In the #Bond_age_Pod Episode 2, we discussed some delectable delights that you, too, can make at home to worship your favorite James Bond.
Krissy’s Cookies:
Sean Connery’s Chocolate Toffee Bars
(Level of Difficulty: Low)
Ingredients
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup sweet flaked coconut
¾ cup toffee bits
½ cup slivered almonds
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
⅓ cup white granulated sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, cold
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease a 13″ x 9″ cake pan and line with parchment paper overlapping two sides for easy removal.
COMBINE chocolate chips, coconut, toffee bits and almonds in a large bowl. Set aside.
MIX in a separate bowl, flour, sugar and almond extract if using. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly using a pastry blender or two knives. Press firmly into prepared pan.
BAKE in preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until light golden
POUR sweetened condensed milk evenly over crust. Sprinkle with chocolate chip mixture.
RETURN to preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool; cut into bars.
Lazenby’s Piz Gloria Almond Toffee Cresents
(Level of Difficulty: Low)
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup ground almonds or almond flour
1 cup icing sugar
1 Cup unsalted butter, room temp.
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup toffee bits
Confectioners sugar For dusting
Instructions
POSITION two oven racks in the top and two bottom thirds of your stove. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift flour and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
ADD whole almonds and icing sugar to a food processor and grind them together until they reach a flour-like consistency. If using pre-ground almond flour, simply mix it together with the icing sugar in a separate bowl and set aside.
BEAT butter until fluffy with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl. Addthe almond-icing sugar mix and then vanilla to the butter and continue to mix until smooth.
ADD the flour slowl into the butter mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon until dough starts to form. Add Toffee Bits and knead them into the dough with your hands until evenly distributed.
PINCH off rounded tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into 2 1/2 inch logs. Bend them into Crescent or Knotted Shapes then taper them at the tips. Place on baking sheets.
PLACE one baking sheet on the top rack and one baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 12 minutes. Switch racks and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
REMOVE from oven and let cookies cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets. Then transfer cookies to a cooling rack or plate to cool completely. Using a sifter, sprinkle confectioners sugar all over the cookies to achive a snowy mountain peak look.
Makes about 40 Cookies.
T-Dalt’s Bittersweet Double Chocolate Sable Cookies
(Level of Difficulty: Medium)
Ingredients
1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate (70% cacao or more. No messing around here.)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped white chocolate
2 tbsp sprinkles
Instructions
POSITION racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat to 350F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. Fit a large pastry bag with a #9 or large open star tip.
MICROWAVE dark chocolate on high, 30 sec to 1 min. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. Sift flour with cocoa into a medium bowl. Set aside.
BEAT butter with sugar and salt in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium- high, until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and melted dark chocolate. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until smooth. Dough will be firm.
SPOON half of the batter into pastry bag. Pipe into large shell shapes 1 in. apart on prepared sheets by squeezing very hard, letting the batter fan out before pulling the bag toward you to form a point. Refill bag with remaining batter and repeat.
BAKE in top and bottom thirds of oven, switching sheets halfway through, until tops of cookies are firm, 12 to 13 min. Cool on sheets 5 min. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
MICROWAVE white chocolate on high 1 min. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Dip the point of each cookie in melted chocolate, or apply with a brush. Sprinkle chocolate sprinkles over white chocolate. Transfer to a rack to dry chocolate completely before serving, at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
Pierce Brosnan’s Candy Cane Biscotti
(Level of Difficulty: Medium)
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp of rum extract (optional)
4 squares chocolate, chopped (dark, milk or white chocolate will work fine depending on one’s tastes)
¾ cup chopped candy canes (any flavour)
Instructions
PREHEAT oven to 325F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Stir flour with baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
BEAT butter with sugar in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high, until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Gather dough together and divide in half on prepared sheet. Shape each portion into a 2-in.-wide and 3/4-in.-high log. Place logs 3 in. apart, as they will spread.
BAKE in the centre of oven until tops are almost firm but still golden, 30 to 35 min. Remove from oven and let stand until loaves are cool enough to touch, about 10 min. Cut each diagonally into 1/2-in. slices. Place a rack on baking sheet. Arrange sliced biscotti on rack, cut-side down. Continue baking until very firm and golden brown, 20 to 30 more min.
SNAP candy canes into smaller pieces into a food processor then pulse candies in 5 second increments until desired texture is achieved.
DIP biscotti into melted dark or white chocolate, then dip into finely chopped candy canes. Let stand until chocolate is firm.
Makes 30-35 Biscotti.
Daniel Craig’s Chai Gingerbread Cookies
(Level of Difficulty: Medium)
Ingredients
Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
2 chai-tea bags
Icing
4 egg whites
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp lemon extract
food colouring
Instructions
STIR flour with spices and baking soda in a large bowl. Slit open tea bags and add the leaves into flour mixture along with spices. In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, beat butter with sugar for 2 min. Beat in the egg, then the molasses. Make a well in centre of flour mixture, then pour in molasses mixture. Stir until most of molasses is absorbed. Gently knead until dough is an even colour. Divide into 4 portions.
SHAPE each portion into a ball, then flatten slightly into a disc. Wrap separately with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 min or up to a week. Or overwrap with foil and freeze up to 1 month.
REMOVE dough from refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature until soft enough to roll, 5 to 10 min. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray or oil a baking sheet. Place a disc of dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Roll dough no thicker than ¼ in. Cut out shapes with cookie cutter. Place on baking sheet about 1 in. apart.
BAKE in centre of preheated oven just until edges begin to darken, 7 to 10 min. Remove cookies to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.
BEAT egg whites in clean, large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar and lemon extract. Beat at high speed until thickened.
SEPERATE icing into separate bowls for desired colours. Apply icing immediately to fully cooled cookies with spatula or piping bag.
Makes 40 Cookies.
James’ Miscellaneous Pastries of Pleasure
00-Fluffy’s Plum Clafoutis (from Joanne Chang’s Flour cookbook)
ingredients
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted
6 medium plums, pitted and cut into eighths (about 5 cups)
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/3 cup (48g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (240g) milk
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
confectioners’ sugar for dusting
POSITION a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
POUR the melted butter into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, and swirl the dish to coat the bottom and sides with the butter.
In a medium bowl, TOSS the plums with 1/4 c of the sugar and then pour into the baking dish, spreading evenly.
In another medium bowl, WHISK the eggs until blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 sugar, then flour and the salt. Whisk the sugar-flour mixture into the eggs. Then whisk the milk and the vanilla and almost extracts into the egg mixture. Pour the batter over the plums.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the clafoutis is golden brown and puffy. Let cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Dust generously with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.
(The clafoutis tastes best on the day it is baked, but it may be enjoyed the next day for a decadent breakfast or mid-GoldenEye snack. Store covered at room temperature.)
The Smolder’s Bitter-with-a-side-of-sweet Chocolate Tart (also a Joanne Chang recipe)
ingredients
8oz (228g) bittersweet (at least 80% cacao — but I’d go nothing but 90%) chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup (180g) heavy cream
1/2 cup (120g) milk
2 egg yolks
2 T (1/4 stick/28g) unsalted butter, at room temp
1/4 t kosher salt
9-inch pie shell or 10-inch tart shell
1/4 cup (30g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
POSITION rack in the center of oven, heat to 350 degrees F.
PLACE the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and milk and scald over medium-high heat (bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan, but the liquid is not boiling). Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and let sit for about 1 minute, the whisk gently until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Slowly whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. Add the butter and salt and whisk until the butter is thoroughly incorporated.
It is easier to movie the tart around when it is on a baking sheet, so put the pie or tart shell on a baking sheet and pour the chocolate truffle mixture into it. It should fill to the rim of the shell.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges of the chocolate truffle mixture start to set and the middle is still a little jiggly, like Jell-O. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours, or until the filling has set, up to 6 hours. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the top of the tart with the cocoa powder just before serving.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a day. Remove tart from fridge 5 to 6 hours before serving so it comes fully to room temp, then dust with cocoa.
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