430g/heaped 2 cups caster/superfine sugar
260ml/generous 1 cup buttermilk
15g/1 tbsp butter
1tbsp golden syrup
1tsp vanilla extract
A generous pinch of flaky salt
EQUIPMENT
Small roasting dish, cake tin/pan or tray (about 25 x 15cm/10 x 6in)
I’m not generally an enthusiastic lover of fudge. Hagrid seems to be a fan in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but the only use the others find for it is to stick the bloodhound Fang’s teeth together to keep him quiet. This confirmed all my fudge-related prejudice; it’s oversweet, chewy, and cloying. When a friend requested I make her some, I was reluctant, but I had a bit of buttermilk in the fridge and used it in place of the usual sickly condensed milk. Though it’s still sweet enough to give you a bit of a sugar rush, the salt and the sour buttermilk cut through it, making a more rounded, grown-up fudge that’s far too easy to eat in alarmingly large quantities.
Makes a generous box – about 24 pieces
1. Line a tin with parchment paper. Stir the caster sugar and buttermilk together in a saucepan. Add the butter and the golden syrup, and place over a moderate heat. Stir only once the sugar has melted, so that it does not crystallize.
2. Simmer the mixture until it reaches 116C/240F. Turn off the heat, leave for 5 minutes, then add the vanilla and the salt. Beat the fudge vigorously with a wooden spoon, until it is dull rather than shiny.
3. Pour into the tin, and leave for a couple of hours to harden. Slice into squares, and store in an airtight container.