Saturday, 9 February 2008

Peppermint Caramel Dessert



This is a sinfully rich dessert that is always a hit. Made popular by St Elmo's pizza restaurant chain in South Africa, it is sweetly simple and easy to make.

You'll need a can of caramel for it - if you can't find tinned caramel, make your own by submerging a can of condensed milk in a pan of water and boiling for a couple of hours. Keep an eye on it and top up with boiling water as needed. Please wait for the caramel to cool before opening! I usually boil 2 or 3 cans at the same time and stash them in my pantry for use when needed. Because sometimes you just need caramel!

Okay, you'll need the following:

1 can caramel
half a pint of whipping cream
mint chocolate - a slab or two, up to you (traditionally this is made with Peppermint Crisp but I can't get it here so I use Peppermint Aero)
Plain vanilla cookies (traditionally this is made with Tennis Biscuits but I can't get them here so I use malted milks -I've also used shortbread)

First, whip your cream. Whenever I make whipped cream I always add a little castor sugar and vanilla essence (this makes it Chantilly cream).

Next, whip your caramel so it's smooth and soft.

Then finely chop up your mint chocolate.

Crush the cookies.

You're ready to begin! Take a glass bowl, tumbler or wineglass. Put a couple of tablespoons of crushed cookies in the bottom.

Then add a couple of tablespoons of the whipped caramel, and smooth it to the edges to create an even layer.

Sprinkle some of the mint chocolate over. Add a couple of tablespoons of whipped cream.

Now reserve about 8 tablespoons of the whipped cream unless you have squirty cream available, in which case you can use that later. Also reserve a few teaspoons of the chocolate.

Whip the remaining cream, caramel and chocolate together and pour into the glasses. Top with the reserved whipped cream (or squirty cream) and sprinkle the reserved chocolate over the top.



Voila, a pretty dessert! Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 4-6, depending on how big your wine glasses are.

Alternatively, if you'd like to make this dessert for a potluck or something, simply pour all of the crushed cookies into a glass dish, whip all of the cream, caramel and chocolate together and pour that over the cookies. Refrigerate.

18 comments:

Joanne Brown said...

This looks so yummy! And seems quite simple to prepare too. I'll definitely keep this in mind next time we have company :) joanne x

Kirsty said...

Okay that looks nice...but totally different to the way I make it!!
but i happen to have cream in my fridge and it's valentines day tomorrow.
is 1pnt about 500ml?

Rebecca said...

This is a very nice dessert. Thanks jen for making it for me. I'm going to try it for my potluch lunch next week. x

Starla said...

oh good lord that looks and sounds sooooo yummy! and so simple!
so when you boil the milk to make the caramel, you don't have to open up the can to release pressure? i definitely want to give this a try!
thanks for visiting my blog too! :)

Jen said...

Nope, no need to open the can to release pressure. Of course, this is where I put in my disclaimer that I suppose it is possible for the can to explode, but it's never happened to me - so use your own judgement!

Starla said...

ok thanks! i think i shall bravely give it a try. i might go ahead and open it just cause i don't use caramel that often that i would make and then store away anyways. :) i have no will power. if i had that sitting around....oh my

Tanya said...

That looks divine. It's presentation is great too! I will have to try this!

neoinileias said...

you have very interesting blog

RoeH said...

That sounds so incredibly good I might HAVE to try it someday. I've boiled evaporated milk before and I could just eat all of that and be happy the rest of my life.

eldivenlerim said...

great recipes;) this dessert looks very yummy....

Jen said...

Oh my good graciousness. I love your site. From your kindred spirit in California, I can't wait to try some of these recipes. I love cooking and creating but I don't delve into desserts nearly as often as I should. Thanks for the link!

ROXY said...

This sounds so good and I love how you've served it in a wine glass. What a pretty presentation for a dinner party! Thanks for sharing:)

Liz Harrell said...

This looks fantastic!
Happy Halloween!
Hugs,
Liz & Mabel

Buzzings of a Queen Bee! said...

Yummy! And thanks for the tip about boiling the condensed milk. I have never tried that before, but it sounds so easy that maybe I won't mess it up! :)
Carrie

Tanya said...

Oh my goodness girl, that looks amazing! What an elegant and delicous dessert option.

Have a great day!

Unknown said...

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My Passport to Style said...

Wowser yummy, will have to try this thanks for sharing!! xx

My Passport to Style said...

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