Since I posted a recipe for Scottish Tablet, I thought it was only right to give you one for sucre à la crème too - so you can compare the two, of course! Translated from French, the name of this treat means something like “cream sugar.” Or maybe “sugar made with cream” might be closer. It’s an absolute must at Christmastime, and my Dad says he used to get a whole dish of it to himself on his birthday. But anytime is a good time for this sweet fudge.

You can get it in most supermarkets, here in Quebec. But if you want the really good stuff make it yourself. Here’s how:

Sucre à la Crème

• 250 mL (1 cup) granulated white sugar
• 250 mL (1 cup) light brown sugar
• 250 mL (1 cup) 35% heavy cream
• 5 mL (1 tsp) vanilla extract
• 15 mL (1 tbsp) butter
• 125 mL (1/2 cup) chopped walnuts (optional)

In a medium saucepan stir together the sugars and the cream. Over medium-high, heat the mixture until it boils. Stir constantly. You will need to cook and stir the mixture until it reaches the soft ball stage, 235°F-240°F (112°C-115°C.) If you haven’t got a candy thermometer look for the colour to darken & the mixture to thicken and bubble. You’ll know if it’s cooked enough by dropping a spoonful into a cold glass of water. If it sticks together in a soft ball, remove from the heat. Otherwise cook some more & repeat the test until it’s done.

Beat in the vanilla and butter. The candy will get smooth and a bit shiny. If you’re adding nuts put them in now. Once it’s ready you need to pour it into a buttered tin. Cool really well - this stuff is super hot! And remember to wash up right away, otherwise you’ll have candy-coated everything…. Scoring the candy before it’s completely cool will help you to cut it into pieces later. Baking parchment or foil in your tin will help too, but grease your pan all the same.

Again, this is a high carb, high calorie treat. And one the little ones can enjoy, but it’s best to keep them out of the kitchen while you’re cooking. Prepare ahead, as it takes a good while to solidify.

I’ve seen this made with all brown sugar. Some recipes use evaporated (not sweetened condensed) milk instead of heavy cream. If you’ve been really good & earned yourself a special treat, add 250 mL (1 cup) of maple syrup and 250 mL (1 cup of milk) and increase the brown sugar to 750 mL (3 cups.) Get out that pitcher of cold milk to wash it down, and make sure the dentist is on speed dial!

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I’ve only posted a few cookery related entries, but they do seem to be popular so I thought I would post the recipe for Hot Vanilla, which I mentioned in my Random Things Meme. I hope you will try it!

I generally make this in single serving size, and use the microwave to warm it up. If you’re making for several people you might want to warm it over medium heat on the stove. You’ll end up with that old-fashioned milk skin on the surface of the liquid. Oddly enough, that brings back some good memories for me…..

Hot Vanilla (1 serving)

• 1 cup milk (or fill your favourite mug)
• 1 tsp honey, or to your taste
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla (you can use artificial, but it just feels better to use the real thing)
• a dash of nutmeg

Fill a microwavable mug with milk and stir in the honey and vanilla. Warm on 100% power for 45 - 90 seconds, or whatever yields a comfortable temperature for you. It helps if you stop halfway through & give it a stir. When the drink is warm, sprinkle with nutmeg.

This drink is a wonderful substitute for hot cocoa, especially at bedtime. If you don’t like nutmeg you can use cinnamon instead, or whatever other garnish you like. I would steer clear of chocolate, myself, since this drink is sort of the “un-cocoa”.

Kids enjoy this drink. It’s a good way to get them to drink milk, if you have a child who is fussy and doesn’t like unflavoured milk. And while warm milk may not actually help you sleep, it’s certainly preferable to choose a non-caffeinated vanilla drink over the caffeinated hot chocolate at bed time!

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I’ve recently been back in touch with a friend from elementary school whom I haven’t seen in - oh gee, about 30 years now. When I was chatting on the phone with my Mom she remembered that we had an old recipe from this very friend’s mother. As it’s something most folks probably haven’t heard of - and just because I really love sugar - I thought I might share the recipe here. I’ve tweaked the directions a bit, and added in the conversions for those who need them. Otherwise, though, this is the traditional recipe that we were given.

Tablet

• 2 lb sugar (4 cups or roughly 900g)
• 3 oz unsalted butter (6 tbsp or 85g) - do not substitute margarine!
• 1 cup milk (250 mL)
• 1/2 tin sweetened condensed milk

Melt butter in a saucepan; add sugar and milk. Simmer slowly till it boils. Add condensed milk, stirring until mixture returns to a boil. Continue to stir until the product has a golden colour and gritty texture. (Warning: this could take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes! This is a good turn-taking activity, so involve the family.)

If you use a candy thermometer, when the candy reaches 235°F-240°F (112°C-115°C) it’s time to remove it from the stove. Alternatively, dribble a wee bit onto a plate and see if it sets up, or drop a bit from a spoon into a glass of water. If it forms a soft ball, it’s ready, otherwise go back to cooking and stirring until it passes the test. (This is called a soft-ball test.)

Beat with a damp wooden spoon about 60 times. Pour into a greased pan. As it begins to set up, score carefully into small squares. It is best left to cool overnight, so think ahead if you want it for a special occasion.

Tablet is a traditional Scottish treat that is basically like fudge (or sucre à la crème, for the Québecois among you.) It might be fun to cook up a batch of each, and compare them. It could be a tasty cultural experience for your homeschoolers!

Homeschool ideas (in case you feel a good dose of culture isn’t enough justification to mix up a batch of this Celtic confection):

• Explore where the ingredients come from and how costly they might have been. Think about whether this would have been a commonly eaten food or an extra special treat;
• Compare and contrast with similar recipes. Look at both ingredients and method of preparation;
• Explore the historical use of sugar as a medicinal ingredient (e.g. in syrups and candies for soothing a cough or cold);
• Look into the nutritional side of this wonderful treat: show the kiddies how to figure out caloric, sugar or fat content & then set a reasonable serving size…

A few obvious words of warning, for those who don’t always find these things so obvious:

1. This mixture gets very hot, so this isn’t the time for the little ones to be helping out. They will, however, be delighted to help you eat the finished product! Be sure to prepare a safe place to work and to rest your cooling Tablet, so you don’t end up spilling it or scorching anything.
2. When you pour the tablet into the pan you want to scrape out your cooking pot best you can. Immediately put all your cooking pots and utensils to soak in hot water. The cooked sugar will harden like cement if you leave it even a short while.
3. Not recommended for calorie-reduced diets. If you are not insulin-dependent abuse of this sweet might just change that. Although other writers have recommended a variety of accompaniments for Tablet, I prefer a good glass of ice cold milk (I’m sure that’s not traditional Scottish, but it’s how my Daddy taught me to eat my sweets.)

Thanks to Sandra & Muriel for this recipe, and to Mom for saving it all these many years!

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I made this one year with my Brownies, as a gift for them to give at Mother’s Day. This is an easy present, and fun for kids to make. Package it in a cloth sachet with a little lace, in a mason jar topped with a pretty cloth and ribbon, or even in a paper envelope sachet.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered milk
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup epsom salts, table or sea salt
• 1/2 cup baking soda (use more for hard water)
• 1/2 cup dried lavender, chamomile or rose petals (or for a more invigorating, sporty scent try mint or rosemary)
• a few drops essential oil of your choice (optional)

To Make:
Using a blender, mix up the milk powder, oatmeal, salt and baking soda. When reduced to a powder add essential oil if using, and blend for a few more seconds. Add dried plant material last. You can blend just a bit if you like. It’s now ready to package. Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup per bath. Enjoy!

This work was created by Ruby of Freehold 2, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.

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Oye, oye! Home educators in Montreal & the surrounding area, please take note that Sonya has organized an outing to the Redpath museum, followed by a family potluck at a neighbouring daycare. All home-schooling families are invited to attend, and admission is free! Here are the exact details from Sonya:

Hi everyone,

It’s time for another Montreal homeschool group meeting - this time it is an activity with the kids!

Thursday December 13th from 10-ish to 11-ish at the Redpath museum, then 11-something to 1-ish at Regan’s daycare for a potluck lunch.

Details:

The Redpath museum is on McGill campus. From the Roddick Gates (on Sherbrooke and McGill College) head up the main drive and bear left at
your first opportunity. The museum is the first building on your right. There are lots of stairs outside. Once inside, there is a place to your right where you can leave your coats, strollers, etc.

The museum has a bunch of stuff for kids big and small. There are shells, rocks, crystals and the like, stuffed animals (including Eli’s favourites, a lion & gorilla!), a dinosaur skeleton, mummies and other cultural things… and lots of indoor stairs to play on for the little ones. Entrance is free. They know we’re coming and we’re free to roam around but we have to be relatively quiet since there are people working in their offices there…

If you want to learn a bit more about the museum, check out their web site. If you need directions try this link to Google maps. The address is 859 Sherbrooke Street West (metro Peel.) You can call the museum at 514-398-4086, or email them at redpath.museum@mcgill.ca if you want information about the museum in general - they won’t be able to tell you about the specifics of the trip…..

This work was created by Ruby of Freehold 2, and is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.

Excerpts copyright quoted authors. Please visit their sites to read more, and respect the terms of their copyrights. Thanks!