Puzzlebrains

Your wish has been granted Laura.

Starting with a fudge recipe from LAT:

OK here goes

I have scaled the quantities to fit the currently available size tins of evaporated milk.

One tin evap (410 grams)
100 grams butter
800 grams sugar (this is about 28 ounces)

Heat all together in a large thick bottomed pan stirring regularly. I never make it when I am alone in the house so I don't have to answer the phone or door. You need to keep it moving most of the time so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan (I actually use a Le Creuset casserole). Lightly oil a rectangular tin about 6 inches by 8 or so. the fudge is ready when it will form a soft ball. You check this by dropping a small amount into cold water and rolling it with your fingers. By this time it is slightly darker and is beginning to bubble into itself (ie looking a bit lower in the pan) Towards the end it needs almost constant stirrring to avoid sticking but don't worry about small dark hard bits you might dislodge as they taste fine.
When it is cooked pour it into the tin and leave to set. When it is nearly cool mark it into squares and leave again until it is completely cold before you get it out.
In my experience it is better to slightly overcook it if in doubt as if it is undercooked it won't set properly.

Good luck!!

Hurray!!

One of my favourites, which I only make occasionally or I'd be about 30 stone by now...
White Chocolate Ice Cream with Hot Blackberry Sauce

For the ice cream:

500ml milk
4 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
200g white chocolate

Warm the milk. Whisk the yolks with the sugar, then pour, still whisking, the warmed milk over the egg mixture. Pour into a saucepan and cook till a velvety custard, stirring constantly*. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave - or in a bowl over a pan of boiling water - for 3 or so minutes, then whisk in to the cooked custard. Cool, then chill, then freeze in the ice cream machine as normal.

*It is probably a good idea to fill the sink with cold water, so that if the custard shows any signs of splitting, you can plunge the pan into the cold water and whisk like mad! It should not take longer that about 10 minutes for the custard to thicken.

For the sauce:

1 punnet blackberries (150g)
4 scant tablespoons caster sugar
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon arrowroot, slaked in a little cold water

Put the berries, sugar, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and 50ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, turn down heat and cook for a few minutes. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the arrowroot paste. Pour into a wide-mouthed jug or bowl with a ladle and take to the table with the ice cream.

Serves 6.

If you do not have an ice cream maker, put the cooled ice cream base into a covered container, stick it in the freezer and whip it out every hour for 3 hours as it freezes and give it a good beating, either with an electric whisk, by hand or in the processor. That gets rid of any ice crystals that form and make the ice cream crunchy rather than smooth. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and put it in the fridge 20 minutes before you are ready to serve.

Now this is a favourite when we want to put on a couple of stone.

Chocolate Toffee Oaty Squares (makes 32 squares)

8 oz Plain flour (sifted)
4 oz Porridge oats
5 oz light brown soft sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 oz unsalted butter (chopped)
1 medium egg (beaten)
8 oz milk chocolate (roughly chopped)
5 fl oz double cream
4 mars bars (chopped)

Preheat oven gas mark 4 / 180 C

9 x 13 buttered swiss roll tin

Place flour, oats, sugar, bicarb of soda and salt into a food processor.
Process for a few seconds, then add butter and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add beaten egg through feeder tube and process for a few more seconds until it starts to stick together.
Using the back of a metal spoon, press 3/4 of the mixture into your prepared tin, forming a fairly even base.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Pour the chocolate over the oaty base, and spread it evenly to make it level, leaving a margin of about 1/2 inch all round the edge.
Put the tin in the freezer for 10 mins until chocolate has hardened.
Bring the cream to the boil in a heavy saucepan, then lower the heat to simmer.
Add the chopped Mars Bars and stir until melted (5 to 10 mins) then give it a good whisk antil creamy.
Pour this immediately over the hardened chocolate and spread out again leaving a narrow margin all round.
Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top so that it roughly covers the top.
Place on a baking tray and bake for about 25 minutes, until the edges are golden.
Loosen the edges with a knife, then allow to cool completely until the toffee is sufficiently hard (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours)
Cut into small squares.

And as this thread started with recipes for sweets this one was popular the only time I made it.

Coffee and walnut supremes

3 tbsp double cream
2 tsp instant coffee granules
6 oz plain or milk chocolate chopped
melted palin or milk chocolate for dipping
even sized walnut pieces

Bring cream to the boil in saucepan , add coffee granules and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Continue stirring until it has all melted and there are no lumps.
Pour mixture into foil lined baking tray. (For right depth of filling tray should measure 4 x 7 inches) Leave the mixture to cool and set fully. ( put in fridge) When completely set turn the slab of mixture out of the tray and trim all the edges with a knife that has been dipped in hot water and dried. Cut into pieces 1 inch x 1/2 inch. Using a dipping fork (whatever one of those is) dip each centre into the melted chocolate. Place chocolates on waxed paper to set. Before completely set top each with a piece of walnut.

Sweet Almond Biscuits

1 Egg
!00g/4oz Icing Sugar (plus extra for shaping)
1 Tsp Baking Powder
200g/8oz Ground Almonds
1/2 Tsp Rose Water or 1/2 - 1 Tsp Almond essence (to your taste)
12 Blanched almonds (for decoration)

Heat oven 180F, 160 fan or 4 gas.

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT blanched almonds to make a thick paste.

Using extra icing sugar - Roll into balls, flaten slightly and put on baking sheet, top with an almond.

Bake for 15 mins until golden and firm.

Can be frozen.

And an easy savoury

Cheese Straws.


I packet of Jus rol puff pastry rolled out and halved.

Spread one half with mustard (dijon is best) and the other half with tomato puree.

Grate your favourite cheese in copious quantities onto one half and of the pastry and top it with the other.

Cut into desired lengths, place on baking tray and put into a hot oven.

N.B Even if you don't like mustard they will be very bland if you omit it. Just go sparingly instead.

Lemon syllabub

Ingredients
2 shortbread biscuits (lemon flavoured or plain)
50ml/1¾fl oz white wine
75g/2½oz mascarpone
250ml/9fl oz double cream
4 tbsp icing sugar
8 tbsp lemon curd
2 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
2 sprigs fresh mint

Method
1. Crumble the shortbread into the base of four wine glasses or sundae dishes and moisten with half of the wine.
2. Place the mascarpone, cream and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk until it forms soft peaks. Fold in the remaining wine. Swirl the lemon curd through the mixture, leaving a marbling of yellow.
3. Spoon the mixture into the glasses and scatter with the toasted almonds. Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve straightaway or chill in the fridge to serve later.

Toss-in Fruit Cake

Ingredients
8 oz /225g self raising flour
½ level teaspoon mixed spice
Pinch of salt
4 oz /115g soft brown sugar
12oz /340g mixed dried fruit
2 eggs
4 fl oz / 125 ml milk
4 fl oz / 125 ml vegetable oil
½ teaspoon almond essence
1 oz /25 g Demerara sugar

A 7” (18cm) square or 8” (20 cm) round cake tin, greased and lined

Method
Set oven to 150ºC/300ºF.
Sift flour, salt and spice into a mixing bowl.
Add brown sugar and fruit, stirring to ensure fruit is coated with flour.
Add eggs, milk, oil and essence.
Either beat with a wooden spoon for 3-4 minutes until well mixed, or use an electric mixer and beat for 1-2 minutes.
Turn the mixture into the tin and sprinkle it with the Demerara sugar.
Bake just above the centre of the oven for 2 hours.

Measurements are given in both metric and imperial. These are not exact equivalents, so do not mix them.

For those of you who like crispy Chinese duck, this is a recipe that will be somewhat reminiscent but a different, yummy taste all of its own. Takes ages but well worth it, and it's mainly waiting, not hard work. (Of course, it's much, much better if you leave out the onion. But some of you might be the sort of loonies who like onions, so I'll leave the recipe with it in. Just be warned, it completely spoils it - or any other food - if you include onions. )

Duck with Cardamom Sauce

4 Duck legs
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 oz. Butter
½ tbspn Caster sugar
1” Root ginger, grated
6 Cardamom pods
1 ½ pts Chicken stock
¼ pt Ginger wine
¼ pt White wine
Lemon juice to taste
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp Sea salt

• Cover duck with cold water, bring to the boil and then gently simmer for 2 hours, covered.
• Fry onion in 1 oz. butter until softened. Add ginger, sugar and seeds from 1 cardamom pod and cook until well caramelised.
• Add stock and reduce by ½. Add wines and reduce by a further ½, until a thin syrup consistency is achieved. Season and add lemon juice.
• Drain and pat dry the duck. Rub the oil into the skin and sprinkle with salt. Scatter remaining cardamom seeds over the duck and roast at Gas Mark 8/230° C/450° F for 25 minutes.
• Reheat the sauce and whisk in 1 oz. butter

Crikey SparkOut, you must be telephathic!! I've just been shopping and they had duck breasts half price, so I got 4 (I'm sure breast will do just as well! Looking forward to this...WITH the onions.

Using duck legs is partly because they have the skin on - they go crispyised (in the same vein as the Chinese crispy duck) - would the duck breasts be skinned?

No they have skins on, so I'm sure they'd be fine. I have done the Nigella easy crispy duck recipe from Nigella Express, but I like the sound of this because I'm a big fan of ginger and cardomom.

Then all I can say is "Yum"
When do I get invited for dinner? oh... hang on... you're putting in the onions... never mind!

Did you serve it with pancakes spring onions cucumber and hoi sin, or just on it's own with veg btw?

Up to you - but remember it is not a clone of Chinese crispy duck, but very reminiscent of the crispy skin and meat texture. It has a flavour all its own though, and it's got its own sauce, so you would probably not want hoisin anyway. We had some glazed carrots and green beans with it.

I need some rasberry recipes and fast. I cant believe how many I've got from the 4 miserable canes I bought last year. I've duly frozen them on trays and and I've got bags and bags of them- and thats not counting the one's I've eaten while picking, those that have been crumbled, summer fruit puddinged, pastry cased etc.

The white chocolate ice cream (top of page) goes equally well with raspberries.

gill216 wrote:I need some rasberry recipes and fast.

Ah well... whatever can beat just raspberries and fresh cream? We never tire of them....
However, there are some wonderful classic Scottish recipes, where raspberries grow in profusion. e.g:
Tipsy Laird Pudding : This is basically just a trifle, but using whisky instead of sherry. i.e. sponge cake at the bottom (with a little raspberry jam if desired). pour on whisky/sherry to taste and top with raspberries. Add a (small) layer of custard and top off with whisked cream to which a drop more whisky (or Drambuie) has been added. And of course, more raspberries on top.... scrumptious!
Crannachan: The most basic form of this is to whisk ½pint double cream until stiff with a tablespoon whisky (or more....!) and a little icing sugar and stir in about 2 oz oatmeal (ground, not flakes!) . Then add about ½lb raspberries - you could puree some of them if you like, but I usually leave them whole.
More recipes at: http://www.scotlands-enchanting-kingdom ... cipes.html

why is it not a surprise that Wulfruna's recipes include whisky??