Chocolate and salt caramel brownies with cherry and elderflower sauce

There are countless recipes for chocolate brownies, and initially we thought that perhaps there were too many already. However, given that our local area has such an illustrious history in chocolate production – J S Fry & Sons in Bristol produced the first chocolate bar in 1847 – we felt it was only fair to come up with our own chocolate brownie recipe. We like to use Original Beans chocolate because of its quality and the company's ethics, which closely match our own. Co-founded by the environmentalist entrepreneur, Philipp Kauffmann, Original Beans is renowned for its zero carbon policies and passion for sustainable farming.

Serves 4, with plenty left for tomorrow
dark chocolate, at least 72% cocoa solids 250g
unsalted butter 170g
caster sugar 300g
eggs, lightly beaten 3 large
egg yolk 1
rapeseed oil 80ml
plain flour 60g
baking powder ½ tsp
salt ½ tsp
organic cocoa powder 70g
salt caramel (see below) 50g, plus extra to serve

For the cherry and elderflower sauce
frozen sour cherries 100g
elderflower syrup (see below) or elderflower cordial 50ml

For the elderflower syrup
water 100ml
caster sugar 100g
elderflower 2 large heads

If you are making the elderflower syrup for the sauce, put 100g caster sugar in a pan with 100ml water and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Immediately remove from the heat and add 2 large heads of elderflower. Leave to infuse for 20 minutes, then strain through a piece of wet muslin or a sieve. Leave to cool, then store in the fridge for up to a week.

Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 23cm springform cake tin.

Melt 200g of the chocolate in a bowl placed over a pan of lightly simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the base of the bowl. Remove from the heat. Using an electric whisk, or a freestanding mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and light. Change the mixer attachment to a whisk, or continue using the electric whisk. Slowly add the eggs and the extra yolk, no more than a tablespoon at a time, whisking thoroughly between each addition. Slowly add the rapeseed oil and whisk for a further 5 minutes, until it has a glossy, silky appearance.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder and whisk briefly until incorporated. Using a metal spoon, fold in the melted chocolate. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and smooth the top. Roughly chop the remaining chocolate and lightly push the pieces into the surface of the cake mix. Repeat the process with the salt caramel pieces (see recipe below). Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes away with a little cake mixture attached. If it does, return to the oven, testing every 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. Cool to room temperature on a wire tray.

To make the cherry and elderflower sauce, put the cherries and elderflower syrup or elderflower cordial in a small saucepan and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until syrupy.

Leave to cool a little before serving. The brownies can be served hot or cold. Turn out and slice, then serve with shards of salt caramel broken over each portion and the warm syrup poured over. The brownies can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, or freeze.

Salt caramel
caster sugar 200g
flaky sea salt 2 tsp

Heat the oven to 120C/gas mark ½. Place a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet and put it in the oven (if you don't have a silicone baking mat, put a layer of baking parchment on the tray once it has been heated). Have a small bowl of cold water and a silicone pastry brush at the ready.

Put the sugar into a meticulously clean frying pan, add 4 tbsp of water and stir until there are no dry patches of sugar. Place on a medium-high heat and cook, without stirring. The mixture will start to bubble. As the temperature rises, the sugar will begin to caramelise in certain areas of the pan. You may also notice it beginning to crystallise around the edges of the pan. If left unchecked, these areas can cause the syrup to crystallise, resulting in a pan full of grainy sugar crystals – not the desired result. To prevent this, brush cold water over these crystallised patches on the edges of the pan, using a silicone pastry brush. When the sugar begins to caramelise, gently scrape these darkening patches into the centre of the pan using a heatproof spatula. Gently move any patches of caramelising sugar into areas that are not caramelising to ensure an even colour.

When the caramel has turned a good, deep golden colour (if you use a sugar thermometer, it will register 178-180C – however, you can keep checking the true colour by dripping a few drops on to a white plate), pour it immediately on to one side of the silicone mat. Preheating the mat means that the caramel doesn't cool down so quickly when you pour it on, and this allows you to tilt the baking sheet in order to achieve a very thin layer of caramel. You need to work quickly. As soon as the sugar begins to cool, it will start to set. Sprinkle sea salt over the caramel while it is still hot.

Let the caramel cool to room temperature, then snap it into 2.5-5cm shards. It should be brittle. When you eat it, it should be crunchy and not stick to your teeth. Keep in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 2 weeks (caramel is susceptible to moisture content and will go very sticky if exposed to it).

Rhubarb and custard

Most people credit the eccentric Victorians with placing jellies firmly on the British gastronomy map. After all, it was the Victorian aristocracy who excelled at using decorative jellies at banquets to display their power and social standing. In fact, jellies had been around for centuries previously and savoury jellies were common at medieval feasts. We created this dessert in honour of Robert May, a 17th-century cook who introduced fruit jellies to the English table and met with a surprising amount of resistance.

Serves 6
For the rhubarb jelly
rhubarb 1.5kg, cut into 2cm pieces
caster sugar 150g
gelatine 13g

For the custard
double cream 600ml
vanilla pod 1
egg yolks 8
caster sugar 200g
gelatine 11g

For the rhubarb compote (optional)
rhubarb stalks 2 large, cut into 1–2cm pieces
caster sugar a few tbsp to taste

For the jelly, put 650ml water in a pan and bring to the boil. Place a steamer basket over the top large enough to hold the rhubarb. Add the rhubarb to the basket, cover with a tight-fitting lid and steam over a low heat for 1 hour. If too much steam is escaping, put a layer of foil over the pan and put the lid on top of the foil.

While the rhubarb is steaming, make the custard. Pour the cream into a heavy-based saucepan. Slit the vanilla pod open lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and pod to the cream and bring to just below boiling point, then remove from the heat and cool slightly. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until the yolks become pale and the sugar is fully incorporated. Pour the cream through a fine sieve on to the egg yolks, whisk until smooth and then transfer to a clean saucepan. Put the gelatine sheets into a bowl of ice-cold water and leave to soak for 10 minutes.

Heat the custard mixture gently, stirring constantly. After a few minutes it will begin to thicken. It is vital to stir all parts thoroughly to prevent any of the mixture overcooking. (If you have a digital thermometer, then this is a good time to use it; the custard should be no more than 85C, otherwise it will scramble.) When it has thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon without running off, remove from the heat and place the pan briefly in a bowl of cold water to stop it cooking further.

Strain the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the gelatine and add the gelatine to the custard, stirring until completely dissolved. Cool the custard quickly by placing the bowl in a couple of inches of cold water in the sink, then chill in the fridge.

When the rhubarb has steamed for 1 hour, remove from the heat and discard the rhubarb. All the juice and flavour from the rhubarb will be in the water in the pan underneath, so keep this.

Measure out 450ml of the rhubarb-infused water into a clean saucepan, add the sugar and heat gently, stirring, until dissolved. Soften the gelatine in ice-cold water, as for the custard. Squeeze out any excess water and add the gelatine to the pan, off the heat. Stir until completely dissolved, then set aside.

To set the jelly, you will need a 1-litre terrine, jelly mould or bowl. If using a terrine, very lightly oil the inside, using a pastry brush, then line with a layer of cling film. Once the terrine is lined with cling film, it helps to fill the terrine with water, which enables you to remove any remaining air bubbles from the edges of the terrine. Discard the water and gently pat dry with kitchen roll. Ignore this process if using a jelly mould or bowl.

Pour a layer of jelly into your chosen receptacle till about 1–2cm deep. Place in the fridge for 1½ hours or until set firm. Put half the custard in a pan, place over the lowest possible heat and stir continuously until fluid. Pour the custard into the mould over the back of a spoon held just above the rhubarb jelly. This slows its fall, making it less likely to break the jelly apart. Pour the custard over the first layer of rhubarb jelly and return to the fridge. Leave for 2 hours or until completely firm.

Take out the remaining jelly and place in a saucepan over a low heat until fluid. Pour over the set layer of custard (using a spoon as you did before) and return to the fridge until completely set. Then heat the remaining custard until fluid and pour it into the mould over the back of a spoon as before. Leave in the fridge, preferably overnight, until set.

To make the compote, put the rhubarb in a saucepan just big enough to hold it in a single layer and add 2 tablespoons of water. Cook, covered, over a low-medium heat until the rhubarb begins to break down. Stir in sugar to taste and continue to cook until the compote is the consistency of runny jam. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Turn the jelly out of the mould and serve, with the compote if liked.