tin of condensed milk.
Stir occasionally and wait for the caramel to start bubbling, take it off the heat and pour over the pastry/biscuit base.
Allow to cool and then put in the fridge until set. (It won't harden, but will firm up a little.

Melt 200g chocolate (milk/dark) and pour over the top, spreading evenly.
Put it back in the fridge so the chocolate hardens and cut into squares.

They are rich, but very tasty. I would say if you leave them too long the pastry could go very dry. Thar won't be a problem in my house, the kids have taken to checking on them every half hour to make sure they are still there for dessert after dinner!

For lunch today, we made mini Toad in the Hole.

The kids loved it, and Robyn made the batter. Unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures, but next time.

First put a little sunflower oil into each cup of a muffin tray.

Put it into the oven and preheat to 200c. You want the oil to reach that temperature too.

Next cook 12 sausages or 24 cocktail sausages until cooked. Cut the large ones in two.

Make the batter by whisking

110g plain flour

2 eggs

pinch of salt

300ml milk

until smooth with no lumps until the consistency of cream.

When the oven hits its heat, take out the muffin tray carefully. The oil will be very hot.

Put two halves of the sausage, or two cocktail sausages in each section and fill with batter. The mixture should  make 12 exactly.

As quickly as you can put the tray back in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until they are puffy and golden brown. They will rise up dramatically.

Robyn likes sitting in front of the oven and watches them rise!!!

Who needs TV?!

When out of the oven they collapse a little. If you leave them to cool for a couple of munutes they shrink and are easier to remove from the tray.

We had them with fried onions and onion gravy (instant) Not the healthiest combo, but it was just what we needed on a horrible rainy day.