Cashew Nut Fudge (Kajoo Barfi) 

(Source: Richard Coveny)

 Ingredients:

 2 cups raw cashew nuts (or almonds, pistachios, or walnuts)
3/4 cup sugar
1 T butter
2 t rose water

 Directions:

 1.   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 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.  Grease a 9-inch-square baking pan.

3.  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.  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.  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.  Makes about 3 dozen pieces.

Note: If stored tightly sealed this fudge keeps well; at room temperature for 3 weeks and for several months in the refrigerator.

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, and then peel off the other piece of paper.