dreamboat slice

Another fun-filled Friday and Saturday (highlights including but not limited to: rugby, coriander aioli, cooper's pale ale, cleaning my bedroom, an early morning ideas and goss-filled walk, lazy afternoon coffees, gingerbread, a brief but hilarious phone call to melbourne while getting ready, and toast for dinner) meant another kitchenless Sunday not spent cooking. I shamefully didn't even leave the house (although I did make it to the couch). It was worth it though; it was grey and miserable and cold outside and there were very few places I would have rather been than bed til midday given the (post-friend's birthday beer and cocktails) state I was in. 

Despite my lack of any cooking that required inspiration or technical skill, I have been having all sorts of food-related (and other) adventures of late. But more about that to follow!  And even though I ate little more than slice after slice of toast and a tin of spaghetti yesterday, on the whole my post-burger detox has been going reasonably well. Oh, except for that time last week when I made this slice.

I've altered it from something my Mum tells me my Grandma used to make; they'd come home from school to a huge slab of what Gran called Caramel Meringue. I'm making a version on Good Morning with the addition of macadamias and coconut tomorrow, and as well as receiving some positive feedback when bragging about it on twitter, it is as good as it sounds (especially if you love, as I do, caramel in particular, but also macadmias). I simply couldn't stop at one slice. I just couldn't. I'd taken the bulk of it to work as a morning tea treat, and saved a few off cuts for the tin at home. Rookie error - when it was just me at home for the evening, after the gym and a healthy dinner, this slice just didn't have a chance of staying out of my belly. It is dreamy. 

Caramel Macadamia Meringue

 Base -                    125g butter

                                2 tbsp sugar

                                1 egg    

                                1 ½ cups plain flour

                                1 ½ tsp baking powder

               

 Filling -              1 tin sweetened condensed milk (395g)

                              knob of butter

                              ½ cup brown sugar

                              2 tbsp golden syrup

                              2 egg yolks

                              1 tsp vanilla essence

                              1 tbsp plain flour

                              ½ cup chopped macadamias

 Topping -             3 egg whites

                            65g caster sugar

                            ½ cup coconut threads

1.      Preheat oven to 180C. Cream butter and sugar until pale. Add egg and continue beating until well incorporated. Add flour and mix with your hands to form a soft dough.

2.        Press dough into a lined and greased sponge roll tin (approx 30cm x 20cm) and bake for 15 minutes.

3.  

         For the caramel, melt together on low-medium heat the condensed milk, butter, sugar, vanilla and golden   syrup. When well combined, add egg yolks and flour. Mix well then allow to cool. 

           For the meringue, beat egg whites until stiff. Sprinkle over sugar while beating and continue to beat until glossy and very firm.

5.      To assemble, pour the caramel mixture over the base. Sprinkle macadamias evenly over the caramel. Carefully add the meringue, and use a rubber spatula to ensure it gets to the edges. Sprinkle over coconut threads.

Bake for 20 minutes. Leave to cool slightly in the pan before carefully removing and slicing into squares.

Eat it and weep!