What I’m reading: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it on here before, but I have a longstanding obsession with Ann Patchett. I love every book she writes, and this one is no exception. She writes the most astute, observant descriptions about people and their relationships, and her books are always (in my opinion) perfectly paced.
What I’m listening to: Jungle! Live at the Spark Arena in Auckland - brilliant gig
What I’m eating: the most delicious Korean food at Ockhee, Auckland. I couldn’t possibly pick a favourite: the fried chicken was exceptional, the tofu munch with rice cake was unlike anything I’ve ever eaten (in a very good way), the seaweed rice balls were delightful. 10/10




These (florentines) have been on my “to make” list for a long time. I’m not sure if I had ever eaten florentines before, let alone made them. For the uninitiated, florentines are essentially clusters of delicious things (fruit, nuts, seeds etc.) bound together with honey caramel, usually dipped in chocolate.
To be honest, it’s hard to make these look particularly dazzling. They are, after all, mainly comprised of fruit and nuts. Don’t be fooled, though! They’re a textural dream, and the flavours are perfectly balanced - slightly salty, sweet honey-infused caramel, a citrussy/sour kick from the sumac (because candied peel isn’t really my thing), smooth milk choc etc. etc. All I ask is that you try them, but you have to promise that you’ll use your favourite fruit and nuts. If you don’t like apricots, swap them out for dates or dried cranberries. If you can’t stand coconut, use pistachios or pecans instead. The flaked almonds, though, have to stay. Sorry.
I made these at work last week, and after some little tweaks, they became a regular fixture in the cabinet. I knew the recipe was a winner when we were fighting over who got to take home the last tester at the end of the day. In the most recent version we made, we swapped out some of the nuts for little croissant cubes, which we also use in our cereal. I think it’s safe to assume that most people don’t have access to little croissant cubes, but do feel free to substitute different nuts or fruit here according to your preference.
The technique is simple: you make a kind of caramel with cream, sugar and honey, which you boil for a couple of minutes, before adding your fruit and nuts. Then you stir it all together, portion it out onto a baking tray, and bake to your desired consistency (see below). The chocolate base is optional, but highly recommended.
You can alter the texture of the florentines by cooking for different amounts of time. If you boil the caramel for longer at the beginning (for example, hotter than 112C), or if you bake them in the oven for longer at the end (15+ minutes), they will be darker and more crisp. The opposite is also true: for a chewier florentine, feel free to boil the caramel for less time, and bake in the oven for around 10 minutes.
I’ve gone for a cheat’s tempering method for the chocolate here, mainly because I’m not super confident at chocolate work, but also because who has time to do a full temper just to dip a few florentines?? It’s super easy - you just melt roughly 4/5 of the choc in the microwave or in a bain-marie, before adding the remaining 1/5, which brings it back to the right temperature for dipping. I think this is actually called seeding, but you’d have to ask a chocolate expert - it basically just ensures that the chocolate has a bit of a “snap”, and is nice and glossy and smooth.
recipe: florentines
Ingredients
150g cream
150g caster sugar
110g honey
4g salt
2g sumac
50g coconut flakes
40g dried apricots, chopped
40g pistachios, toasted and chopped
60g flaked almonds, toasted
30g dried cranberries
5g sesame seeds
To coat:
200g milk chocolate
Optional: dried rose petals
Method
Preheat the oven to 150C, and line a baking tray with baking paper. If you want perfectly round florentines, place some 8-10cm metal rings on the baking tray, and spray liberally with neutral oil (this is optional but recommended).
Place the cream, sugar and honey in a saucepan over a medium heat, and bring to the boil, whisking occasionally. Boil for approximately 3-5 minutes, or until it reaches 112C.
Remove from the heat, and add the remaining ingredients (except for the chocolate). Stir to combine.
Place the baking tray on a weighing scales, and measure out 40g portions into the rings (or freeform, if you don’t have rings).
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the rings while still warm. Allow to cool fully before dipping.
Place 160g of the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally until it has fully melted. Tip in the remaining 40g, and stir until this, too, has melted. Then dip each florentine in the chocolate, shaking off any excess before leaving to set on a lined tray. Allow to set at room temperature before serving.