Family Favourites

When I was setting up home, my mother sent me a recipe folder. A useful gift, I thought but I was delighted  when I opened it to find that the pages inside were not all blank but she had already written in so many of the things she knew I loved and further, she had handed pages around to all the cooks in the family so I had a good selection of all their specialities.  Compiled before word processors and emails became commonplace, it is very special to have all these suggestions and hints and tips written in their own hand. At first the vast geographical distance seemed to lessen working from these recipes; the handwriting evoked the voices and even mannerisms of these relatives and friends so that something of their presence appeared in my own kitchen. Now with the deaths of several of the older generation, that sense of presence is even more cherished.

 One of the recipes I usually turn to at this time of the year, having made White Christmas, is one given by Auntie Gladys. She used to make a dessert based on a  rice cereal and date mix pressed into pie plates to set and then topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit to serve. I imagine it would have been a dessert she would have contributed to club lunches or suppers at events where all would have been expected to 'bring a plate'. I know it was very popular and regarded as her specialty.

I have adapted it (as I believe have others in the family) to make squares to serve with coffee or drinks at Christmas. I added salted peanuts having discovered how well they go with the dates to make a good salt-sweet combination. And on the recommendation of child tasters, I have inevitably included chocolate chips. The problem then became a name for this as it is clearly to no longer any kind of special fruit tart. I have decided in honour of the lady who inspired it and the season in which I usually make it, to name it Glad Tidings; the news that I was making a batch was always regarded as good news in our house.

Glad Tidings

Ingredients

4 ozs margarine or butter(125g)
4 ozs brown sugar (125g)
4 ozs Dates (125g)
4 cups of rice bubbles ( I cup =125ml aprrox)
Half a cup of small or roughly chopped salted peanuts
Half a cup of chocolate chips #

To assemble

1. Line a tin (approx 18cm by 30 cm) with baking paper and butter the paper.
2. Place the rice cereal -once again it is the snap, crackle, pop type - in a large bowl  along with the peanuts. I use the economy peanuts as they tend to be small enough not to need chopping up but if the larger, more luxurious ones are what you have to hand, then coarsely chop them.
3. In a saucepan put the butter  and brown sugar. Snip the dates with scissors into thirds and add to the butter and sugar. Stir gently over a low heat until the butter melts, the sugar dissolves, the dates begin to blend in and you get a glassy toffee mixture. It will may take up ten minutes but don't be tempted to rush it or to turn your attention elsewhere or it will burn. What you want is a thick, gloopy liquid studded with some lumps of the dates.
4. Pour this mixture into the cereal and nut mix and stir well to combine.
5. Spread this into the lined tin and press down really firmly and evenly.
6. While it is still warm sprinkle over the choc chips. (I have sometimes added these into the mixture before spreading it into the tin, but it is easier to convince children that there is chocolate in there if they can see it on the top.) While the mixture is still warm the chocolate should melt and fuse with the base.
7. Set aside to cool completely and then use a bread knife to saw the mixture into squares.

I quite like to give hand made gifts, if I have made the time to prepare them. I have gone to great lengths to master florentines and lebkuchen but boxes of this and White Christmas have been as well received. Guess they have become my speciality!