Florentines

1.Preheat oven to 170C. Stir sugar, cream, butter, honey and glucose in a deep saucepan until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat and cook until mixture reaches 112C on a sugar thermometer (4-6 minutes). Add flaked almonds and stir to combine. Line 2 oven trays with silicon mats or baking paper and divide mixture into 12 oiled 10cm-diameter tart rings (see note), spreading thinly and evenly. Decorate with whole almonds and cherries and bake in rings until golden brown (10-15 minutes). Remove rings and set aside to cool on trays.

2.Meanwhile, melt two-thirds of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of hot, not boiling, water (be sure water doesn’t get into chocolate) until chocolate reaches 43C-46C on a sugar thermometer (it’s important not to exceed this temperature). Remove bowl from heat, cool chocolate to 35C-38C, then add remaining chocolate and stir vigorously until melted. Coat bottom of Florentines with chocolate using a flat plastic spatula, allowing them to set slightly while you coat remaining, then coat again with a serrated-edge spatula or fork to produce a decorative pattern. Allow to set (20-30 minutes), then tidy edges with a pair of scissors before serving. Florentines will keep in an airtight container for a week.