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)

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).
Grease a 9-inch-square baking pan, or mark and grease a
9-inch-square section of a cookie sheet.
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.
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.
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:
.. 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.
.. Rose water, which adds a flowery essence to many Indian desserts,
is available online at www.ethnicgrocer.com.

Makes about 3 dozen pieces.



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