Name: Adriano Zumbo: Cranberry-rosemary Florentine bars
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 125 gm flaked almonds; 150 gm Tasmanian leatherwood honey; 100 ml pouring cream; 35 gm liquid glucose; 15 gm glacé cherries, finely chopped; 35 gm dried cranberries, finely chopped, plus extra whole, to serve; 350 gm dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped; To serve: rosemary leaves and coarsely chopped pistachios; Rosemary sablé; 25 gm caster sugar; 1½ tbsp rosemary leaves; 50 gm (1/3 cup) plain flour; 35 gm cold unsalted butter, diced; 2 tsp lightly beaten egg; Pistachio and rosemary ganache; 60 ml (¼ cup) pouring cream; ½ cup (loosely packed) rosemary leaves; 115 gm good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped; 20 gm pistachio kernels, pounded in a mortar and pestle until finely crushed; 1 tsp liquid glucose; 25 gm softened butter

Adriano Zumbo: Cranberry-rosemary Florentine bars

Australian Gourmet Traveller Christmas dessert recipe for cranberry-rosemary Florentine bars by Adriano Zumbo.

Serves 16

Prep

40M

Cook

40M

Total

1H 20M

“These were inspired partly by stuffing mix from Christmas, with the rosemary, but made into a chocolate. The secret here is to not overcook them or the sugars become too reduced and they become too hard.” You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

125 gm flaked almonds

150 gm Tasmanian leatherwood honey

100 ml pouring cream

35 gm liquid glucose

15 gm glacé cherries, finely chopped

35 gm dried cranberries, finely chopped, plus extra whole, to serve

350 gm dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped

To serve: rosemary leaves and coarsely chopped pistachios

Rosemary sablé

25 gm caster sugar

1½ tbsp rosemary leaves

50 gm (1/3 cup) plain flour

35 gm cold unsalted butter, diced

2 tsp lightly beaten egg

Pistachio and rosemary ganache

60 ml (¼ cup) pouring cream

½ cup (loosely packed) rosemary leaves

115 gm good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped

20 gm pistachio kernels, pounded in a mortar and pestle until finely crushed

1 tsp liquid glucose

25 gm softened butter

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 180C. Spread almonds on an oven tray and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden (5-7 minutes), set aside. Stir honey, cream and glucose in a saucepan over medium-high heat until combined, then cook until mixture reaches 123C on a sugar thermometer (10-12 minutes). Stir in almonds, cranberries and cherries, then spoon into a 22cm-square cake pan lined with baking paper, smooth top and refrigerate until set (1-2 hours).

2.Meanwhile, for rosemary sablé, reduce oven to 160C. Process sugar and rosemary in a small food processor or spice grinder until finely chopped, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add flour and butter and rub in with your fingertips until fine crumbs form. Add egg, mix until a dough just forms (don’t overwork it) then flatten into a square, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest (1-2 hours). Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 7mm thick, cut into 1cm squares and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake until golden (10-15 minutes), cool completely and coarsely crush.

3.For pistachio and rosemary ganache, process cream and rosemary in a small food processor to break down leaves, transfer to a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, stand for 20 minutes to infuse, then bring back to the boil. Combine chocolate, pistachio and glucose in a heatproof bowl, strain over cream mixture and stir to combine. Stir in butter, fold in rosemary sablé (reserve 16 pieces to garnish). Pour over almond mixture, smooth top, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate until firm (6 hours-overnight), turn out and cut into 3cm x 9cm bars.

4. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Dip bars into chocolate, shaking off excess, and place on trays lined with baking paper. Decorate each bar with a rosemary leaf, a cranberry, a pistachio and a little remaining rosemary sablé, then refrigerate until set (10-15 minutes). Cranberry-rosemary Florentine bars will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.