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SPICED RED WINE PASTILLES AND WHITE CHOCOLATE, MANDARIN & CRANBERRY FUDGE

Gift your loved one a sweet treat from the heart this Valentine’s Day with David Everitt-Matthias’ spiced red wine pastilles and white chocolate, mandarin & cranberry fudge.

Spiced red wine pastilles

This recipe can be adapted by adding blackberry juice etc and replacing all the other liquids with it. These are wonderful with powdered burdock root, and star anise. If you want to give it an added zing add 30g of citric acid to the coating of granulated sugar. Makes 70-80 pastilles.

Ingredients:

  • 250g Red Wine
  • 200g Orange Juice
  • 150g Port
  • 450g Castor Sugar
  • 100g Glucose
  • A good pinch of Ground Ginger
  • A good pinch of All Spice
  • 4 Cloves
  • 5cm Stick Cinnamon
  • 3 Juniper Berries
  • 2 Star Anise
  • 2 Strips Orange Peel
  • 50g Castor Sugar
  • 20g Pectin Powder
  • 7g Tartaric Acid
  • 200g Granulated Sugar

Method:

Place the liquids, spices and orange peel into a saucepan and bring up to the boil, remove from the theat, cover and allow to infuse for 2 hours, or overnight.

Strain off the liquid into andother saucepan and add 450g of the castor sugar and the glucose bring to the boil, stirring all the time.

Cook this to 102 c stirring occasionally so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.

Mix the 50g of castor and the pectin powder together thoroughly incorporating them.

When the orange juice mixture reaches 102 c whisk in the pectin mix and whisk until dissolved, being careful as it is getting extremely hot.

Keep on a high heat and cook to 110 c stirring occasionally.

Finally whisk in the tartaric acid and pass into a lined sided tray to a depth of 1cm.

Allow to cool. Cut into pastille shapes with a 20mm cutter.

Toss in the granulated sugar and place on a wire rack to air dry for 6 hours.

Keep in an airtight container in single layers, in a cool dry place.

 

White chocolate, mandarin & cranberry fudge

This recipe provides more the texture of a softer caramel and doesn’t have the grainy texture a normal fudge has. It is full of flavour and would be perfect individually wrapped in a little square of cellophane, or presented in a little box. Try adding some other flavours maybe cardamom or all spice, but do try the recipe first, warning….it is rather moreish.

Ingredients:

300g double cream
50g unsalted butter diced
400g white chocolate chopped finely
750g granulated sugar
250g glucose syrup
150g dried cranberries
5g salt
3 mandarins zested

Method:

Place the double cream, granulated sugar and glucose in a large saucepan.

Bring to the boil, and cook to 130 degrees centigade stirring very often to stop it catching on the bottom of the pan.

When it reaches 130 degrees centigrade place in a food mixer bowl and place on slow speed.

Add the white chocolate in 3 stages allowing to be incorporated before adding the next. When all the chocolate has been added add the butter and beat well. Finally add the mandarin zest, cranberries and salt mixing well. Pour into a lined tray, place a sheet of silicon on top, cool, and put in the fridge to set.

When set up, cut into desired shapes and sizes.

Recipe courtesy of Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham

More recipes: Craving a taste of the Aegean? Check out Ozlem Warren’s eggplant and lentil dish here.