25 February 2010

Recipe for Vanilla Fudge and Coconut Ice

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I know this is really quite pathetic but I have only just cracked how to make fudge in the last year.  It always seemed to burn every time I tried to make it - the problem is that most recipes don't give the mixture long enough for the sugar to be transformed into fudge.  I would then always turn the heat up too high and it would stick to the bottom and start burning, or turning the sugar to toffee and then burn.

Vanilla fudge 

450g    Caster sugar (organic & Fairtrade)

50g      Unsalted butter, diced

170g    Can evapourated milk

150ml   Full fat milk

½ tsp    Organic Fairtrade vanilla extract (Steenbergs is of course the best!?)

1. Lightly oil a shallow non-stick baking tray – about 18cm.
2. Gently heat the sugar, butter and milks in a metal saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon until all the sugar has dissolved.
3. Bring to the boil and bubble away gently, stirring continuously (and I mean all the time with no breaks) for 25 – 30 minutes.
4. When the mixture reaches the soft ball stage or 116^oC, remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract.
5. Beat until the mixture becomes thick and pale in colour, then pour into the baking tray and leave to cool.  When cold cut into 2.5cm squares.
6. For a variation, you could stir in 150g of organic chocolate rather than the vanilla extract, for a rich dark chocolate fudge.   

Coconut ice

397g    Can of sweetened condensed milk

500g    Icing sugar, sieved

350g    Desiccated coconut (organic if possible)

Few drops of red/pink food colouring (optional)

1. Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. In a bowl, mix together the condensed milk and the sieved icing sugar, then stir in the desiccated coconut.
3. Now divide the mixture into 2.  Put the first half into the prepared cake tin and press it into all the edges.
4. Add the food colouring to the second half of coconut mixture and knead until the colour is evenly through.  Put this into the tin on top of the white layer and spread out. 
5. Leave to set in a cool place, then cut it out into 1-2 cm squares.