I have always been a fan of refreshing desserts, preferably with fresh fruit. While deeply chocolate desserts are impressive and famed, I have always striven for the balance between sweet and slightly tart, just enough to brighten up the flavour, without the heavy sugary feel.
Old-fashioned desserts have an unmistakable charm that makes all generations love them. Together with the forgiving nature of the tiffin, it is such a delight in an immensely simple form.
A very humble sugar syrup, some chocolate, ground pistachios, and a few raspberries, for good measure. The balance is such a delight, too; with the depth of flavour coming from the dark chocolate, along with a burst of fresh summer flavour from every hidden raspberry in each slice.
A lovely mix of sweetness, tartness, and a slight bit of crunch, this tiffin stays nice and soft even served directly from the refrigerator, so it is quite handy for the little ones. And as a final note, it can be made completely vegan, by using beet sugar, vegan butter, and a jam made adequately.
Ingredients
200 grams granulated sugar
135 ml cold water
150 grams butter
150 grams dark chocolate
150 grams ground pistachios
125 grams vanilla cookie crumbs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
100 grams thick raspberry jam
150 grams raspberries, frozen
Preparation
Chop up the chocolate into shards, and dice the butter into cubes of equal size. It will not make a difference whether the butter is cold or softened up at room temperature. Take all of the other ingredients and arrange them so you can work quickly after the syrup is done. Take a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add in the sugar, pour the cold water over it, and gently swirl the pan so all of the sugar is coated. Place the pan over high heat and bring it to a boil. Let it boil, without stirring, for 3 minutes, then remove it from the heat. Add in the butter and the chocolate, and briskly whisk until all is melted into the syrup.
Add the ground pistachios and the biscuit crumbs, and mix vigorously, switching to a spatula at this point, for easier folding. After all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, add in the frozen raspberries, jam, and the vanilla, and mix everything together. At this point, the batter will still be somewhat soft. Line a small rectangular pan with a removable bottom (18x18 cm) with baking parchment, pour in the batter, level it, and place it into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. When ready to serve, slice it up into 9 large squares, and serve with some additional chopped pistachios and frozen raspberries. Yields 9 large servings.
