Salted Caramel Choc Chip Brownies and Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce

Salted Caramel Choc Chip Brownies and Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce

One of my foodie obsessions in recent years has been Salted Caramel.  I noticed it creeping onto menus and cookery shows several years ago, then a few chocolate, salt and caramel combinations started to appear on the supermarket shelves and my life was complete.

I’ve since added a wonderful Caramel Sauce to my cooking repertoire - I often use it as a topping for Vanilla ice-cream.  However a sauce needs a plate mate, so I have been experimenting with tray bakes and brownies.  This is the nicest recipe that I found and it incorporates the caramel sauce as an ingredient.

The original recipe used a sauce made from melted shop bought soft toffees but I prefer to make my own.  If you choose to cheat, use 300g of soft toffees with three teaspoons of cream, microwaved for 2 minutes (stir every 20 seconds).

Ingredients Caramel Sauce

225 g granulated sugar

295 ml double cream

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 vanilla pod

Method

Heat the sugar over a low heat.  When the sugar begins to bubble and melt around the edges, use a heatproof spatula to push the sugar towards the centre of the pan.  Continue to stir gently until all the sugar has melted. Once the caramel reaches a deep amber colour, quickly remove the pan from the heat.  Take care not to overcook; a burnt sauce is bitter, unpleasant and pretty much unusable.

Pour in half of the cream, whilst whisking hard (the sauce will bubble actively).  Stir until incorporated, and then whisk in the remaining cream. Stir in the vanilla extract, seeds from the pod and the salt. 

If any hard sugar has formed, stir the caramel over a very low heat until the hardened pieces have melted and you have a smooth sauce.

Decant any leftover sauce into jars and store in the ‘fridge.

Ingredients Brownies

315 g plain flour


1/2 tsp table salt


1/2 tsp baking powder

175 g butter, melted, cooled

175 g light brown sugar


100 g granulated sugar


1 large egg


1 large egg yolk


2 teaspoons vanilla extract


200 g chocolate chips
(this can be expensive so I chop bars of chocolate into chunks by hand)

Caramel sauce (see recipe)

Sea salt, for sprinkling

Method

Prepare by preheating oven to 170 C and lining a deep sided 11” tray with baking parchment.  Mix flour, table salt and baking powder.  In a separate bowl mix butter and sugars, then add eggs and vanilla and mix a little more.  Add flour and combine, then stir in chocolate chips.

Put half the cookie dough in the pan, then top with a layer of caramel sauce, sprinkled with sea salt.  Add the additional dough until covered, and a little more sea salt on top.

Bake for half an hour and allow to cool a little.

Serve the brownies warm with good quality Vanilla ice-cream, drizzled with  Caramel Sauce.

REVIEW : THE SUFFOLK KITCHEN - CHELTENHAM

Seasonal food at The Suffolk Kitchen……Ali Nightingale finds the restaurant has all the right ingredients.

It takes a bold and confident caterer, one who knows his onions, to open a new restaurant in a town that is brimming with eateries of all descriptions, but Cheltenham is lucky to have Simon Davies raising his head above the economic parapet, for he is a man with his finger on the pulse of ethical food trends.

Whilst many restaurants pay lip service to seasonal and local produce, it is the central ethos behind his recently opened Suffolk Kitchen, at the heart of every dish.  This is not just a fashionable food philosophy; any chef worth their salt knows that the best tastes are coaxed from food without air miles, fresh from the local terrain.  The Suffolk Kitchen also source meat reared within shouting distance of the Cotswold Hills, which benefits the local economy.  

I was impressed by the ‘Brit Crop’ sensibility of the menu, but there was also a definite hint of European flair added to the indigenous ingredients.  Starters included a soufflé made with Hereford Hop Cheese, and Ox Cheek with an oyster reduction and radish salad (Beef and Oyster is such an Olde English combination, yet this assembly of ingredients was modern to the max).  The clever balance of traditional and contemporary British cooking is what makes the Suffolk Kitchen a stand-out establishment for me.

Mr. N got his selection spot on, homing in on the Pigeon Breast and wild garlic blini, served with red wine jus.  I cheekily pilfered half of his portion; one bite was just not enough.  The pigeon was moist, delicately gamey, with the almost liver like texture that a good chef can achieve when the cooking is timed perfectly.  The blini pancake was light as a cloud, with a gentle hint of wild garlic.  I asked Simon where they sourced the herb – I can never find it - and was informed that it was foraged that morning from a local green space.  Now that is proactive regional sourcing at its best.  I chose a simple seasonal cauliflower soup, which was given another textural dimension with the addition of Simon Weaver (Artisan Cheese-maker) Blue Brie profiteroles.

The Chef’s signature pork tenderloin did not disappoint; I have never eaten such a tender hog.  This was served with a black pudding mash, but the star of the show was (as always) on my husband’s plate.  His fillet steak was perfect, but the accompanying little choux puffs stuffed with Hereford snails were memorable and exquisite.

Puddings were a delight, and I was not surprised to find out that chef Gareth Blackmore was a pastry specialist.  Top marks for the homemade white chocolate ice-cream.

We loved the ambience of the restaurant; a smart yet homely space.  Service was attentive and helpful, linens are crisp and white, the wine list is superb value (I applaud SK selling English wines from the local Three Choirs vineyard) and the set menu available at lunchtime and early doors is easy on the pocket at £14.95 for 3 courses, including a glass of wine.

Verdict: A relaxed atmosphere and affordable, exciting menu is a winning combination.  A cut-above the usual Bistro experience.  The fresh and local produce in the hands of a skilled chef delivers on flavour, concept and style.  Highly recommended.