Movie Bites: Cookalong with The Goonies

THE MOVIE: A pre-teen story of friendship and adventure made absolutely unforgettable by its endearing cast of heroes; Mikey, Mouth, Data, Chunk, Brand, Andy and Stef.

THE SCENE: Chunk is captured by The Fratellis and thrown into a cell with the gruesome Sloth. The panic-stricken Chunk shares his Baby Ruth with Sloth thus starting one of the most heart-warming friendships of movie history. Sloth loves Chunk.

THE FOOD: Baby Ruth bars are arguably a superior alternative to the much-loved Snickers bar. Comprising nougat wrapped in a layer of caramel, covered in chocolate and laden down with nuts. Growing up outside of the US in the 1980s meant that these were an unbelievably exotic confectionary – they were in MOVIES, for heaven's sake! Our deconstructed Baby Ruth bars are quite simple to make, but you do need to leave the nougat in the fridge for at least 24 hours before finishing the final steps. These will keep for a week in the fridge and are best enjoyed with a cup of coffee sitting in front of a telly showing The Goonies.

INGREDIENTS

For the nougat
400g of caster sugar
60ml water
80ml honey
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
For the toppings
100g of milk chocolate
Handful of mixed nuts

For the caramel
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of light muscovado sugar 1 teaspoon of honey

METHOD
Put the caster sugar, water and honey in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over a medium to low heat. Meanwhile, separate the eggs and put the egg whites into a large bowl. Whisk until the egg whites reach soft peaks.

Return to the sugar syrup mix. Once it has come to a simmer, stir the mixture constantly untilit turns a deep amber colour.

With your whisk on the lowest speed gradually add the syrup to the egg white mix. Then beat the mixture vigorously until it reaches a rich, glossy texture. Add the vanilla essence and beat until it’s well combined.

Oil some baking paper with sunflower or olive oil and line a 23 x 13 cm loaf tin. Spread some oil on a spatula (to stop the nougat from sticking) and transfer the nougat mixture to the loaf tin. Cool in the fridge for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, get your toppings ready by melting the chocolate and finely chopping the mixed nuts. Remove the nougat from the loaf tin. Cut it in half and then cut each of the halves into four to six pieces. Dip each piece of nougat into the melted chocolate and transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Before the chocolate sets, sprinkle each piece with mixed nuts. Return to the fridge for 30 minutes to set. Make the caramel by melting the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan until they have dissolved and the mixture is wonderfully thick.

Drizzle the caramel over the bars amd pop back in the fridge to set. These will taste gooey and great immediately but , if you can stand it, keep them in the fridge until they’re very firm. They’ll keep up to a week – although I doubt they’ll last that long.