Salted Almond Brittle - The Sweet Swap

One of the wonderful surprises that came with starting a food blog is the community that I became a part of - I didn't expect it. 
I didn't expect to meet such great, like-minded people - let alone expect to make such wonderful friends from this community. Inspiring, creative and such talented people that remind me why I do this and why I must continue - despite things happening in my life that make me feel less than my best.

Two talented and creative ladies, that I have come to know and love, decided to start something to tighten the Australian food blogging community - and raise money for ChildFund Australia.

They organised this great initiative called The Sweet Swap - and that's the name of the game.  Participants are allocated three people to send a package of homemade sweets to - and in an act of sugar-laden karma, you then receive three different treats in return.

How cool is that?! 

After what had been a less than perfect week, the packages started to arrive. First, came a beautiful box of salted caramel, popping candy dark chocolate truffles. They were beautifully packaged and sealed with wax from Billy at A Table For Two. I was in awe of this gentleman’s chocolate tempering abilities, these were some special choccies.

Next came a box of one of my favourite treats to eat: Turkish delight from Angie at Angie Eats and Cooks. I have always wanted to make Turkish delight and the bar has now been set high for me! It was sprinkled with chopped pistachios and included was the added touch of some peppermint tea to enjoy with the delight - heaven. 

Finally, Simon from The Heart of Food sent me a box of the most decadent and beautiful lamingtons I have ever eaten in my life. These were not your run of the mill "lamington drive" lamingtons - these were Pannacotta Lamington Bites. I have no idea how he did it but I look forward to reading his post and I am wishing he would send me more ...

I received these treats during what was shaping up to be a pretty terrible week. There is something about getting homemade treats in the post to make things seem just a little bit better. Thank you for making my week guys!

This was my contribution. I made some of this brittle as part of an upcoming recipe (next week!) and then took the leftovers to my book-club where it was polished off during (by the book club) and then afterwards by my friends husband. I had some decent feedback from it – hopefully my recipients liked it too. 

It was dead easy to make - with maximum salted caramel flavour. The almonds are chewy and the toffee is buttery and crunchy. I loved the textures in this brittle. 

Thanks to Sara and Amanda, without you two, I would never have had the pleasure of tasting Angie, Billy and Simon's treats. You did a great thing for the food blogging community and you helped me to get out of my comfort zone. You also helped me to re-kindle my love of butter, sugar, salt, nuts and washi-tape. 

Thank-you.

Salted Almond Brittle
Makes one batch
100g toasted, flaked almonds
50g butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
100g castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Grease a lipped baking tray with butter.
Scatter the almonds evenly over the tray, tapping the tray lightly on the bench to distribute them.
Add the butter, sugar,salt and 2 tablespoons of water to a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan and turn the heat to medium/low. Gently dissolve the sugar and salt into the melted butter. Turn the heat up to high and boil for around 5 minutes. Stir occasionally if patches caramelise faster than others. Keep an eye on it. It should not be too dark but a nice rich colour. Carefully tip the caramel over the almonds and move it around with a spatula to distribute. Leave to cool completely. 
Using a sharp knife, slice giant shards and store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days.
Great crumbled over desserts or on it's own.