Storing Home made sweets

There is nothing worse than overly sticky sweets that have melted together, drying fudge or soggy chocolate so its always a good idea to prepare how you are going to store or present your sweets once you have made them.

As a rule most home made sweets should be stored in a cool place in airtight containers. If you have made uncooked sweets or unboiled marzipan you will probably know that they do not keep well so try and use them within a week.
For toffees and caramels they last a lot longer if you wrap them up in greaseproof paper. This will prevent them becoming too soft and inedible. They also look great if wrapped up if you are presenting them as a gift.
When storing homemade sweets do remember that different types of sweets should be stored separately until served. There is nothing worse than coffee flavoured confectionery stored with a softer flavoured sweet as the smell with penetrate the milder sweet. It can be even more disastrous if you are using a strong flavour such as mint - so keep different flavours apart.
Chocolates should be covered with greaseproof paper and stored in an airtight tin. If your household is anything like mine they probably won't last that long but I would recommend that you don't keep them stored for too long as they can loose that lovely glossy finish.
It goes without saying that any sweets that use ingredients such as cream need to be kept in the fridge to prevent deterioration. Sweets such as truffles and chocolates with a high percentage of cream should be eaten within a few days - so do bear this in mind if you are making them as a gift for someone.
If you are making sweets as a gift and want a good choice that will last then fudge  can be cut and stored between sheets of greaseproof paper in an airtight tin and these will normally last approximately 2-3 weeks.

COCONUT ICE

Sir Francis Drake introduced the coconut to England. The tropical palm on which it grows is called 'kalpa vriksha' in sanskrit, meaning 'tree that gives all that is necessary for life'. Mrs Beeton described its many uses in her Household Management 1861 while giving a recipe for a cocoa-nut soup. Since Drakes time the white rine has been a popular addition to many spice and sweet recipes. A slab of coconut ice is something few people can resist, and it is quick and easy to make.

Preparation time : 30 minutes

Setting time : 2 hours

Makes : 1.1kg (2 1/2 lb)

INGREDIENTS

150 ml (1/4pt) water and 150 ml (1/4pt) milk

OR

300ml (1/2pt) milk

900g (2lbs) granulated sugar

25g (1oz) butter

225g (8oz) desiccated coconut

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

a few drops of red colouring or cochineal

METHOD

1. Pour the water and milk or the 300ml (1/2pt) milk, into a saucepan with the sugar and butter

and heat it slowly until the sugar dissolves.

2. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it reaches a temperature of

120c (248f).

3. Meanwhile oil a 20cm (8in) square shallow tin.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the coconut and vanilla essence. Beat the

mixture briskly with a wooden spoon until it is fairly thick and creamy. Then pour half the

mixture into the oiled tin.

5. Add the colouring quickly to the remaining other half as the texture will soon change, making

it difficult for the colour to spread easily.

6. Pour the pink mixture on top of the white and spread it evenly over the top.

7. Leave the coconut ice in a cool place until it is firm, and then cut it into narrow bars about 4cm

(1 1/2 in) long.

8. Store in an airtight tin.

Sugar Boiling

Sugar boiling is the basis of nearly all sweet making. Getting the various types of sugar boiling correct takes a bit of practice but once the basics are learnt then this skill we stand you in good stead for making great sweets. Have a few key utensils ready for when you start this process. Finding you have the wrong type of saucepans and thermometers can mean it isn't easy to create and gauge when your sugar boiling is ready. Use a good heavy based saucepan for boiling and most cookery shops serve jam making or sugar making thermometers. These are the heavy duty metal ones that are specifically designed to work for cooks and chefs. Never ever use a thermometer that has not been designed for cooking as shattering is highly likely and contents of these are dangerous if consumed.

The sugar is first dissolved in the liquid, then brought to the boil, 100C (212F). The temperature continues to rise as the water evaporates and the syrup thickens and becomes darker.
The following are the most important stages; they are best checked with a sugar thermometer but simple tests are described for those who don't have a sugar thermometer to hand.

Thread 102C-104C (215-220F) Used for crystallising purposes. The mixture looks syrupy. To test, dip your fingers in water and then very quickly in the syrup. The thumb will slide smoothly over the fingers but sugar will cling to them

Soft Ball. 116-118C (240-245F)
Used for fondants and fudges. Test by dropping a little of the syrup into very cold water. It should form a soft ball. At 116C (240F) the soft ball will flatten when you take it out of the water; the higher the temperature the firmer the ball.

Firm or hard ball (120-130C (250-265F)
Used for caramels. When dropping into cold water the syrup forms a ball which is hard enough to hold its shape, although still piable

Soft crack 132-143C (270-290F) Used for toffees, When dropped into cold water the syrup separates into hard and brittle threads.

Caramel 1600162C (320-325F) Used for pralines and caramels. The syrup turns golden brown when it reaches this temperature

Avoiding Crysallisation
Sugar must be dissolved and boiled with great care, as syrup has a tendency to re-crystallise if incorrectly handled. The main causes of crystallisation are agitation of the mixture by stirring or beating whilst the sugar is dissolving and the presence of solid particles during boiling.

Collettes

190g (6.5 oz) plain chocolate
25g (1oz) butter
10ml (2tsp) brandy
60ml (4 tbsp) double cream
flaked almonds, glace cherries and crystallised violets, to decorate

1. Place 16 small papers cases on a baking sheet

2. Break 100g (4oz) of the chocolate in pieces into a heatproof bowl standing over a suacepan of gently simmering water. Heat gently until the chocolate has melted. stirring only once or twice after the chocolate has started to melt. Remove bowl from the pan.

3. Spoon a little chocolate into each case and using a clean paintbrush, coat inside of the cases. Leave to set in a cool place for about 1 hour.

4. Coat again making sure the cocolate forms an even layer. Leave to set in a cool place for about 1 hour. then carefully peel away the paper from the cases.

5. Melt the remaining chocolate with the butter as in step 2, leave for about 5 minutes until cool but not set, then stir in the brandy until evenly mixed.

6 Whip the cream until stiff and fold into the chocolate mixture. Leave to set for about 5 minutes until mixture is thick enough for piping.

7. Spoon the chocolate cream into a piping bag fitted with a snmall star nozzle and pipe into the chocolate cases. Decorate each with a flaked almond, a piece of cherry or a crystallised violet.

8. Arrange in clean paper cases in a box. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Makes 16

These make a lovely Easter gift when arranged in a pretty presentation box. If you are giving them as a present please remember to make them just before you are going to give them to the recipient and keep them chilled as they include fresh cream and you don't want to give the recipient more than they bargained!