Father's Day Gift

Looking at the calendar and the shops, it's Father's Day on the 15 June and I remember how difficult it is to buy something for dads, so why not make something. My suggestion is Manly Fudge! Fudge is a better bet than toffee as it's not so taxing on the teeth, this is a factor to take into account with older dads, toffee could remove fillings, if not teeth! Fudge is also a good vehicle for lots of flavours to suit all tastes. Here are some recipes I found on the internet. The first fudge is by James Martin

Ingredients

oil, for greasing

300ml Milk

350g caster sugar

100g unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Grease an 18cm square cake tin. 

2. Put the milk, sugar and butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Heat slowly, stirring all the time, until the sugar has dissolved and the butter melted. 

3. Bring to the boil and boil for 15-20 minutes, stirring all the time. 

4. When the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage (115°C on a sugar thermometer), remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Leave to cool for 5 minutes. 

5. Beat the mixture with a spoon for a few minutes until it starts to thicken and the gloss disappears. 

6. Pour into the prepared tin and leave to set at room temperature (do not put it in the fridge). 

7. Once set, cut the fudge into small squares and store in a sealed container.

The next recipe is from the Nestle website

397g can Carnation Condensed Milk
150ml (5fl oz) milk
450g (1lb) demerara sugar
115g (4oz) butter

Variations:
Add the following at the beating stage.

Rum and Raisin
Stir in 2tbsp of dark rum along with 115g (4oz) of chopped raisins.
Fruit and Nut
Stir in 85g (3oz) of mixed dried fruit and chopped nuts.
Chocolate
Stir in 175g (6oz) of melted plain chocolate

Grease and base line an 18cm (7in) square tin with baking parchment.  

Gently heat all the ingredients in a large, nonstick saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  

Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously, until a temperature of 116ºC (240ºF) is reached on a sugar thermometer. Alternatively, test the fudge by dropping a little into a jug of cold water. If a soft ball is formed, the fudge is ready.  

Remove from the heat. Beat until thick and grainy (about 10 minutes). Pour into the prepared tin and leave to cool. When cold, cut into squares.

Fudge can be stored for up to 1 month in an airtight container.