I made coconut and chocolate slice and so can you
For the longest time I had an irrational dislike for Bill Granger, the blonde haired, ultra white toothed, v-neck t-shirt wearing Australian cook. I maintained this dislike through several enjoyable visits to his eponymous breakfast themed restaurant in Surry Hills. He seemed a little grating, perhaps. The sort of early rising type that has a nine hour ocean swim before grabbing a quick soy latte and rolling around on their millions. To be fair, I’m not sure if this was the reasoning I had at the time, or is some post facto attempt at justifying irrationality.
Recently, however, the cracks have started to appear around this dislike. It was almost a two pronged charm offensive: I started to find him as a character less objectionable, while appreciating his food even more. His latest TV show, Bill’s Tasty Weekends, helped me move from a position of general peevishness to one of fond approval.
Since going through this volte-face, I’ve made quite a few of his recipes. I’m struck by their simplicity and deliciousness. He rarely asks you to do much, so when he does ask you to go a slight effort you are more than happy to do so.
I think there are a few kinds of cookbook authors: those that get deliciousness in 4 or 6 ingredients, à la Bill, and those that get deliciousness in 15 or 20 ingredients, à la Ottolenghi. And of course that are those that can not get an appreciable level of deliciousness no matter how many steps or how many ingredients they subject one to.
This recipe for coconut and chocolate slice embodies the best of Bill Granger’s style.
Find a mixing bowl. Even though I have somehow managed to accumulate sets of both, I have a marked preference for glass over stainless steel. In our kitchen, which can sometimes be rather dim, anything that spreads light rather than traps it greedily has to be appreciated. Plus there is something vaguely appealing about a nice piece of Pyrex glass.
While you’re deciding what your choice in mixing bowls says about you, preheat the oven to 180 units of heat. In the old talk, this is Gas Mark Kipling.
In the mixing bowl dump—with the grace of a culinary ballerina—an entire bag of desiccated coconut (250 grams) and much caster sugar (220 grams.) Now melt cheerful butter (butter has always struck me as the happiest of all cooking fats) (100 grams) and allow to cool.
While cooling whisk 2 eggs for a few moments. Then add the molten, cooled butter and the discombobulated eggs to the mixing bowl. Mix up with a wooden spoon, here used in its proper context, rather than reminding one of primary school sports carnivals.
I don’t like breaking up chocolate. It melts and shards and splinters, but we must suffer for our art, even for the simple art of Bill. Take some 70% good chocolate (150 grams) and chop and chop and chop. Once rendered into elegantly chaotic pieces, stir it into the coconutty mixture.
Before you’ve done any of this line a baking tray with baking paper. Now, take that pre-lined tray and throw in your slice mixture, pressing it down until it resembles Bondi Beach (golden yellow) after a thunderstorm (interspersed with brown nuggets). Put into the oven, cook 20 minutes, or until it looks golden enough. Cool for a little in the tin.
Cut up into small pieces, eat a few pieces, let the rest cool.
Simple. Delicious. Goes well with coffee or tea or spare time or before catching a train or while thinking about what to make for dinner.
Thanks, Bill. Thill. I’m sorry I ever doubted you.
