Alison Holst’s ‘Food Facts' Rich chocolate log

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 10

Alison Holst’s ‘Food Facts' Rich chocolate log

This is a candy rather than a cake. The logs are refrigerated and cut into thin slices just before serving. You need: Vi tin caramelised condensed milk (boiled 2 hours) 1% pkts (225 g easy-to-melt cooking chocolate Vs tsp vanilla Vz tsp rum essence (or more vanilla) Yz cup toasted almonds Vz cup toasted sunflower seeds Vz cup walnuts Vz cup red and/or green cherries BMs cup dried fruit, chopped if large, e.g. finely chopped dried apricots and prunes First caramelise the condensed milk by boiling the tin for two hours. Next toast all the nuts (on a shallow tray, 10cm from griller) turning frequently until straw coloured. Break the cooking chocolate into cubes and melt over hot water taking care not to let any water get into the bowl. Measure the warm, caramelised condensed milk into a bowl, add the essences and stir to mix. Have the toasted nuts and chopped fruit ready.

Remove the chocolate from the heat as soon as it is melted so that it is smooth. Tip it into the consensed milk and mix until combined. Work quite Juickly because the conensed milk causes the chocolate to stiffen; Stir in the nuts and fruit. Tip the mixture out in a blobby sort of strip along the centre of a piece of

plastic wrap about 75cm (30 inches) long. Fold the side edges of the plastic together, then fold them over each other until you have the chocolate mixture enclosed in a plastic tube. Now work with the chocolate mixture until ti forms a long sausage as long as the plastic. Twist it in the centre to make 2 sausages then again so you

have four sausages. Cut the plastic between the sausages and refrigerate until quite firm. Unwrap each sausage, roll in chopped toasted nuts (any type you like) then re-wrap in more plastic film. Wrap attractively, giving instructions for use.

Refrigerate, cutting in thin slices with a sharp or serrated knife.