Monday, April 2, 2012

Just so you know...

I found this cutely hilarious article on how to boil water. 
You might want to print out a copy 
for kids going off to uni, 
or newly weds or, 
if you're a little bit sadistic, 
new divorcees...



Monday, February 20, 2012

What the heck is Tiger Butter?

You have Hubby to blame for this. 
Tiger Butter is found in most home-made fudge shoppes 
and it is wicked and delicious and cruelly easy to make.
 I know, because I make LOTS.
 I'd give a calorie count for Tiger Butter, 
but that would just spoil your day. 
I take no credit at all for how delicious it is.
 I'm just the messenger...

There are a lot of recipes on-line, but I've modified them a little.
This one is easy-peasy and gives consistent results.

Decorated Tiger Butter

16oz Vanilla Almond Bark (White Scotbloc for the UK)
12oz Peanut Butter - reserve two tablespoons
 8oz  Dark Chocolate/ or semi sweet Chocolate Chips.

Melt the almond bark the way you normally do
(double boiler, microwave etc).
Stir the peanut butter into the melted vanilla almond bark 
until it is all smoothly combined

Melt the dark chocolate and stir in 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.
Pour the almond bark-peanut butter mixture into a food-safe plastic container.
I use one that is about 12" x 8".
(If you don't like using plastic for food preparation, use a cake tin. (pan)
Line it with something non-stick. If the cake tin has some flex to it, 
the tiger butter should just pop out once it has set.)

Now, here is the artistic bit.

Dot and slop gobbets of the dark chocolate mixture onto the almond bark mixture.
Take a thin knife or a skewer
 and trail and drag the darker chocolate through the mix.
 Enjoy this process, you can make swirls and paisley loops and marble textures.
Stop when it looks good. 
(Don't stir too much or it will all blend together into one colour.)

Got that? 
To summarise:-
Melt and stir.
 Swirl.
 Then chill until cold and set.

You can swirl extra melted chocolate over the top, as I have in the picture above. 

Cut the tiger butter into cubes and give it all away.

If you have chocolate moulds, 

Isn't this  tiny vintage mould CUTE?.
A gift from my BFF for my Kitchen Bunny collection.

you can line them first with a shell of chocolate 


and add the molten tiger butter as in this tiger butter rabbit.


Most recipes differ from mine in that they have a lot more dark chocolate. 
The dark chocolate can be harder to mix in, 
but you can add more if you can commit yourself to the swirling and stirring.


But please, add a few spoonfuls of peanut butter to the melted dark chocolate, 
it makes the two mixtures easier to combine smoothly.

I know this recipe is too late for Christmas or Valentine's Day. 
I got it in nice and early for Easter though, didn't I!