CASHEW NUT FUDGE

This fudge is made with cashew nuts that have been soaked in water. The
nuts are drained, ground to a paste, and cooked with sugar until the
mixture reaches a fudge consistency. This technique, popular with
Marharashtrians in southwestern India, produces a soft, chewy fudge
with a grainy texture.

Note: Almonds, pistachios, or walnuts may be substituted for the
cashews.

2 cups raw cashew nuts (1/2 pound)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons rose water
3 three-inch-square pieces of silver foil (vark, optional)

1=2E Place the cashew nuts in a bowl. Pour boiling water over them to
cover, and soak for 1 hour. Drain the nuts, put them in the container
of an electric blender or food processor, and reduce them to a fine
paste (adding a little milk or water if the paste begins to clog).
2=2E Grease a 9-inch-square baking pan, or mark and grease a
9-inch-square section of a cookie sheet.

3=2E Heat a non-stick frying pan (at least 9 inches in diameter) over
medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the nut paste and the sugar. Reduce heat
to medium-low and cook, stirring and scraping the sides and bottom of
the pan constantly with a flat spatula for 20 minutes or until the
fudge is thick and sticky. Stir in the butter.

4=2E Pour the fudge into the greased pan or onto the greased square of
cookie sheet. Spread it evenly by patting it gently with the spatula.
Let it cool thoroughly.

5=2E When cool, brush the top with the rose water, and let it dry
briefly. Press the silver foil over the fudge, and cut 1
1/2-inch-square or diamond-shaped pieces, using a knife dipped in cold
water.

Note: This fudge keeps well, if stored tightly sealed, at room
temperature for 3 weeks and for several months in the refrigerator.

Julie Sahni shares her tips with Epicurious:
=B7 Barfi, Indian fudge, is a popular candy in India. It's often
decorated with edible silver leaf (called vark or varq), real silver
that's been hammered into sheets so tissue-thin that they are harmless
to ingest. Sold sandwiched between two pieces of paper due to its
extreme fragility, silver leaf is available at cake-decorating and
Indian grocery stores. To apply it, peel off one piece of paper and
position the vark over the food, metal-side down. Gently press the vark
onto the food, then peel off the other piece of paper.
=B7 Rose water, which adds a flowery essence to many Indian desserts,
is available online at www.ethnicgrocer.com.

Makes about 3 dozen pieces.