Chocolate Fudge

 

Forget the calories involved in this dish... if you're bothered about them, then this recipe is not for you!  We've been trying to make fudge for a couple of years (not continuously!) and found this recipe online which seemed promising... it needs just one can of condensed milk (397g), 4 Tablespoons of butter (we used 62g) and a POUND of chocolate (eek).

Gathering the chocolate, we went for a mixture of bars (broken up), chips and nibs... milk and plain.




Then the butter and chocolate were placed in a metal bowl which went over a pan with boiling water in.



At this point the condensed milk was added and the mix was left to heat through.















We then stirred the mix regularly until it was smooth before turning into a greased and double clingwrap lined Pyrex dish.

The fudge was then left to cool before being covered with more cling film and then put in the fridge to set completely.  Once cooled it was divided into very small pieces and stored in airtight containers.  We put some in cellophane bags for gifts for friends and the rest was ALL FOR US!  (it did last a very long time)

Lemon and Lime CheatsCake

On a search through the cupboard (looking for an elusive tin of chickpeas) we spotted a can of condensed milk and wondered what we could make to use it up.  As Sous Chef J is a fan of all things citrus we decided to try to make something similar to a key lime pie.

However, after 'auditing' supplies, we realised there weren't enough limes to make a lime pie... but we had lemons too and, so, lemon and lime was the citrus blend we decided to go with.  On the day we made this, it was quite warm (strangely, for a UK summer!) and we didn't want to have to use the oven to cook it (which some internet recipes require.)  This made us think of alternatives and we decided on a no-cook biscuit base.

With our pudding in mind, we gathered all the ingredients together.  There was a pot of double cream,  200g of gluten free digestives (we used Tesco free from) and 100g of butter to add to the condensed milk and lemons and limes.

The biscuits were crushed (you could whiz them in a food processor) and, whilst this was happening, the butter was melted.  Next the melted butter was added to the biscuit crumb and mixed well.  This was then spread out evenly over the base of a well greased, 20cm spring form tin and placed in the fridge to chill.

The double cream and condensed milk were then whisked together.  After squeezing and zesting the lemons and limes, the juice and zest was added to the cream/milk and mixed well.  This was then spooned over the chilled biscuit base and returned to the fridge to set.

Just prior to serving, the top of the cake was decorated with slices of lemon and lime and the springform tin was (carefully) removed.



Then it was time for the 'will it stay together' and taste test.  Luckily, it DID stay together and it tasted "yummy" too.

Our Lemon and Lime CheatsCake... named because it's not really a cheesecake but has similarities.  Whatever it is, it's tasty and doesn't last long!