It's so nearly here! Just two days to go, and as I write this we (read: my husband) are packing up the car to head home to spent time with family, start on the whisky Macs and the champers, and bed in for my those days in between - my favourite week of the year.
I wasn't convinced by fudge until I visited The Fudge Kitchen in Cambridge. The Fudge Kitchen (who now have sites all over the country) make all of their own fudges traditionally on a large marble table on site, and serve them up as great doorstop stabs of gooey, silky fudge which is quite unlike the kind that comes in little cellophane wrappers in the pick and mix section. My recipe is a homage to theirs - although as I’ve never seen their recipes, I have no idea how close it really is. This makes for a gooey fudge which is delicious, if a little homemade looking.
You will need a sugar thermometer for this recipe. These are inexpensive and can be bought in any good cookware section, and are a worthwhile investment for anyone who bakes from time to time.
If fudge doesn’t do it for you, why not try my peppermint cream recipe (which you can find here) or quince and citrus fruit pastilles (recipe here) - and might still be lurking in your inbox if you’re already subscribed.
And if this mini series isn’t enough for you - or if you’d rather gift someone some recipes than a box of homemade treats - then may I gently point you in the direction of my cookbook, Postal Bakes, which is full of homemade gifts and has plenty more ideas - and is still very much available in all good bookshops (here are some links! Amazon, John Lewis, Waterstones, Blackwells, etc etc).
200g good quality white chocolate
375g granulated sugar
100g liquid glucose
200g double cream
50g unsalted butter
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp Baileys (optional)
Begin by caramelising the white chocolate. Heat the oven to 120°C, then break up the chocolate and spread out evenly in an oven proof dish. Place in the oven for ten minutes, then remove the dish and spread the melted chocolate around with a clean, dry spatula. Continue this process and ten minute intervals for 40-60 minutes, until the chocolate is a deep, golden caramel colour.
Once the chocolate is ready, you can start to make the fudge. Begin by lining an 8x8 square tin with baking parchment. Next, place the sugar, glucose and double cream in a heavy bottomed sauce pan fitted with a sugar thermometer. Allow the sugar to melt over a medium heat, then raise the temperature and cook until the mixture reaches 114°C.
Add the butter and the caramelised white chocolate, continuing to cook until both additions have melted in and the mixture has once again reached 114°C. Carefully pour the fudge into the prepared tin, then leave for 3-4 hours to set. Slice and serve.