Making a come-back with Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

I know, I can hear you muttering from here, 'Where has she been?'  It's been a while and of course I have some very good and valuable excuses. (I've had a long time to think of some!)

We live a life of adventure. Since my last post we have moved apartments which seemed to consume every spare moment of September and October. First the packing, then the unpacking. We moved into an apartment double the size so we spent many hours choosing and buying furniture to fill it up with. And if that wasn't enough we had severe problems with our internet connection and rather unsympathetic customer service that didn't help. 

I'm tempted to say 'That's France for you' but I'm not going to. 

I've been enjoying the Christmas atmosphere of our beautiful city Paris. The lights and window displays at Galaries Lafayette (theme: Le Show Chaud) and Printemps (Noël au Château) are truely beautiful.  Our Christmas tree is up - our first tree as a married couple. Our other apartments were too small to put up a tree. And I put the first present underneath it today.  

No doubt as the festive season turns up another notch (only 10 more sleeps until Santa comes) any help is welcome in managing food, present shopping, cleaning, Christmas parties, dishes, keeping a smile on one's face, sending your hopefully not late Christmas cards. 

Let me be of some assistance, if I can.

Make some Chocolate Pistachio Fudge as a beautiful homemade gift, for dessert with a hot drink, for fun, to relax, because it's darn good and it looks pretty in a cellophone bag with a ribbon for your girlfriends. You don't really need an excuse but it's good to have a few up your sleeve. I adapted this from the very clever Jo Segar, who is a legend in her own right in New Zealand. She's one more reason to visit NZ.

Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

400g dark chocolate (chocolate à pâtisser)

415g sweetened condensed milk (lait concentré sucré)

125g unshelled pistachios

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Line a 23cm square tin with baking paper.

Shell the pistachios. You should have approximately half a cup.

Melt chocolate and condensed milk in a saucepan over a low heat. Stirring consistently. 

Remove from heat and stir in pistachios and vanilla essence. 

Spread into your prepared tin and make sure the mixture is even.

Chill for at least 2 hours. 

Cut into small squares with a warm knife.