Ian’s Aunt – Jane – cleared out her attic. I have, therefore, inherited her entire series of Cordon Bleu cookery magazines from the 70s.

So, I’m flicking through them, expecting to laugh, snort and chortle at the antiquity of the style, presentation and structure of the recipes, but no. Oh no, no, no.

Yes, there are some recipes that are utterly outdated and some that look downright unpleasant (not that that’s the sole domain of older cookery publications – plenty of contemporary recipe books have made me turn my lip in the classic ‘bleeeech’ pose). There are some frankly, unnecessary things to do with gelatine and some equally odd uses of rabbit blood, but there is also good, solid cookery information and clever, thoughtful responses to desperate correspondence.
As I’m reading through them, my Mum informs me that she too had these publications, but when they were bound together as themed books. Reading through the recipes brought memories flooding back for her.
She even found the pigeon recipe she made the night that, on bringing the plates to the table, she tripped over the cat, threw the dinner all over the floor, put her back out and then made us all eat hairy, tepid bird. That was a fantastic night as you can imagine. Full of light-hearted, glass-half-full conversation. Not.

There are some very, very inspiring recipes too.

This is one of them. Bizarrely, it’s titled ‘pains de seigle’. Now that’s just silly, because that means ‘rye bread’ and this recipe no more resembles rye bread than a jug of rabbit’s blood, but I’m thinking they thought it needed a French name and Friday afternoon came so quickly that someone signed it off so they could rush home to whip up an Apple Charlotte.

I too have been struggling with an English name for it, so I’m beginning to get why they just went with the generic smear of French…
Anyway, these are like a chewy macaroon – a delicious, sweet, nutty, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside (Armadillo!) cookie, moreish to the point of obsession and wonderful with anything. Make them. This recipe deserves to be made, because it works. I’m tiring of recipes that are crap – despite their protestations that they have been tested for a domestic setting – they are crap and they don’t work.

This one isn’t like that. It’s a darling; a darling joy to make.

First, the brittle. Over a low heat, melt 1½oz caster sugar in a saucepan with 1½oz almonds.

Once melted and browning nicely, keep moving it around with a metal spoon until but they get a bit darker for a good flavour

That’s better.

Pour out on to an oiled baking sheet and leave to cool and harden. (I lifted it up to show the solidity and to break a piece off to taste – I’m thoughtful like that)

Once cold, crush into a course powder. I used my mini chopper, but a rolling pin, grinder, mincer, whatever will suffice.

There.

Now to the cookies. Heat the oven to GM4/350F/180C.

Put 4oz ground almonds, 4oz caster sugar and a mean 1oz plain flour into a bowl.

Lightly beat two egg whites with a fork, then add about ¾ of them to the mix and work in. (I say ‘work’, but it clumped in with a fork – nothing stressful) Keep the remaining ¼ of the egg whites – we’ll get to them in a minute.

Add 2oz of the praline and work that in too.

Take teaspoons of the mixture

and roll into little balls – this one was a bit too big. The smaller, the more chewy they are.

Dip first into the remaining egg white

then roll in some icing sugar

then place on a lined baking sheet – - they are quite sticky, so do line the baking sheet with something; silpat, baking parchment or rice paper.

I used my Silpat but that was only because I couldn’t find my rice paper. I don’t know how I’ve managed to lose it.
Ian bought it for me.
“Pick me up some rice paper would you, please darling?” I asked.
“Yes, darling” he said.
He returned later in the day with about 3000 sheets of the stuff. I mean, how much rice paper can one human use – and more to the point, how does one lose that quantity?

Anyway. Bake for around 15 minutes, then cool them on a wire rack. I used my dear little spatula to release them

Once cooled, store them in an airtight tin. Chewy on the outer bit – a bit fudgy in the middle. It’s all good.

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Chewy Almond Brittle Cookies

PRINT THIS RECIPE (opens in a new window)

Praline powder
1½ oz caster sugar
1½oz almonds

Melt together in a saucepan over a low heat. Once turning light brown, stir with a metal spoon until nut-brown.
Turn out onto an oiled plate or baking sheet and allow to cool and harden.
Crush into course powder with a grinder, processor or rolling pin.
You need 2oz.

Cookie recipe

4oz ground almonds
4oz caster sugar
scant 1oz plain flour
2 egg whites, lightly beaten with a fork
2oz praline powder
icing sugar

Line a baking sheet with rice paper, baking parchment or silpat.
Preheat oven to GM4/180C/350F

Mix the ground almonds, caster and flour in a bowl.
Moisten with ¾ of the egg whites and work in.

Add the praline to the clumps and work that in evenly to a paste.

Take small teaspoons of the mixture and roll into balls.
Dip each ball in the remaining egg white, then roll in icing sugar.
Place each one on the lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool.