How to make your own sherbet dib-dabs!.. and Fudge.. and rose truffles.. I know what everyone is getting for xmas!

For once, reading the daily mail has paid off as they've published this!
hurrah!
The idea of making my own lollies frightens me a bit- and I doubt my almost-stick-non-stick pans would be very much use- however, Sherbert intesterst me very much (maybe served with strawberry liquorice straws? you know I'm right!)

And, yes, I know it's too early to be thinking of xmas- but really, who wouldn't want to receive this?
fizzy goodness. :)

Anyways, I think these look like fun projects, and people are always willing to eat sweets- however misshapen - so as foody projects these are good. 

Homemade sherbet with lolly dippers

Makes 12

For the sherbet

• 500g (1lb 2oz) caster sugar
• 2tsp citric acid
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• A few drops of lemon or orange extract and natural raspberry flavouring (from supermarkets)
• Yellow and pink food-colouring pastes

For the lolly dippers

• Sunflower oil for greasing
• 300g (10½oz) granulated or caster sugar
• 150g (5½oz) golden syrup
• ½tsp cream of tartar
• 1tsp orange or lemon extract
• Red or pink food-colouring paste
• Sugar thermometer

For the sherbet, tip the caster sugar into the bowl of a food processor and blend for 1 minute until the sugar is finely ground. Add the citric acid and bicarbonate of soda and blend again to combine thoroughly. Tip half of the sherbet into a bowl and set aside. Add a few drops of lemon (or orange) extract to the sherbet in the food processor bowl and a tiny amount of yellow food-colouring paste.
Blend again until thoroughly combined and the sherbet turns a delicate pastel colour. Tip out of the food processor and repeat with the reserved sherbet, adding pink food colouring and raspberry flavouring instead of yellow colouring and lemon flavouring. Store the sherbet in airtight jars until ready to serve.

To make the lolly dippers, grease a 12-hole lolly mould with sunflower oil or line a baking sheet with greased baking parchment. Tip the sugar and golden syrup into a small, heavy-based saucepan. 

Add the cream of tartar and 175ml (6fl oz) water and set the pan over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar, stirring frequently. Pop the sugar thermometer into the pan and bring the syrup to the boil. Continue to cook steadily over a medium heat until the syrup reaches 154°C (309°F) or the ‘hard crack’ stage on the thermometer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the flavouring and a tiny amount of food-colouring paste to the syrup and stir until evenly mixed.

Pour the mixture into the moulds and place a stick in each lolly. Leave until solid and cold before removing from the moulds. If you don’t have lolly moulds, let the syrup cool and thicken slightly, then spoon neat circles onto greased baking parchment and place a lolly stick into the middle of each.

To serve, pour the sherbet into little jars or waxed bags and serve with lolly dippers. The sherbet will keep for a month in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place. The lollies are best served after 1-2 days and can be stored in individual cellophane bags at room temperature.

They also have a recipe for cherry brandy fudge, which is perhaps more festive than autumnal, however all my forays into fudge making end in my throwing out a saucepan because I've invented a new type of tarmac.

I cannot see how this will be more of a success.

Although, Fudge is my favourite kind of confectionary, so I'd save a fortune if I could only figure out how to make it!

Maybe I'll try again if Tesco have any cheap saucepans (I can see this being another case of the pan haggety again where I ruin a brand new pan and it has to be thrown away immediately)

Cherry brandy Fudge:

• Sunflower oil for greasing
• 100g (3½oz) dried cherries
• 3-4tbsp cherry brandy
• ½ a vanilla pod
• 450g (1lb) caster sugar
• 50g (1¾oz) golden syrup
• 2tbsp liquid glucose
• 170ml (6fl oz) evaporated milk
• 170ml (6floz) full-cream milk
• 50g (1¾oz) unsalted butter
• Sugar thermometer
• 
  

Grease the base and sides of an 18cm x 18cm  (7in x 7in) baking tin with oil and line with a sheet of baking parchment. Place the dried cherries in a saucepan and add the cherry brandy. Cut the vanilla pod to expose the seeds and add to the dried cherries. Set the pan over a low heat for about 3 minutes to warm the brandy but don’t boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. 

To make the fudge, tip the remaining ingredients and the brandied vanilla pod into a saucepan and set over a low heat to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. Pop the sugar thermometer into the pan and raise the heat to bring the mixture to the boil – as it reaches the required temperature, it will turn a rich caramel. Stirring frequently, continue to cook on a steady low-medium heat until the fudge registers 114°C (237°F) on the sugar thermometer. Slide the pan off the heat and plunge the base into a sink of cold water for 20 seconds to stop the cooking. Using a fork, remove the vanilla pod and leave the fudge to cool for 3 minutes. Beat with a rubber spatula for 3 minutes until it thickens. Add the brandied cherries, then spoon into the prepared tin. Leave to cool completely then cover  with clingfilm and leave overnight before cutting into squares

Rose Truffles:

• 1tbsp dried rose petals (from delis)
• 70g (2½oz) caster sugar
• 350g (12oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped
• Crystallised rose petals (from delis)
• Tempering thermometer (from cook shops or online)
• 
  

Place the petals in a saucepan with the sugar and 125ml (4fl oz) water and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil, simmer for 1 minute then pour the syrup and petals into a bowl and leave to cool. Cover and leave overnight to infuse. Line an 18cm (7in) square baking tin with baking parchment. Put 200g (7oz) of the chocolate in a bowl. Strain the syrup into a saucepan, discarding the petals. Heat the syrup until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate. Leave for a couple of minutes, then stir until smooth. Pour the resulting ganache into the tin, spread level and leave to cool. Cover and chill until firm. Turn the ganache out of the tin and on to a board covered with baking parchment. Using a 2cm (¾in) round cutter, stamp out truffles from the ganache block. 

Tip 100g (3½oz) of the remaining chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of just simmering water. Pop the thermometer into the chocolate and as the chocolate melts, stir until it’s smooth and reaches 49°C (120°F). Remove the bowl from the pan, add the remaining chocolate and stir to combine. Leave to cool to 27°C (80°F), stirring frequently so it cools faster. Return the bowl to the pan of hot water and reheat the chocolate to 31°C (88°F). (These temperatures are for dark chocolate only.) Using a fork, submerge each truffle into the chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Slide the truffle off the fork and on to a clean sheet of parchment. Top with a piece of crystallised rose. Repeat with the remaining truffles. Leave to set.

Maybe when the nights are cold and rubbish I'll attempt to make some sweet treats.

I can't see myself having time to make any of these any time soon!

I've missed the trick with the rose petals- Mrs Beeton has clear instructions for drying and Crystalising Rose petals, pansys and violets for use in sauces, syrups and decoration- I should be better in the summer at harvesting flowers to use for cooking as it's really not difficult.

I guess you just never really think about it until you come across a recipe which calls for them- and see the prices they charge online! eeek!