Brown Sugar Cookies

These chewy biscuits are perfectly spiced and are a cross between a shortbread and a gingerbread. You don't have to roll them in spiced sugar as I did; you could lightly glazed them or leave them plain, it's your preference really, and if you can't find maple extract use vanilla instead. 

Brown Sugar Cookies

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2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

grated orange rind of 1 orange

1 cup unsalted butter, softened  and at room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon maple extract

spiced sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350ºF . Line a baking sheet with baking parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, mixed spice, salt and grated orange rind. 

In another bowl, using a hand held or stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you mix. Add the egg and maple extract and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and stir until just combined, using your clean hands if need be. Take pieces of the dough, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons and roll into balls, no larger than a walnut, and roll the balls into the spiced sugar. Place onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet and press down with either a cookie stamp, bottom of a smooth glass or the tines of a fork. Refrigerate the pressed dough balls for 30 minutes.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the centres are set. Do not over bake as you want the cookies to remain soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling and store them in an air tight container.

Have a lovely weekend and stay safe everyone! - JD 

Halloween Pumpkins

Even though things are considerably different from last year and who knows what Halloween or any holiday will look like for the remainder of the year; keeping with traditions and celebrating is a way of going forward and honouring those seasonal tidings we enjoy. This year both of my children carved the pumpkins and we had an enjoyable afternoon the other day; of carving and roasting pumpkin seeds. 

The benefits and joys of carving. You get to stand back and admire your efforts while the pumpkin seeds are roasting and when done roasting you get to taste your efforts too! The smell of pumpkin seeds roasting is a comforting one and reminds me of the many Halloweens that have past.   

  

 Happy Halloween... Happy Samhain... Happy Hallowtide everyone! - JD 

Christmas 2019

Christmas Eve, after we had our usual nibbles an drinkies at our local pub and a walk to enjoy the festive lights; we settle for some homemade tomato soup, a dinner roll and a glass of Fortnum and Mason's Sparkling Tea beverage, to close the night.  

Christmas Morning, for brunch we had a round of homemade cranberry almond scones with Devonshire cream and fresh fruit to keep us going until an early Christmas dinner. 

Christmas Dinner, was Cornish hens, Brussels sprouts with blood orange vinegar and mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing with lashings of gravy.

... and we rounded out our dinner with a slice of Fortnum and Mason's Figgy pudding. Although lashing of custard may have been in order, a slice unadulterated was perfect! 

Boxing Day, was a quiet one spent with friends. We offered some of the usual... cheese and biscuits, olives, dried fruit and of course, my baking. However, I did make a savoury galette, cranberry cocktail sausages and coronation chicken cups. 

What Christmas of ours, would not be complete, without our Fortnum and Mason's order. A nice sampling to enjoy now and throughout the year. Loads of decadent things... honey, sauces, hot mustard, tea, jams, marmalades, puddings, glacé fruit, coffee, biscuits, chocolate, anniversary Heinz ketchup, and sparkling tea beverages.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday time. Whether sharing, enjoying or relaxing, we had a lovely one! - JD     

Nigella Lawson's Christmas Chocolate Cookies

I have tried a few chocolate shortbread recipes and have not been satisfied until I tried this recipe. I suggest following Nigella's recipe as scripted although I did add a teaspoon of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of British mixed spice into the flour mixture. It did not compromise the baked cookie at all; only enhanced the flavour. To decorate, I did, royal icing and sprinkles rather than the recipe's chocolate festive topping. Perhaps the next time I make these I will. These are minor touches and alterations to a good recipe that more came down to personal taste. The cookies, plain with no icing or sprinkles, are just as good and I may prefer them more that way. I will share the recipe, how it is presented on her website however if you wish, visit Nigella Lawson's website for this recipe, click *here*   

Nigella Lawson's Christmas Chocolate Cookies (from 2008, Nigella Christmas)

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INGREDIENTS

Makes: approx. 24

FOR THE BISCUITS

• 2¼ sticks soft butter
• ¾ cup superfine sugar
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

FOR THE FESTIVE TOPPING

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1½ cups confectioners' sugar
• ¼ cup boiling water (from a kettle)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• christmas sprinkles
• 
  
• METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/gas mark 3/325ºF and line a baking sheet with Bake-O-Glide or baking parchment.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and, when you have a light, soft, whipped mixture, beat in the 40g / one-third cup unsweetened cocoa (sieving if it is lumpy) and, when that’s mixed in, beat in the flour with the bicarb and baking powder. Or just put everything in the processor and blitz, if you prefer.
3. This mixture is very soft and sticky and I find it easiest to form the biscuits wearing my CSI (disposable vinyl) gloves, so pinch off pieces about the size of a large walnut, roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you place them, well spaced, on your baking sheet; you should get about 12 on at a time.
4. Bake each batch for 15 minutes; even though the biscuits won’t feel as if they’ve had enough time, they will continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top, and it’s this cosy, homespun look I love.
5. Remove the baking sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the biscuits to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it (to catch drips while topping them).
6. To make the topping, put the unsweetened cocoa, confectioners' sugar, water and vanilla extract into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything’s smoothly combined. Take off the heat for 10 minutes.
7. When the biscuits are cool, drizzle each one with a tablespoonful of chocolate glaze – to glue the sprinkles on in a minute – using the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbly look is part of their charm.
8. After you’ve iced 6 biscuits, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles, and continue thus until all the biscuits are topped. If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa “glue” has dried and the sprinkles won’t stick on.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. It is coming down to doing those last few things before Christmas. - JD  

Roll-Out Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are an effort which can be made with one or many idle hands at work however there is a bit of an ease with a classic recipe such as this. Also, the focused creative decorating, wittling the afternoon away, may help to banish stress.    

Roll-Out Sugar Cookies

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makes about 3 dozen

1 cup butter, softened 

1 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF. 

In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and extracts. 

In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, about 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. 

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Do not chill dough. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle, approximately 12 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick. Using floured cookie cutters cut out desired shapes. Bake cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for 7 to 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly golden brown. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.  

When cooled decorate with your favourite icing recipe or use ready made icing. 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Ours was chilly, with minus temperatures and  minor snow flurries making it a bracing one and reminding us winter is on it's way. - JD  

Food Photo of the Day ~ Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie, a holiday favourite and an flavour that sums up the autumnal season. My daughter helped create this classic dessert. She was truly pleased with her effort and we  all enjoyed her effort.   

Hope everyone had a lovely long weekend! - JD 

Christmas 2018

Christmas Eve we did a late night simple savoury snack of a bacon sandwich and apple slices because we had visited the local pub, earlier, and had a few drinks and nibbles there while meeting and greeting friends.

Christmas Day started with fresh fruit, eggnog muffins, coffee and a round of Bucks Fizz that kept us going until mid afternoon. 

Christmas Day dinner was more traditional then ever this year. Our late afternoon dinner was turkey, roasted vegetables (potato, carrots, brussel sprouts, and parsnips), stuffing, pickled cabbage, pickled onions, pickled walnuts and a lovely garlic chutney. 

Boxing Day we did our usual get together of close friends and shared an array of cheeses, meats, olives, dried fruit, my baking, of course, a vegan frittata and a minced beef Wellington, unfortunately not shown, as there was no room on the table. So that remained in the kitchen where guests could served themselves or we could serve them. We also had a wonderful mulled wine to enjoy and warm up to. As usual everyone left with a nice selection of my baking. It was a great afternoon... evening for all. 

... and of course no Christmas, of ours, may be complete without another tradition; that sees us throughout the year...  our Fortnum and Mason order. Last year, I forgot to post about our annual order... I may still have the photo somewhere. That being said, this year, I remembered and thought it would be appropriate to share within the Christmas/Holiday post. We ordered plenty of chutney's, sauces, preserves, biscuits, savouries, tea, coffee, Turkish Delight and a Single Malt Whisky Dundee cake to share and enjoy.     

Red-Nosed Rehbock

A champagne cocktail that is sweet, lively and suitable this Holiday season. A great substitution for a Buck Fizz. 

Red-Nosed Rehbock

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makes 1 cocktail 

1/2oz Campari
1oz cranberry juice

chilled brut Champagne

dash of orange bitters

Add the Campari and cranberry juice to a flute glass. Stir once.

Fill the flute with champagne almost to the top. Stir calmly and briefly. Top with the dash of orange bitters.

The snow has returned. Have a great weekend and stay warm everyone! - JD 

Crosstown Doughnuts

I had heard about Crosstown Doughnuts months before we left for London and was eagerly  waiting to find them. I was pleasantly surprised on one of our long walks, that Crosstown, just fell into our path, so to speak. The lovely lady who served us was chatty, helpful and patient as we cruised the selection of doughnuts gradually to make our decision. These doughnuts are fantastic and you would hardly know they are vegan/vegetarian! 

From top left to right: Rum & Pineapple and Matcha Tea; from bottom left to right: Cinnamon Scroll and Coconut & Lime. Some other flavours, sadly not pictured above, included Orange Blossom, Lychee & Gooseberry, Lemon-Thyme, Rhubarb & Raspberry and Peanut Butter with a Blackcurrant Compote. Unique flavours that will definitely not disappoint! 

To find out more about Crosstown Doughnuts click *here*

Just getting back into the swing of things and preparing for school to start. I have been sifting through the holiday photos and figuring out which ones I will post about. Hope everyone had a good August. - JD 

Canada Day Delights

Canada Day is this weekend and celebrating 150 years is a monumental one; and in the culinary or grocery departments we seemed to have been inundated with all things Canadian...

Maple Marshmallows... these can be used to make rice krispie treats and most importantly as we decided, S'mores! Yes, I will be making s'mores using maple marshmallows. 

Firework Oreo's... although these seem more geared towards the American's, 4th of July, they were released before July 1st, here, so we'll take that as a sign of celebrating July 1st.

Maple Birthday Cookies... maple cream cookies are traditionally oh so Canadian however these birthday cookies are a red maple shaped biscuit with a cream cheese filling honouring the colours of the Canadian flag.  

The 150th to go coffee cup celebrating Canada's 150th year. These cups have been featured off and on during the months at Second Cup. At the time of this photo I was enjoying a lovely maple latté. Surprise! 

Merchandise... whether it's mugs, pins, shirts, or hats seems like showing your Canadian pride goes further and ventures into home decor. Home decor with cheeky Canadian humour. 

Beaver cookies... a sweet treat to enjoy. Even better with a maple latté.  

Maple frozen Greek yogurt bars... seems like nothing can escape maple not even frozen yogurt. 

Maple & Bacon Popcorn... although this was on shelves well before Canada Day it is a flavour that can be enjoyed anytime and even if you are not Canadian.

Hope everyone is having a good week so far. - JD 

New Year's Eve 2016 & New Year's Day 2017

We started New Year's Eve off with an early cocktail... the Ritz Bijou. Mellow with a crisp bite. Will post the recipe soon.  

Dinner was light; a ploughman's with plenty of options that carried us until the stroke of midnight. 

New Year's Day was cool and quiet and the California Gimlet was our pre-dinner cocktail. A solid vitamin C shot with a kick. Again, I will post the recipe soon.   

Dinner was slow cooker ham doused with apple bourbon barbeque sauce and surrounded by sliced apple and onion rings, buttery mashed potatoes and steamed brussel sprouts with a dash of white wine vinegar.  

Forgot to mention that our Christmas Fortnum & Mason order complimented our holiday nibbling and noshing.

Happy New Year, everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Rum Balls

My husband and I had fun making these last night. Ran out of chocolate sprinkles therefore the remaining rum balls were dressed with multi coloured dots. The baking continues...

This week sure is flying by. Stay warm. - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Violet Rice Krispie Treats

Roses are red, and violets are the colour of our rice krispie treats! Today the kidlets created this Easter inspired treat. They worked together with such organization I was only on hand to supervise and do the clean up. Just by adding a bit of food colouring and some candy sprinkles it completely turned this popular cereal treat around. The colour is a bit more vibrant than the photo shows. Still, they had fun and it is a great way to start off their Spring Break! 

 

Grazing

I thought I would post about this cookbook before we get into the throws of the Holiday spirit and the blissful overindulgences. Christmas, or any holiday, for that matter bring together family, friends, and food. Snack food during this time is just as important as the main meal. You do not want to border on too little or overwhelm with too much. Balanced choices that can maintain energy levels, blood sugar, and hunger are key. So that the company and conversation keeps them preoccupied rather than the food... the food should keep them satisfied.

Nowadays we all lead busier more complex lives and snack food... fast food is more readily available and that comes at a cost to our health, wallets and waistline. This cookbook has plenty of healthy snacks and finger foods for kids and adults. Whether you plan ahead or in dire need of something quick these recipes will help you through those busy periods  like the Holidays. Like Peanut Butter Power Bars, Breakfast Bean Cookies, Smoked Salmon Devilled Eggs, Fig and Olive Tapenade, Savoury Parmesan Biscotti and Spiced Tomato Apple Cake. Everything from savoury to sweet... crackers, granola, spreads, skewers, samosas, brownies and cupcakes. There is even a section called quickies so if you are really pressed for time you can whip something together quite easily.         

I wanted to share the Green Goddess Dip recipe as this is not a typical dip you would serve. It is different and I thought it would be a lovely accompaniment to the holidays. It is green and therefore very festive looking. 

Green Goddess Dip

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Makes about 2 cups

1/4 cup white wine or white balsamic vinegar

1/2 - 1 cup chopped fresh parsley (stems removes)

3 green onions, chopped 

small bunch of fresh chives, chopped 

1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon anchovy paste (optional)

1 - 2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon lemon juice (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 freshly ground black pepper 

1 cup low fat mayonnaise

Purée the vinegar, parsley, green onions, chives, anchovy paste (if you like), garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor until smooth; blend in the mayonnaise. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  

* You can add a mashed ripe avocado to the mixture before adding the mayonnaise.  

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Candy Cane Shortbread

I like to make all sorts of different flavours of shortbread and this one I came up with on a whim. I had some candy canes that were broken and decided to add them to the shortbread dough and then I add a few drops of red food colouring to the butter and some mint flavouring, to the butter before mixing into the dry ingredients. When they were baking the buttery mint smell filled the kitchen; although my son said that the cookies themselves didn't taste too minty. Which is great because one can have a heavy hand when adding additional flavour. They were decorated with an icing swirl to mimic a peppermint candy. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Still plenty more baking to do. - JD  

Date Nut Loaf

While replenishing some baking items at the local bulk shop I purchased some dried dates. Not really sure what I was going to do with them, probably my idea was to add them to some festive shortbread, I wandered home with them anyway. The holiday rush kicked in in the days that followed which sidelined my idea. After having those few days that preoccupied my baking thoughts yesterday those dried dates danced around in my head. Until I resided on a date nut loaf. Even though the recipe called for fresh dates I used the dried dates I bought and the loaf turned out great. The recipe is simple as you do not need multiple bowls. One pot for mixing everything together keeps the washing up to a minimum. 

Date Nut Loaf 

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1 cup dates, pitted and chopped

1 cup of water

1/2 cup butter

1/2 dark brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 teaspoons dark rum

1 teaspoon Camp coffee - optional

1 cup chopped walnuts, reserving a few for the top

Pre heat oven to 350ºF (175ºC) Grease and flour and 9x5 loaf pan.  

In sauce pan over medium heat. Bring dates and water to a boil. Stir in the butter and sugar until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Once the date mixture has cooled for the 10 minutes blend in the flour, egg, vanilla, rum and Camp coffee. Stir in the walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Add the remaining walnuts on top. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Notes: You may combine a multitude of fruits like cranberries, apricots, pineapples, raisins, figs, and blueberries. Try adding orange zest. Making a drizzle icing to go on top is the simplest of touches that adds a bit of sweetness. 

Wild Turkey

This cookbook seems very fitting seeing how turkey may be the choice meal around Christmas time. In Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge after coming to his senses new the importance of a large bird amongst other things. Some might see the turkey as the cumbersome edible table centre piece of Christmas past. While organic, meatless, and gluten - free become Christmas present and future. How ever you set the holiday table and which ever holiday feast you provide, one does not have to be visited by three ghosts to make one giddy as a school girl or boy to know that turkey is the essential Christmas dinner staple. 

This is the only cookbook I have completely dedicated to turkey. Which is fine. It offers 10 chapters and the one chapter that will be most useful come December 26th will be Chapter 9 - Leftovers and Surprises. Of course there are the usual recipes that have been turkeyfied... Turkey Sloppy Joes, Turkey a la King, Turkey Chili, Turkey Goulash, Turkey Gumbo, Teriyaki Turkey and even Turkey Tacos. 

All those recipes aside the recipe I wanted to share with you... well the two recipes I wanted to share with you are the Turkey Walnut Stew and the Cranberry Orange Relish. 

Turkey Walnut Stew

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1 breast of turkey

1 medium onion, minced

1/4 cup butter

3 cups chicken or turkey stock (or water with bouillon cubes)

2 cups English walnuts

juice of 3 lemons

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Nuts are an excellent thickener. However feel free to use other nuts. Hickory nuts would be great. 

Grind the walnuts in the meat grinder or mortar and pestle. Cut the turkey breast into bite-size chunks. Sprinkle these with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a skillet, and sauté the turkey pieces on both sides until lightly browned, then drain. Sauté the chopped onion for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the ground walnuts. Add the chicken or turkey stock, lemon juice, cinnamon, and a little salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring as you go. Reduce the heat, simmer, and stir for 10 minutes. Add the turkey pieces to the skillet of contents, cover, and simmer on very low heat for 40 minutes, stirring from time to time. Serve hot over fluffy rice. 

Cranberry Orange Sauce

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16 ounces fresh or fresh-frozen cranberries

2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup blanched almonds, slivered

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

Using a fine mesh, grate 2 teaspoons of orange peel from the outside, avoiding the inner white pith, which is bitter. Mix all the ingredients except the almonds in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the cranberries pop open. Remove from heat and skim the scum off the surface with a spoon. Stir in the almonds, pour into a serving container, and refrigerate until time to eat.

I am going to add a third recipe to share from the Wild Turkey cookbook and it is a basting  sauce in case you are looking for something different this holiday season.

Lemon Butter Basting Sauce 

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1/2 cup butter

juice of 4 lemons

1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke*

1 tablespoon white-wine Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tablespoon salt

* Liquid Smoke is sold in a bottle at most grocery shops in the spice/baking aisle.

Melt butter in a sauce pan, and stir in the other ingredients.

Mix well but do not boil. Use to baste broiled or grilled turkey breast meat. 

Hope everyone is doing well. My finger is much better and I managed to get more Christmas baking done. Today, I will be jetting around E-town spreading holiday cheer as I share my holiday baking. - JW 

Fortnum and Mason ~ 2014

I know Christmas is on it's way when the Fortnum and Mason order arrives. Nothing beats carefully opening and rummaging through the packing peanuts and guessing through the bubble wrap at the glorious culinary treasures inside. As usual we get a selection of our favourites like Smoky Earl Grey tea, Horseradish, Charcoal biscuits, a range of English mustards and King George cake. There are more festive delights like Christmas tea, Christmas coffee, Christmas Glitter Shortbread, Frost Fayre Christmas Spiced biscuits, Christmas Spiced Marmalade, and Boxing Day Chutney. Other items... which usually change from year to year, as we try new and different things, are: French Lavender Honey, a selection of other teas, Fig Cheese (a spread for cheese and biscuits/crackers), Devil Gamekeeper Relish, Damson & Claret (spread), Spice Tins: No.119 Dukka and No.49 Nigella Seeds, Ginger Turkish Delight and the exclusive Sweet Theatre Chocolate in Chili Dark (Katherine) and Orange Dark (Lady Macbeth). 

All products will slowly be enjoyed over the days and months however all Christmasy treats will not be opened until December 24th and that includes the King George cake. How we... I mean... I, will manage until then I do not know.  

Hope everyone had a good weekend! - JW  

Chocolate Fudge

I did make it back into the kitchen to whip up a batch of fudge. This time chocolate. And as you can tell from the photo I have had some success.  The recipe is from the cookbook I feature a few days ago called Christmas Candy. This recipe although it may seem intricate is pretty easy and was a breeze to create. I still do not have a candy thermometer however my kitchen intuition kicked in nicely. So far this recipe is the simplest and easiest. 

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge

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2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup of milk

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

*Notes: I did not have corn syrup so instead I used golden syrup. Also I omitted the walnuts. 

Grease an 8 inch pan with butter.

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the chocolate and the milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

Stir in the sugar and corn syrup. Increase the heat to moderate and continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.

Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute. Uncover the pan and insert a candy thermometer. Cook, uncovered, without stirring, until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage. (236ºF on the candy thermometer). Note: Since I do not have a candy thermometer I used my mum's method of dropping a bit of the boiling mixture into a glass of cold water until it form a soft- ball. 

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and the vanilla. Set aside until the candy cools to lukewarm (110ºF). Note: Once the top of the fudge in the saucepan looked less glossy and when tipping the saucepan the fudge looked like it had a skin on top, I started to beat it with a wooden spoon until it thick and creamy. 

With a wooden spoon, beat the fudge until it is thick and creamy and no longer glossy. Quickly stir in the nuts.

Pour the fudge into the prepared pan. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. 

When the fudge is firm and completely cool, cut into squares.

Hope you had a great weekend! - JW  

Christmas Candy

Christmas time has it's usual suspects at the dinner and dessert table. Wade through all the mincemeat tarts, fruit cake, shortbread, and rum balls and seemingly there is supposed to be a cornucopia of Christmas candy. My mum never made candy at Christmas probably because she made fudge periodically throughout the year. 

This cookbook is only 63 pages has no index just a table of contents which in most part acts as both. There is a simple and brief introduction regarding making the best candy, storing candy and packaging candy and other confections. Charming Victorian inspired holiday illustrations. Classic recipes such as almond clusters, pralines, peppermint creams, peanut brittle, fudge, salt water taffy and popcorn balls.

Last night I attempted to make the fruit fudge. I say attempted because I have tried on occasion to make this confectionary goodness only for my efforts to be a bit on the disappointed side. Although in my defence I think having a candy thermometre would help, slightly. My mum never used a candy thermometer and her fudge was fabulous every time. So much so that it would be purchase even before hitting the school's bake sale table.  

I found a recipe, from this book, to be nearly fool proof. The fudge did turn out. That said, I think a tweak here or there on my part, could make it better. I will go back to the kitchen at some point today and have another go. In the meantime I will share the recipe from the book so that you may try.

Fruit Fudge

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2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup milk

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup mixed canned fruit, coarsely chopped

**candied cherries may be substituted for the mixed fruit

Grease an 8 inch square pan with butter.

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, and butter. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to moderate and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until; the mixture comes to a boil.

Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute. Uncover the pan and insert a candy thermometer. Cook, uncovered, without stirring, until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage (236ºF on the candy thermometer). 

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside until the candy cools to lukewarm (110ºF).

With a wooden spoon, beat the fudge until it is thick and creamy and is no longer glossy. Quickly stir in the fruit.

Pour the fudge into the prepared pan. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. When the fudge is firm and completely cool, cut it into squares. 

Notes: Because I do not have a candy thermometer I had a glass of cold water beside the saucepan and periodically took a small spoon with a small amount of the fudge as it cooked and tipped it into the water to see if it would form a small soft ball... hence the term "soft-ball stage". Probably not the most effective way however that is how my mum tested her fudge. And it turned out every time. 

Hope everyone is enjoying the week so far. - JW