Chocolate Shortbread Mendiants
Plus, a nourishing soup and a giveaway of Camilla Wynne’s gorgeous new book, Nature’s Candy
This week we are taking a closer look at Camilla Wynne’s new book, Nature’s Candy, which is all about making and using candied fruit. That might sound time-intensive, but before you get all intimidated, this book is a great way to dip your toe into learning the ancient process of preserving fruit with sugar until it’s glistening and gem-like, with flavors and colors not only intact, but enhanced.
Camilla gives us many recipes that incorporate candied fruit, but you don’t have to make it yourself! If you do want to try your hand at it, though, Camilla is the person to show you the way. She makes the process approachable and unintimidating.
I can't think of a better gift than homemade candied orange peels dipped in chocolate. If you agree, Camilla's here to guide you!
As part of my research for another project I’m working on, I asked her if she had ever candied pomegranate seeds. She had not, but suggested I try her “candied fruit lite” method, which involves pouring hot simple syrup over the arils, letting them sit for 24 or so hours, and then gently drying them in a warm oven. You can see them adorning the mendiants I made above. It worked really well!
If you read Kitchen Projects from Nicola Lamb, you might recognize Camilla’s name as a contributor to that newsletter, where she writes about candying, preserving, and baking. Camilla, who hails from Canada, is trained as a master food preserver. She teaches classes, develops recipes, and yes, writes books, all with a focus on preserving. Her previous book was called Jam Bake, which I think tells you what you need to know about the subject matter.
Though Nature’s Candy starts off with a chapter on candying fruit, natch, Camilla goes on to explore cakes, cookies, candy, puddings and pies, fruity-forward desserts, and how to build a pantry stash.
When paging through the book, I was immediately smitten with the Mendiant Shortbread. I love making mendiants, which are just little discs of tempered chocolate festooned with all manner of fruits and nuts. They’re the best first thing to make when you finally teach yourself to temper chocolate. I covered this in a past issue of Susanality (How to Temper Chocolate) if you’d like to give it a try.
But what I love about Camilla’s take on mendiants is that you don’t need to temper chocolate to make them. She uses a creamy ganache made with crème fraîche spread on top of the shortbread. From there, you can decorate according to your whims with candied and dried fruit and nuts. Her version is one big shortbread, cut into wedges, which is perfect for a dinner party. I decided to make individual cookies, which was wholeheartedly endorsed by the author herself. In fact, Camilla told me that’s what she’d been making for her book launch events. Either way, it makes a sweet and beautiful dessert that’s easy to put together.
The Cookie Index
Speaking of cookies: If you’ve been here for any length of time, then you probably already know that sweets — and cookies in particular — are a specialty of mine. You’ll find some 30 recipes in the Susanality Cookie Index, plus tips, techniques, tutorials, and more, including a crash course in cookie baking and how to properly pack a cookie tin. It’s a fabulous resource to bookmark for your holiday baking projects — and paid subscribers get full access!
Enter to win a copy of Nature’s Candy
For a chance to win a copy of Camilla’s beautiful book, leave a comment on this post. This is the first Susanality post of the month, which means there’s no paywall — so today’s giveaway is open to all readers. I’ll choose a winner at random at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, December 9, so leave your comment below by then. I will reply to the winner’s comment to let them know they’ve won. See the bottom of this post for the giveaway fine print1 and click below to leave your note. Good luck!
If you’d like to go the cookie route…
Here are my notes for adapting Camilla’s recipe from a shortbread cake into individual cookies. Follow the recipe below, with a few tweaks:
After Step 2, roll the dough ¼ inch thick
Cut cookies into 2 ½ inch rounds
Bake 15 to 19 minutes (longer for crisper cookies)
I found the dough makes about two dozen cookies with re-rolls. The ganache amount from the original recipe is perfect for this.
Mendiant Shortbread
By Camilla Wynne
Makes 12 wedges
A note from Camilla: This chocolate shortbread is glorious topped with rich crème fraîche ganache, but once you decorate it with the perfect pattern of candied and dried fruits, nuts, and whatever else your heart desires, I’m sorry to say it’s almost too stunning to cut into. All the more reason to make this jumbo homage to the classic French chocolate mendiant as a gift or the finale to a dinner party!
For the shortbread:
230 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
94 g (¾ cup) icing sugar, also known as confectioner's sugar
60 g (2 oz) dark chocolate, melted and cooled
245 g (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
For the ganache:
80 g (2¾ oz) dark chocolate callets
125 g (½ cup) crème fraîche
To finish (mix and match):
Candied fruit, vegetables, and/or nuts
Dried fruit and nuts
Crystallized flowers and/or herbs
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
To make the shortbread, in a large bowl, cream the butter and icing sugar until silky. Blend in the melted chocolate. Sift in the flour, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt and stir until combined.
Transfer to the prepared tart pan and evenly spread the batter with a small offset spatula. Prick all over with a fork. Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the shortbread is firm and set. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the ganache, place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. In a small pot set over medium heat, bring the crème fraîche to a simmer. Immediately pour the crème fraîche over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.
Whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is emulsified. Using an offset spatula, spread the crème fraîche–chocolate mixture evenly over the surface of the cooled shortbread.
To finish, decorate the surface with candied and/or dried fruit and nuts, candied vegetables, crystallized flowers and/or herbs—whatever you desire. Allow the ganache to set before cutting. The shortbread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for at least 5 days.
SIMPLIFY: No candied fruit? Just use dried fruit and nuts. This shortbread is also excellent unadorned or enhanced with just a sprinkle of flaky salt.
SUBSTITUTE: No crème fraîche? Whipping cream works in a pinch. No dark chocolate? Make it with white chocolate. Just replace the cocoa with all-purpose flour and omit the dark chocolate from the shortbread. No dark chocolate callets for the ganache? Use white chocolate.
Plus, a veggie-packed soup
If it’s dinner you’re looking for, may I interest you in this recipe from Veg Forward for Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Crispy Spiced Chickpeas? It’s nourishing and warming and can skew more stew-y or soup-y depending on your preference. You can also add tofu, chicken, shrimp, or fish filets. Just poach them right in the soup at the end, with a lid on the pot.
Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Crispy Spiced Chickpeas
Serves 4 generously
This fragrantly spiced soup is worthy of a dinner party. It’s positively brimming with cauliflower, squash, and carrots, and it’s beautiful. The red lentils and the coconut milk make it thick and creamy, and the crispy chickpeas add substance. Serve the garnishes on the side and let guests customize their bowls.
For the soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced serrano or jalapeño pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, plus more if needed
1 can coconut milk, well stirred
1 pound kabocha squash (unpeeled) or butternut squash (peeled), seeded, and cut into ¾-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
½ small head cauliflower (10 ounces), cut into small florets
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
For the crispy chickpeas
1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (15- to 16-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For serving
Cilantro leaves
Shredded mint
Yogurt
Thinly sliced serrano or jalapeño chilies
Lime wedges
Sriracha
To make the soup: In a small Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and serrano or jalapeño and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
Add the lentils, salt, a few generous grinds of black pepper, the stock, and the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, partially covered.
Add the squash, cauliflower, and the carrots and continue simmering, partially covered, until all the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Add more stock if soup is too thick.
Meanwhile, make the crispy chickpeas: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Toss the chickpeas with the spices, coating them well. Add them to the oil, and cook, stirring, for about 8 minutes until crispy.
To serve: Ladle the soup into warm bowls and sprinkle with cilantro, mint, and chickpeas. Serve cilantro leaves, shredded mint, yogurt, chilies, lime wedges and Sriracha on the side.
Swaps and Suggestions
If you want to make this soup quicker for a weeknight, just add the chickpeas directly to the soup instead of crisping them.
Stir some baby spinach just before serving if you want more greens.
You can make the soup even more substantial by poaching fish fillets like fluke, flounder, or red snapper in the hot soup for 5 minutes before serving. The same can easily be done with shrimp or chicken.
I sometimes add tofu to the leftover soup for a quick and satisfying lunch.
Editor: Bridget Venatta
This giveaway is open to residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, 18 years old or older. No purchase necessary. All federal, state, and local regulations apply. Limit one entry per person. Void where prohibited or restricted.
excited to try these for the holidays! so festive ❤️
Do I want to make the shortbread or the soup ……… ???