Toffee Shards Recipes

Steps:

• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Stir sugar and 2 tblsp of water in a medium saucepan
• Dissolve sugar over low heat.
• Bring to the boil then boil without stirring for 6 minutes or till golden brown.
• Pour toffee onto tray, tilt tray to spread thinly.
• Sprinkle with cachous, cool for one hour to set.
• Break into shards.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 170 C fanforced (190 conventional).
• Grease a 20 cm round cake tin with removable base. Line the base with baking paper.
• Place sugar and water in a small saucepan and warm gently until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat slightly and continue to cook until the liquid turns a light amber/caramel colour.
• Pour the sugar liquid into the cake tin and swirl around the base.
• Place the peeled and quartered pears on the cake tin base, with points touching in the centre to form a flower pattern.
• Beat together the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla essence and zests. Add the melted butter to the mixture.
• Mix the flour into the batter mixture, and then place spoonfuls of the mixture over the pears, aiming to completely cover the pears, but not disturbing their positioning.
• Bake in the oven for 30 -40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre.
• Remove from the oven and carfeully invert onto a plate when still warm. You may that the toffee runs a little or sticks to the paper base. Pull the toffee off and place as shards on the cake surface.

Steps:

• Spray a 15-by-10-inch baking pan, a 16 1/2-by-11 1/2-inch baking pan, and an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable-oil spray. In a heavy 3-quart saucepan, combine butter, 1/2 cup water, corn syrup, and sugar. Clip on a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove sugar crystals. Reduce heat to low; stop stirring. Let mixture come to a boil.
• Let boil, without stirring, until temperature reaches 280 degrees.(soft-crack stage). This will take from 35 minutes to just over an hour; it is essential that the mixture continues to boil. Remove from heat. Without scraping pot, pour into prepared pans as evenly as possible. If needed, use a spatula to smooth. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour.
• After 45 minutes of cooling, melt chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat, stirring with a rubber spatula. Pour over toffee; spread with a spatula if necessary. Let cool about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with nuts; press them into the chocolate.
• Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Using a large knife, lightly score 1 3/4-by-2 3/4-inch rectangles over chocolate. Cut toffee along scored lines; lift pieces out with a spatula. Alternatively, toffee may be broken into shards.

Steps:

• For the ganache, put the chocolate into a large bowl. Heat the cream in a pan until just boiling, then pour it over the chocolate. Leave for 5 mins, then stir until smooth. Put the ganache to one side to thicken and cool, then chill until needed.
• For the caramel sauce, heat the sugar and butter in a pan until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Add the cream, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
• For the brittle, line a baking tray with baking parchment, then put the sugar and 4 tbsp of water in a heavy-based frying pan and heat, without stirring, until golden brown. Stir through the nuts, and pour (in a thin layer) over the parchment. Sprinkle with ½ tsp flaky sea salt and leave to set.
• To serve, drizzle each plate with sauce, heat a large spoon in a cup of hot water, then scoop out a curl of chocolate ganache for each plate. Break the brittle into shards and push a piece into each scoop. Sprinkle with crumbled brittle and add a pinch of sea salt.