Macadamia Brittle
Photography by Aaron McLean.

A temptingly sweet Christmas gift suggestion from Little & Friday's Kim Evans.
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups caster sugar
½ cup water
⅔ cup liquid glucose
2 ½ cups macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
METHOD
Line a lipped 30 cm x 25 cm baking tray with baking paper.
Put the sugar, water, glucose and salt in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Lightly stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has melted. Don’t over-stir as this will cause the mixture to crystallize.
Turn the heat to high and bring to the boil. Cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 128˚C on a candy thermometer, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the nuts and give one quick stir to combine with the syrup. After that only stir occasionally to ensure the nuts don’t catch and burn and cook until the brittle reaches 154˚C on a candy thermometer.
Quickly stir in the butter and vanilla, then the baking soda. You need to work rapidly at this point. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading it as thinly as possible with the back of a spatula or metal spoon.
Cool completely before breaking the brittle into shards.
Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Pantry note: Liquid glucose is available at gourmet food stores and good supermarkets.
Cook's tip: Invest in a clip-on candy thermometer. You can get a good quality one for around $30 and it will be a huge help.
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Issue #102
Before we say goodbye to the the warmer weather, we're sneaking in one last bite of moreish nibbles inside the latest issue of dish. When it's time to retreat indoors, welcome the changing of the seasons with bountiful early autumn produce cooked to perfection. Our Dinner for Six Section will have you well prepared for all your family and friends by the time Easter rolls around with two stellar menus to choose from. And when the holidays are over, our snappy midweek meals will be waiting for you in our Food Fast section. You'll want to keep a glass handy, too, our top-rated Aussie Shirazes are the perfect accompaniment at dinnertime.