I've never made fudge before but after watching Nigella make it earlier this week, I knew it wouldn't be long before I had a batch or two in my house. She made it seem so easy. Just throw some chopped chocolate, a can of condensed milk, a bit of butter, some nuts and a pinch of salt in pan, stir a little and that's it! Nigella suggested the fudge would make lovely Christmas presents but after having my first taste this morning (yes, you read correctly...this morning), I have no choice but to keep all 64 chocolaty little squares safely in my house- in case I have unexpected visitors, of course.
I've never been a big fan of pistachios so I opted for some roughly chopped almonds instead and also decided to toss in a bag of dried cranberries which was left over from the chutney I made last weekend (Nigella's Christmas Chutney, to be precise, which by the way, I can't recommend enough). The results were truly awesome. Thick, rich chunks of fudge speckled with bits of almonds and tangy, bright red, and very Christmassy cranberries. I strongly suggest you go make this- now.
Here's the recipe:
Chocolate Pistachio Fudge (or Chocolate Almond and Cranberry Fudge)
*350g dark chocolate
*1 can (397g) condensed milk
*30g butter
*pinch salt
*150g pistachios (I used 150g almonds and 125g dried cranberries)
"Put the chopped chocolate, condensed milk, butter and salt in a heavy- based pan on a low heat, and stir to melt.
Put the nuts into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin, until broken up into big and little pieces. (I did this very democratically with my mezzaluna)
Add the nuts (and the berries) to the melted chocolate and condensed milk and stir well to mix.
Pour and spatch this mixture into a foil tray 23cm square, smoothing the top. (I used a baking tray of the same size and lined it with baking paper)
Let the fudge cool, and refrigerate until set. (I did this overnight). You can then cut it into small pieces approx. 3 X 2.25cm. Cutting 8 X 8 lines in the tin to give 64 pieces best achieves this.
Once cut, it can be kept in the freezer- no need to thaw just eat straight away.
Makes 64 pieces of rich fudge."
16 comments:
Oh, Paola!
I can't blame you for keeping it all to yourself, though I wish you'd send that can over my way... ;)
Hi Patricia! Here's sending you some 'virtual' fudge! ;)
Hi Nan! Thanks so much for reading my blog...and welcome to The Netherlands! I moved here from New Jersey 10 years ago! You can find condensed milk at most supermarkets under the name 'gecondenseerde melk'. It's usually sold by the stay- fresh milk packs, so not in the cool section. By the way, have you been to Kingsalmarkt in Amstelveen? It's paradise for expats like us! You'll find SO many things from back home! I'm taking a trip down there pretty soon to stock up on goodies!
Thanks again for stopping by!
paola
Hi Paola
I going to make some later, yours looks so delicious mmm, you have convinced me.
Vi xx
This is in her latest book too.
Looks perfect to me. Great texture.
Great stuff.
Thanks Vi! I'm glad I made you do it! LoL! ;)
Hi Blood Sugar 2.0, I have all her books but for some reason, I love this one the most...despite all the bad press it got! Love her!
paola
I love fudge! And despite the fact that it's sickly sweet, I can never stop at just one piece.
This looks wonderful. I bet the dried cranberries were a wonderful touch. I am curious to see what the texture is like, using the condensed milk. A lot of recipes call for corn syrup, and I'd rather not use that. I can find organic sweetened condensed milk, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have corn syrup. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Your version of the recipe leaped out at me and demanded to be made, so I did, and added a bit of cardamon as well to up the Christmas feel. It was incredibly quick and easy to make!
I'll be taking it to a party tomorrow where I'm sure people will fall on it.
Have a great Christmas and try and vary your diet a bit, fudge is not a food group ;-)
Paola this is a really yummy recipe!!! I love it. Paola I nominate you to a meme if you want the questions (about food) you may see at my Blog) xxxxxxGloria
Hi Brilynn,
The fudge is not sickly sweet at all really. Especially if you use good quality dark chocolate. You'll love it!
Hi Bri,
The texture is not chewy but rather like a good bonbon. Hans said there'd be no need to buy chocolates ever again!
Hi Maddy!
I'm so glad you liked the recipe! I'm sure everyone else will too! And don't worry...I eat more than fudge...AND I was even nice enough to give half of it away after all! LoL! ;)
paola
Hi Gloria,
Thanks for your comment! I will have a look at your blog.
Cuidate!
paola
Hi Paola
have just made this for my daughter's teachers on your recommendation, Must say it was very easy (but difficult not to lick the spoon a lot!) Is in the fridge now ready to be bagged up tomorrow and I'm hoping there will be some left for me...
Hi Annie! Thanks so much for reading my blog! I'm really glad you liked the recipe! If I may be so honest...I gave half of it away but couldn't resist...there's another batch planned for today! This time with mixed nuts and raisins! Oh and I know what you mean about licking the spoon! ;)
Enjoy!
paola
Paola, I made mine yesterday, I hate to admit this but none of its got given away, I might have to make another batch too.
Vi xx
I might need to add this to my Christmas baking list also.
It looks addictive.
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