Picnic Slices
 

These are one of my ultimate favourite comfort snacks.  Possibly, nay probably, the best of the childhood treats that we had when I was growing up.  They are an old family recipe passed down from my great-grandma to my grandad who then passed it down to my mum.  I now have the recipe in my hands, handwritten on an A5 sheet of yellowing lined paper which is stuck to a piece of grey cardboard.  These little beauties are a family classic.

The magic of the Picnic Slice comes from the glorious textures.  The coconut and dried fruit topping is sweet, rich and sticky-chewy, with little bursts of raisin or juicy glace cherry. The chocolate then adds the extra texture, the extra dimension to make these one of the finest treats there is.  Generally, I believe that chocolate should be at room temperature when eaten otherwise there is an unnatural ‘crack’ to it and the fats don’t melt over the tongue in the same oozy way.  These slices are the exception to this belief.  When cold, the chocolate layer provides a snapping on the other side of the soft chewiness and that completes the bite.  A flapjack is one of the greatest things in this world.  Picnic Slices are better.

For the first time since starting Pencil&Spoon I am writing about something that I haven’t cooked myself.  My mum made these.  Only a month ago my grandad visited with a tray of these for us.  His mum, my great-grandma, made them for him and my mum.  You make picnic slices for the ones you love to see them smile.  I am going to write this recipe as it is written in front of me now.  This is the recipe that has always been followed and always will be - why mess with perfection.  Look out for the warning which comes at the end, but don’t feel the need to listen to it – I don’t quite understand it myself.

·        8oz milk chocolate
·        4oz desiccated coconut
·        2oz butter or margarine – I’m sure it is always made with marge
·        2oz raisins or sultanas
·        4oz caster sugar
·        2oz glace cherries
·        1 beaten egg 

“Heat the oven to gas mark 2 (150C in new money) and grease an 11” by 7” tin.  Break the chocolate and melt in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water.  Pour the melted chocolate into the tin and allow to set. 

“Cream the fat and sugar, add egg and other ingredients (coconut and dried fruit).  Spread evenly over chocolate, bake until golden – about 45 minutes.  Take from the oven once cooked, allow to cool a little then mark out 16 slices.  Lift from tin when cold.

“It is advisable not to eat more than one per day because the richness of the mixture sets off violent internal reactions.”  (I have never had such an experience, the only reactions I get are of complete joy, and desire to have another.)

Will you really want a beer with this?  I guess not, but every other recipe comes with a suggestion and this one will be no different.  The chocolate flavour dominates the palate with bursts of sugar and dried fruit and the sweetness is pretty unrelenting so you will need a big old brute of a beer to stand up for itself.  Think something strong and bitter with a big malt blanket wrapped around it, an imperial stout perhaps with full flavours of dark chocolate, dried fruit, brandy and winter berries.  If you don’t fancy going imperial then maybe a Rochefort 10, a special beer for a special treat, with big booze, fruit and nut, and a roast bitterness to finish, or a Guinness Foreign Extra at 7.5% would be up to the task, and it is more readily available.  To be honest, the best alternative is to stick the kettle on and make a cup of tea – that’s how we do it in my house, and that’s how my grandad does it in his house.