Chocolate amarone slice

Method

1. For the basil sugar: put the basil and sugar into a food processor and process until granulated.

2. Tip out into a baking tray or shallow dish and leave aside to dry out for about 1 hour until it is nice and crunchy.

3. For the chocolate slice: line a 23 x 13cm loaf tin with cling film.

4. Put the chocolate, milk, syrup, butter and a pinch of salt into a saucepan and very gently heat, stirring, until the mixture has melted and combined. Do not allow to boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the beaten egg.

5. Leave to cool, then gently stir in the amaretti biscuits, meringue and cherries and pour into the loaf tin. Chill for at least 4 hours. Remove from the fridge 5 minutes before serving.

6. Serve the cake sliced, with basil sugar sprinkled on top and a dollop of crème fraîche on the side.

Cook’s note: This delicious dessert is named ‘amarone’, not because it contains any of the Italian wine of the same name, but because it is the same rich, dark chocolate colour as the wine. It is also known as chocolate concrete or tiffin slice, and is said to have been originally invented to economically use up broken biscuits and the crumbs from the bottom of the biscuit barrel. An American cookbook from 1917 mentions 'an absolutely new confection ... the ice-box cake. The unique feature is that no baking is required'. It became known as the refrigerator cake in the 1930s, following the mass production of electrical kitchen appliances such as the refrigerator.

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Ingredients

For the basil sugar

100g basil leaves
100g caster sugar

For the chocolate slice

300g dark chocolate
150ml Milk
75g golden syrup
140g unsalted Butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
150g amaretti biscuits, broken into pieces
2 small meringues, broken into pieces
50g dried sour cherries
crème fraîche, to serve

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