PEANUT BRITTLE

Many Australians have fond memories of their dads dragging them into Darrell Lea confectionery shops to gather soft liquorice and peanut brittle. In the lead-up to our New York restaurant debut, we had the task of filling loads of Waterford crystal jars for the bon bon trolley, and this brittle fitted the bill perfectly — although I seem to remember our chef de cuisine losing a crown from his tooth whilst munching merrily. Eater, beware!

MAKES ABOUT 350 G (12 OZ)

120 g (4¼ oz) peanuts

200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

25 g (1 oz) butter

Preheat the oven to 150ºC (300ºF/Gas 2). Spread the peanuts on a baking tray and roast for 5–10 minutes, or until golden.

Put the sugar and 100 ml (3½ fl oz) of water in a heavy-based saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar.

Increase the heat and cook to a dark golden caramel colour — about 160ºC (320ºF) on a sugar thermometer; this will take about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter.

Spread the roasted nuts over a silicon baking mat and pour the caramel over.

Place another silicon baking mat on top and use a rolling pin to make an even layer. Allow to cool.

Once set, break the peanut brittle into pieces. It will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

SLINKY SILICON

If you don’t have a silicon baking mat, you can use sheets of baking paper instead, but there are difficulties with using paper as the mixture sticks a bit. It’s best to spend some money and get a silicon baking mat, as I’m sure making this recipe will not be a one-off!