Sweet Talking

Here are just a few random tips I've picked up in recent weeks about sweet things used in cooking. I know everyone is supposed to be cutting back and we need to watch the hidden sugar in our drinks, but if you are baking cakes and desserts, you do need to use a little!

• Golden Syrup & Black Treacle - if you need to measure a spoonful of this, then oil the spoon with a little vegetable oil first and the syrup will slip off much more easily
• Crystallised Honey - many people advise heating the jar of honey in a pan of boiling water, or zapping it in the microwave. This will render the honey runny again - but it is likely to re-crystallise on cooling. You will get better results if you use the microwave on defrost setting, and give it 20 second blasts until it goes liquid. I did this a few weeks ago and my honey remains golden and liquid.
• Soft Brown Sugar - this often goes into hard clumps. Some books recommend keeping a slice of apple in the jar. Personally I have never been happy with that one. But I have had success with a couple of large marshmallows working well to keep the sugar soft.

Finally a World War 2 recipe which I have yet to try, but seems such fun I thought I would share it. Parsley Honey

Ingredients:

5 oz. parsley (stalks and all) roughly chopped

1½ pints of water

1 lb. sugar

½ tsp. lemon juice

Directions:

Using a large saucepan, add washed parsley to the pan then add 1½ pints of water.

Simmer the liquid until it has reduced to a pint of liquid [around 30 minutes] . Now strain that liquid into a jug then return just the strained juice back to the pan. Add 1 lb. of sugar and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Add ½tsp lemon juice

Bring to the boil, then simmer until the liquid looks like the consistency of honey.

Remove from heat, allow to cool, then pour into hot, sterilised jars.

Pooh always liked a little something at eleven o'clock in the morning, and he was very glad to see Rabbit getting out the plates and mugs; and when Rabbit said, "Honey or condensed milk with your bread?" he was so excited that he said, "Both," and then, so as not to seem greedy, he added, "But don't bother about the bread, please."