Penguin Books Australia

Free recipe from Georgie Porgie, by George Calombaris, Peanut Butter and Strawberry Brittle, page 159.

I think crunchy is one of the best textures in food. That’s why I love this snack, which is not only crunchy but deliciously salty and sweet too. It celebrates one of my favourite flavour combinations, peanut butter and strawberries. It reminds me of all those peanut butter and jam sandwiches I ate for afternoon tea after school. If you don’t have a sugar thermometer, use a wooden spoon to check the syrup. Let some of the mixture drip off the spoon. A strand of toffee will form after the drop when it is ready (hard-crack stage). You can also check by dropping some of the mixture into a small bowl of water. If it is ready, it will form a hard ball.

Makes a 30 cm x 20 cm slab
1 cup (220 g) caster sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) corn syrup
1/2 cup (125 ml) water
200 g roasted salted peanuts
75 g dried strawberries, chopped
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
baking tin (30 cm x 20 cm)
sugar thermometer (optional, see page 203)
large metal spoon

1. Line a 30 cm x 20 cm baking tin with baking paper.
2. Place the sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and cook for 8-10 minutes to hard-crack stage (149°C on a sugar thermometer) or until the mixture starts to turn light brown. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the peanuts and strawberries. Carefully add the bicarbonate of soda; the mixture will foam up.
3. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and spread out with the back of a large metal spoon to flatten the surface. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
4. Break the brittle into pieces to serve. Leftover brittle will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week (if you can stop eating it!).