Recipes
Pecan caramel bars
1 hour 30 minutes
Preparation time
45 minutes
Cooking time
10
Serves
Ingredients
Sugar-coated pecans
80 ml water
110 g caster sugar
105 g pecans
Pecan caramel
Vegetable oil spray, for greasing
160 ml fresh cream 35% fat
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
¼ tsp salt flakes
80 g caster sugar
25 g liquid glucose
30 g unsalted butter
10 g honey
¼ tsp bi-carb soda
40 g good quality dark couverture chocolate
50 g sugar-coated pecans, from above
Ganache
100 ml fresh cream 35% fat
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
250 g good quality milk couverture chocolate
Finishing
Vegetable oil, for greasing
700 g good quality milk couverture chocolate, for dipping
Miele Accessories
Method
Sugar-coated pecans
- Preheat the oven on Intensive Bake at 160°C.
- Place the water and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat, induction setting 5.
- Add the pecans and continue to boil for 3 minutes.
- Strain the pecans and transfer them onto a lined baking tray.
- Bake in the preheated oven on shelf position 1 for 15 minutes, until dry and crisp.
- Allow to cool completely before roughly chopping.
Pecan caramel
- Lightly grease a 10.5 cm x 21 cm loaf tin with vegetable oil and line it with baking paper.
- Place the cream, vanilla and salt into a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat, induction setting 6. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- On medium-high heat, induction setting 7, caramelise the sugar to a light golden colour while gently stirring with a spatula.
- Carefully pour the boiled cream over the caramel then add the glucose, butter and honey.
- Whisk continuously and bring the caramel to 118°C with a food thermometer.
- Turn off the induction cooktop then add the bi-carb soda and chocolate. Whisk well until completely combined.
- Lastly, add the sugar-coated pecans and mix to incorporate.
- Pour the caramel into the prepared tin and allow to set at room temperature.
Ganache
- Place the cream and vanilla into a saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat, induction setting 8.
- Pour the boiled cream and vanilla over the chocolate then whisk to combine.
- Pour the ganache over the prepared pecan caramel and allow to set overnight, or until firm to the touch.
Finishing
- Using an oiled knife, cut the caramel and ganache into 10 even bars, approximately 2 cm thick.
- To temper the chocolate, place it into a saucepan on medium heat, induction setting 4. Stir continuously until you have 50% solids and 50% liquid. Remove from the heat and stir vigorously until the solids have completely melted.
- Dip each bar into the tempered chocolate and sprinkle with the remaining sugar-coated pecans.
- Allow to set at room temperature.
Applicance Functions
Kirsten Tibballs
Kirsten Tibballs, proclaimed by MasterChef Australia as ‘the Queen of Chocolate’, is one of Australia’s most celebrated and internationally respected pastry chefs and chocolatiers.
With a desire to pass on her knowledge to other passionate food lovers and professional pastry chefs, Kirsten established Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in 2002 in Brunswick, Melbourne. Savour creates an opportunity for students to learn from and work alongside their award-winning chefs. It boasts a state of the art kitchen and hosts a number of renowned international pastry chefs each year.