The sweet taste of childhood

Creamy honey and ginger fudge

Makes about 25 to 30 squares



450g granulated sugar

150ml honey

75g unsalted butter

200ml evaporated milk

200ml double cream

5 knobs of stem ginger (from a jar), chopped into small pieces, plus 2tbs of the syrup



1 Line a 20cm square baking tin, 4cm deep, with baking parchment. Place the sugar, honey, butter, evaporated milk and cream into a deep, heavy-bottomed pan and gently heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring with a wooden spoon. This will take about 3 to 5 minutes.

2 Now turn up the heat to medium and place a sugar thermometer in the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. After 15 minutes the mixture should have reached 100°C, cook for a further 10 minutes until the fudge loses its gloss and goes grainy around the edges.

3 Pour into the prepared tin. After an hour or so, score the fudge with a knife to create squares. Once set, cut the fudge into rough squares.





Mallows d'Amour

These pretty marshmallows are a blast from the past. Makes 25

Icing sugar and cornflour, to dust

450g granulated sugar

1tbs liquid glucose

1 sachet of powdered gelatine

3tbs rose syrup

5-6 drops of pink food colouring

2 large egg whites

Crystallised rose petals, to decorate



1 Line a 20cm square baking tin (4cm deep) with baking parchment and, using a sieve, shake equal amounts of icing sugar and cornflour over the base until the parchment is lightly dusted.

2 Put the sugar, glucose and 200ml water into a heavy-bottomed pan and give it a quick stir. Place a sugar thermometer in the pan, bring the liquid to a gentle boil and continue cooking for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the mixture reaches 127176C (260176F) on the thermometer. While you are waiting, sprinkle the gelatine over 100ml of boiled water (following the instructions on the packet), making sure it has dissolved properly. Add the rose syrup and the pink food colouring to the dissolved gelatine.

3 When the syrup reaches the correct temperature, remove the pan from the heat and remove the sugar thermometer. Pour the dissolved gelatine into the syrup. Be careful, it will bubble and spit and rise to the top of the pan.

4 Whisk the egg whites together until stiff. Still whisking, slowly add the syrup and gelatine mixture. With the whisk on a super-fast setting, whisk for a further 25 to 30 minutes, until the mixture is thick, shiny and holding its shape reasonably well on the back of the whisk. Spoon the mallow mixture into the dusted tin and leave to set for about two hours.

5 Dust a second piece of parchment with icing sugar and cornflour. Turn the mallow out onto the paper. Dust a heart-shaped cutter with cornflour and icing sugar and cut the mallow into heart shapes. Dust the cut edges and leave to dry on a wire rack. Place the mallows into a receptacle of your choice and scatter with crystallised rose petals.

• This article was originally published on page 13 of The Sunday Tribune on October 18, 2009

Source : babynet