RECIPE: PISTACHIO FUDGE (PISTA BARFI)

BARFI or Indian Fudge is a popular Indian sweet and is served during festive seasons such as Diwali or to ‘sweeten’ the mouth on happy events such as marriages, engagements, births or for any auspicious or joyous occasions. There are many different flavourings and pistachio is one of the nicer and more expensive versions.

It is not hard to make BARFI but mind you, you need lots of arm muscles as you have to constantly stir the mixture. Don’t attempt to make this if you can’t give it your full attention. You can get around 18 large or 36 small squares with this measurement.


Ingredients

2 litres fresh full cream milk – the creamier the better
1¼ cups sugar
1 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
½ teaspoon cardamom powder
1 cup raw blanced pistachio – ground fine
1 cup raw blanched pistachio nuts - chopped fine
1 cup slived almonds

Method

Combine milk, sugar, ghee and cardamom in a pot, preferably non-stick. Bring the milk to a rolling boil over moderate heat and continue to cook it, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon for about 45 minutes, or until the milk has reduced to a thick bubbling creamy mass, about half its original volume. Add the powdered pistachios.

Continue to reduce the fudge, stirring continuously with gently rhythmic strokes for a further 10 minutes, or until the mixture resembles a thick paste.

Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook the fudge, stirring and scraping with the wooden spoon for further 20 minutes or until the mixture becomes a thick dry lump. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for one minute.

Transfer the fudge to a shallow, buttered tray. Press down the fudge using a banana leaf or aluminium foil until smooth. Evenly spread the chopped pistachios and the slivered almonds. Allow the fudge to cool for an hour.

Cut the fudge into pieces with a sharp, buttered knife. You may need to wipe the knife clean after each cut. Serve with a cup of “garam garam masala chai” ….. hot, hot spiced tea. Too good!!!




Note: Normally a layer of edible silver foil is transferred onto the BARFI. I personally dislike it as it reacts with my sensitive teeth.

RECIPE: NESTLÉ MAGIC SLICE

A really yummy and easy to make slice, perfect for the Yule season. Thank you Mr G for making it. If it wasn’t for him, we’d probably not have any chrissie goodies this year. Work had been a killer, which was unusual for that time of the year. I wonder what 2009 has in store. Definitely busy if these past few months are any indication!!!!

Anyway, enough of listening to the world’s smallest violin (in other words, my whining). Here’s the recipe for NESTLÉ MAGIC SLICE.


Ingredients

1 ½ cups crushed plain sweet biscuits (Mr G used Arnott’s NICE Biscuits)
75 g butter, melted
1 cup Nestlé Milk Choc Bits
1 cup raisins
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup flaked almonds
395 g can Nestlé Sweetened Condensed Milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line an 18cm x 28cm lamington tray. Make sure you don’t use a larger tray than this as your base would then be too thin.

Combine the crushed biscuits (Mr G did this in a food processor for about 5 to 8 secs) and melted butter. Press in the base of the tray, like you would making a cheesecake.

Now make layers on this base, using all the ingredients and spreading it evenly, starting with the CHOC BITS, followed by the RAISINS, next the COCONUT and finally the ALMONDS.


Lastly, pour the CONDENSED MILK evenly over the top.

Bake for 25 to 30 mins or until the top is golden brown and the centre is firm. Allow to cool in pan before inverting to a chopping board and cutting it into slices. Finger licking good!

RECIPE: LAMINGTONS

Imagine my surprise when I came home from work and saw a rack of lamingtons drying! Good ol’ Mr G decided to make them and he actually made them from scratch. What I normally do is (my sister-in-law JL in Ballarat taught me this) I buy the Tip Top brand Madeira cake, cut it into squares and ice it to make lamingtons. I have to admit that Mr G did such a good job that the lamingtons practically walked out the door!

This is how he made them.


Cake Ingredients
125 g butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 xl (800g) eggs
2 cups self raising flour
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup milk (approx)
½ tsp vanilla extract

Cake Method
Heat oven to 180°C and cover a 33cm x 23 cm lamington tray with baking paper.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and salt and to mixture, alternately with the milk. Add vanilla extract and blend well but do not over beat. Add extra milk if necessary to form a ‘soft dropping’ consistency.

Spread evenly onto lamington tray and bake for 25 to 35 mins or until cooked. Turn out and cool on a cake rack. When cooled, cut into 30 squares.

Chocolate Icing Ingredients
30 gm butter
½ cup boiling water (approx)
3 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 cups desiccated coconut

Chocolate Icing Method
Melt butter in only ¼ cup of boiling water. Sift icing sugar with cocoa. Add liquid, mix well and add the vanilla extract. Now add the extra ¼ cup of boiling water, if REQUIRED, to make a thin icing that will easily coat the cake slices.

Dip each of the cake slices into the chocolate icing to form an even coating. Roll in the desiccated coconut and place on the wire racks again to ‘stiffen’ the icing.

RECIPE: CHOC SULTANA SLICE

Mr G made this slice (thank you love) and he got the recipe from the ‘Sunbeam’ brand sultana packet. It is so yummy and it lasted only one day as the kids (and guiltily, I) had been ‘hijacking’ it. I definitely have to make twice the recipe the next time I, or rather Mr G, makes it! I'd recommend this as a festive fare.

Ingredients
1 cup sultanas
100g butter – softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa – sifted

Icing
¼ cup cocoa – sifted
1 cup icing sugar – sifted
1 tbsp butter – melted
2 tbsp hot water


Method
Place butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well combined.

Add sifted flour, cocoa and sultanas. Put into a greased and lined lamington tin and bake at 180°C for 20-25 mins or until cooked when tested.

Icing – mix all ingredients well. Ice the slice when it is cool, then cut into pieces.