fudge!

as if i don't have enough to do today. (finish the felt corn for the markets tomorrow; bottle up 25 bottles of a new and exciting plum and smoky chilli sauce; prepare shallots and parsley for tomorrow; make a big batch of aioli for the weekend; apple jelly as i found great fresh sour green apples today and couldn't resist - so got 20kg now hanging from a pole between two chairs in huge jelly bags dripping quietly; and chocolate chip cookies for olympia's cousin who is not well) i succumbed to the idea of lovely little bags of pistachio nut and cognac fudge for the mothers' day markets. it looks pretty yummy as it sits and cools.

here's my recipe (probably for the second time...)
quadruple quantity cos you know you love it!
500g butter
2kg sugar
half cup of milk
4 tins of condensed milk

put butter, milk and sugar into a large, heavy-based saucepan.
stir as it melts and combines.
then empty the condensed milk into the pan.
you need to stir almost constantly. especially the "corners" of the pan. keep the heat fairly low.
don't worry if little brown flecks appear, but don't burn it!
the process can take up to half an hour. the colour will gradually darken and by the time it is a light brown colour it's getting close. you'll notice little crystals forming around the sides of the pan that make a scraping sound when you push the spoon against them. when you feel it is a rich light brown/ochre colour, remove from the heat and beat for 5 to 10 minutes. i cheat and use a good stick blender so it only takes a few minutes.
now stir in nuts or chunks of chocolate (which will melt immediately), and pour it into a lined tray. mine is about 28 by35cm and the fudge is pretty thick, so you can use two trays.
let is set then cut and eat...
easy!