Crossed Grain

WWW.COELIAC.ORG.UK 35 CANDY STRIPE MERINGUE KISSES These beautiful little meringues are super impressive yet easy to make; you just need a small paint brush and a disposable piping bag. They can be made up to a week ahead and kept in an airtight container. They also freeze well if you get into batch cooking. Makes 30 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 1 hour Ingredients • 2 large egg whites • 115g (5oz) white caster sugar • food colouring paste (we used red and green) Method 1 Heat oven to 120ºC/250ºF/Gas Mark ½ 2 Line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment and prepare your piping bag. You will need a disposable one. Using a wet paintbrush, paint lines of food colouring along the inside of the piping bag. (wash the brush well between each colour so they don’t mix) 3 Place the egg whites into a large mixing bowl (making sure it’s free from grease before you start). Whisk the eggs with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Then add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously, until you have a thick and glossy meringue, which will hold up in a stiff peak on the end of the whisk 4 Fill the colour striped bag with the meringue, and pipe small circles of about 2cm x 2cm 5 Continue until all the mixture in the bag is used up, leaving enough room for the meringues to spread a little, then bake for 1 hour. FUDGE This is a really easy fudge recipe and it’s also incredibly adaptable. You can add any flavours you like – from vanilla to coffee and walnut, or even the classic rum and raisin. If you do choose to add a flavour, make sure you do this after you have removed it from the heat (step 3). Makes 36 chunks or 3 gift bags Preparation time 25 minutes Cooking time 25 minutes Ingredients • 1 x 397g can condensed milk • 450g (16oz) demerara sugar • 115g (4oz) butter Method 1 Place the condensed milk, demerara sugar, and butter into a large non-stick saucepan and melt over a low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves 2 Bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously and scraping the base of the pan. To see if it’s ready, drop a little of the mixture into a jug of ice cold water. A soft ball of fudge should form. Alternatively, check with a sugar thermometer if you have one (the fudge should be at 118°C) 3 Remove the fudge from the heat and beat until it’s very thick and starting to set (this should take about 10 minutes) 4 Pour into an oiled tin and leave to cool before cutting into squares. RECIPES