Impressive Chocolate Cigars.

I was this on the Hairy Bikers Cookery show and I thought.... "bloody hell, even I can do that..."

Its a teeny little bit finicky cos you are working with Filo pastry, but once you stick to the basics (there are only two) its not so difficult.

1)  Make sure your pastry is fully defrosted, if it still too cold it will just break and crack on you.

b) Keep any pastry you are not working with covered with a DAMP (not wet) tea-towel. 

Have all your ingredients ready before you start with the pastry. Its just easier that way. Promise.

You need: 

100 - 150g Flaked almonds

1 Jar of chocolate or hazelnut spread

100g of butter

1 packet of ready-made Filo pastry

250mls cream for whipping

1tsp brown sugar

10mls vanilla extract

 

Also a pastry brush is really helpful here.

Preheat the oven to 220DegC / gas 7 /425degF.

Chuck the almonds into a roasting dish and place it as close to the top element in your oven to toast. Alternatively bung them in a pan over a medium heat and stir/toss regularly to toast. You want them nice and golden and smelling lovely and nutty. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Chop the almonds. You don't want them too rough as they will make rolling the pastry difficult. So chop them fairly small.

Plop the butter into a small pan over a medium heat to melt. Watch it. Don't cook it. Just let it melt gently. 

Empty the WHOLE jar of the chocolate spread into a bowl and stir to soften. Stir in the almonds and set aside. I know it looks a bit like poop, but a little taste will completely assure you that its not. In fact, I dare you not to lick the spoon. 

Dampen a tea-towel.

Now the pastry...

Unroll it carefully and using a fairly sharp knife cut it in half and place one half on top of the other. Carefully remove one sheet of pastry and place it onto a bread board. Cover the rest of the pastry with your DAMP tea-towel.

Brush the pastry on your board with a bit of melted butter. 

Cut this into quarters (squares). 

Place one heaped spoon of chocolate spread a little to one side of one square of the pastry, do this with all four squares. Yes. I know what it looks like. But you already tasted it so you know its good.

Fold the pastry down over the chocolate spread on the top on the bottom,

Starting from the edge closest to the chocolate spread roll the pastry up. 

Place on a baking sheet (this does not need to be greased). Brush the top with a tiny bit more butter.

Repeat the process with all the rest of the pastry.

Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake in the middle of the oven until just golden, about 10 - 12 minutes.

Remove and allow to cool. Don't be like me and risk 3rd degree burns trying to taste the hot, chocolaty nutty goodness. Dust with a bit of icing sugar.

Whip the cream until it is firm and ad the sugar, keep whipping until just before it starts turning to butter, it will go really stiff, then fold in the vanilla extract.

Stack on the plate using tried and trusted girl guide fire starting method. Serve with the vanilla cream. 

Crispy. Chocolatey.Yum.