Dentists Beware

If you work in the dental industry I advise you to look away now. The following recipe is for tablet, a traditional Scottish treat, and probably partly responsible for our terrible health record (that and the infamous deep fried Mars bar).

This particular batch was made as a gift for my in-laws on boxing day and is the perfect accompaniment to an after dinner cup of coffee.

This is the last of the sugar and butter extravaganzas for this holiday season. January is fast approaching and tradition dictates that we'll all be eating more healthily - at least for a short while ;)

Walnut Tablet

2lbs / 900g unrefined sugar
4oz / 100g unsalted butter
1 can condensed milk
1 teacup of milk (not skimmed)
8oz / 200g walnuts (very roughly chopped)

There are very few ingredients in this sweet so use the best you can as poor ingredients have nowhere to hide. Don't break the walnuts up into tiny pieces or the end result is gritty. I generally chop the walnut halves into four but leave a few larger pieces for texture.

- Butter two baking sheets, line them with greaseproof paper and butter the greaseproof paper.

- Put the butter, milk and condensed milk in a pan and heat very gently until the butter has melted.

- Add all the sugar to the liquids and stir to combine.

- Gently heat the mixture, stirring all the while, until all the sugar has dissolved (this may take some time). Use the spoon to see if all the sugar has dissolved. If the mixture running off the spoon is shiny and has no sugar granules in it you're ready to move on. If there are still sugar granules on the spoon, increase the temperature a little at a time until they are gone. Do not let the mixture boil until all the sugar has dissolved or your tablet will be gritty.

- Once the sugar has dissolved turn up the heat and allow the mixture to boil gently, stirring constantly.

- Test the mixture after 10 mins of boiling by dripping some of it into a cup of cold water. If the drops form individual balls and do not all melt together at the bottom you're ready for the next stage. If the mixture doesn't pass the test continue boiling it and test it every minute or so. Try not to over boil the mixture. It should darken slightly but should remain creamy beige and not turn nutty brown.

- Take the pan off the heat and place it on a folded tea-towel or trivet on your counter top. Beat the mixture vigorously until it starts to thicken.

- Add the chopped walnuts and continue beating until the sugar starts to crystallise.

- Quickly pour the mixture into the prepared baking sheets and tap / wiggle / shoogle them until the mixture is evenly distributed (you may need to redistribute the walnuts if they have all migrated to one corner). Don't be tempted to use a finger, this stuff is hot.

- Place the baking trays somewhere flat and cool and free from cat hair (we use the porch).

- After five minutes, the mixture should be setting well. Score the top with a knife to make it easier to cut later. This stuff is tooth achingly sweet so keep the pieces small.

- Once the tablet is completely set cut into pieces and store in an air tight container. If you don't it will go rock solid making it a double threat to your dentistry

Health Warning:
Aside from the fact that this stuff is incredibly bad for you, please be careful when boiling, beating and pouring out the mixture as it gets incredibly hot. Needless to say this is not a recipe that children should help out with.