The other day I shared one of my Aunty Audrey’s recipes. She didn’t marry as early as her sisters did (my mum got married in 1948 at the age of twenty-two, her older sister Beryl in 1949 at the age of twenty-four) but Audrey married when she was in her forties (like I did) Unlike me, she didn’t have any children, but she was a most loving and generous aunty to her six nephews and nieces, and later her many great-nephews and nieces. Her Christmas parties were legendary, and her desserts and sweets in particular were many and delicious. She was interested in cooking, and went each week to a cookery class to learn new and different recipes. I have inherited her recipe collection, hand-typed on single sheets of paper, most of them from her class, but many from her sisters and friends.
This recipe is iconic! She could never have a party without serving several plates loaded with these delicious Italian chocolate slices. Because they were so popular, she always made several trays of them, but as she had a lot of other prep to do (food and helping Santa fill his sack!): she would make them in advance and freeze them. Because I was coming from away (the rest of the family lived near her) I would stay over for the weekend and help her preparing everything, When I took the slices from the freezer and cut them up (still frozen so they didn’t crumble) I confess that sometimes (usually) I had to sample one as quality control, and maybe another to make sure!
Aunty Audrey’s Italian Chocolate Slices
1/2 lb slab milk chocolate
2 oz margarine
4 oz caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
4 oz coconut
2 oz chopped glacé cherries
2 oz sultanas or currants
1, melt chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water
2. spread onto a greased Swiss roll tin and leave to set
3. cream margarine and sugar and gradually add the egg, coconut, cherries and fruit
4. spread evenly over the set chocolate, and bake at Mark 2 for about 35 mins
5. take from oven, and while still warm mark out the slices
6. cut into slices when completely cold (keep in fridge if necessary or the chocolate will be soft)
Oven temp: Mark 2/ 300F/ 150C
You may be puzzled by my featured image, Well, I’ve looked everywhere for a picture of Italian slices, or a party scene, but without joy. I searched for anything Italian, and found these delicious ice-creams from Little Italy on Sea, our favourite ice-cream vendor in Burnham-on-Sea.
