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Oct 7
Chocolate Fudge
Oct 7
Last week I was browsing my food cabinet when I spotted a can of condensed milk. I’m not sure how long it has stood there, but I couldn’t even remember buying it. One of my favorite things to do late at night is to surf the internet and watch food network episodes. I can’t really say it’s a good use of my time, but it’s so addictive. So I watched an episode of Nigella Lawson’s Express where she made Chocolate Pistachios Fudge, using condensed milk. I omitted the pistachios because I happen to think that texture is very important with fudge, and adding hard nuts would totally ruin it (in my opinion). I really like these, and I love the fact that they’re chocolate, because vanilla fudge can be so touthachingly sweet! Rating: 4 out of 5.
Chocolate Pistachio Fudge recipe: Nigella Lawson - Express
Ingredients:
- 350g/12oz dark chocolate, at least 70 per cent cocoa solids, chopped
- 1 x 397g/14oz can condensed milk
- 30g/1oz butter
- pinch salt
- 150g/5¼oz unsalted pistachios, shells removed (I omitted the pistachios)
Instructions:
- Place the chopped chocolate, condensed milk, butter and salt into a heavy-based pan over a low heat and stir until melted and well combined.
- Place the nuts into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin, until broken up into some large and some small pieces.
- Add the nuts to the melted chocolate mixture and stir well.
- Pour the mixture into a 23cm/9in square tray, smoothing the top with a wet palette knife.
- Let the fudge cool, then refrigerate until set.
- Cut into small pieces approximately 3cm x 2cm/1¼in x ¾in. Cutting 7 x 7 lines in the tin to give 64 pieces best achieves this.
- Once cut, the fudge can be kept in the freezer - there’s no need to thaw, just eat straight away.
This recipe really is so incredibly easy. All you have to do is add all of the ingredients together and wait for it to melt.
I really don’t recommend using foil to cover your pan, like I did. Once the fudge was set, the foil just stuck to the fudge and it was a real pain trying to remove it.
Fudge, fudgier, fudgiest!
Close-up.
Chocolate Fudge
Oct 7
Last week I was browsing my food cabinet when I spotted a can of condensed milk. I’m not sure how long it has stood there, but I couldn’t even remember buying it. One of my favorite things to do late at night is to surf the internet and watch food network episodes. I can’t really say it’s a good use of my time, but it’s so addictive. So I watched an episode of Nigella Lawson’s Express where she made Chocolate Pistachios Fudge, using condensed milk. I omitted the pistachios because I happen to think that texture is very important with fudge, and adding hard nuts would totally ruin it (in my opinion). I really like these, and I love the fact that they’re chocolate, because vanilla fudge can be so touthachingly sweet! Rating: 4 out of 5.
Chocolate Pistachio Fudge recipe: Nigella Lawson - Express
Ingredients:
- 350g/12oz dark chocolate, at least 70 per cent cocoa solids, chopped
- 1 x 397g/14oz can condensed milk
- 30g/1oz butter
- pinch salt
- 150g/5¼oz unsalted pistachios, shells removed (I omitted the pistachios)
Instructions:
- Place the chopped chocolate, condensed milk, butter and salt into a heavy-based pan over a low heat and stir until melted and well combined.
- Place the nuts into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin, until broken up into some large and some small pieces.
- Add the nuts to the melted chocolate mixture and stir well.
- Pour the mixture into a 23cm/9in square tray, smoothing the top with a wet palette knife.
- Let the fudge cool, then refrigerate until set.
- Cut into small pieces approximately 3cm x 2cm/1¼in x ¾in. Cutting 7 x 7 lines in the tin to give 64 pieces best achieves this.
- Once cut, the fudge can be kept in the freezer - there’s no need to thaw, just eat straight away.
This recipe really is so incredibly easy. All you have to do is add all of the ingredients together and wait for it to melt.
I really don’t recommend using foil to cover your pan, like I did. Once the fudge was set, the foil just stuck to the fudge and it was a real pain trying to remove it.
Fudge, fudgier, fudgiest!
Close-up.
Photo courtesy of Photobucket, Creative Commons License
Look who we found in the pumpkin patch.
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite…My intent is not to stoke the flames of rumor, but what I thought was baseless chatter actually is not as mindless as I thought. I’ve been trying to buy canned pumpkin for several weeks now. I was promised a call when it came in. I got the call and went to the store only to find the shelves were still empty. I sought out the manager who contacted me. He brought me several cans of pumpkin from the storeroom where it was being kept for “good” customers. I came home, dropped one of the cans at a neighbors, came up the hill and started baking. If it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving in your home without a pumpkin pie, you might want to lock in your supply now. This pumpkin roll is very easy to make and the cream cheese filling is delicious. The cake tastes a bit like moist gingerbread. Be sure not to over bake the cake and roll it while it’s hot to prevent it from cracking. I like to remove crusty edges from the cake before spreading it with filling. Let the cake cool completely before filling, then refrigerate for several hours before serving. If you are a real sweet lover, you might want to double the filling and use it to frost the exterior of the cake as well. Here’s the recipe for the cake and frosting.
Pumpkin Roll…from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
Ingredients:
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
Confectioners’ sugar
Filling
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (8-oz.) package reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 x 15 x 1-inch jelly roll pan.
2) Beat eggs in large bowl of a stand mixer for 5 minutes, gradually adding sugar. Continue beating until mixture thickens and is pale yellow in color. Stir in pumpkin puree and lemon juice.
3) Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a separate bowl. Fold flour mixture into pumkin mixture. Spread batter into prepared pan, smoothing it with an offset spatula. Sprinkle batter with chopped walnuts.
4) Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
5) While cake bakes, sprinkle a clean dishtowel with confectioners’ sugar and place it on a work surface.
6) Invert cake onto towel and immediately roll from narrow end to form a cylinder. Cool completely.
7) To make filling, combine confections’ sugar butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a small bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
Unroll cake. Remove crusty edges with a very sharp knife. Spread with filling and roll again. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours before serving.
9) To serve, remove plastic wrap, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and transfer to a serving platter. Yield: 10 servings.
Outdoor Wednesday, an event sponsored by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.
