Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

So I've chosen my Christmas Baking Lineup:  Rum Balls, Gingerbread Cookies, Candied Orange Peel, and Christmas Cake (a delicious fruit cake - yes, fruitcake can be delicious!).  The fruitcake is done and has been put away to ripen until Christmas.  With the exception of the candied orange peel, I've made all the others in years past.  Rum Balls and Candied Orange Peel were always part of my Grandmother's Christmas goodies repertoire, so this year--in honor of her--I'm adding the orange peel to mine.  I plan to add a twist though:  dipping the ends in dark chocolate.

What does this have to do with pistachio fudge you ask?  Well, I made a batch for a recent girls' night and thought you might want to add this recipe to your holiday treat list.  You know, in case you need another treat.  I can't overemphasize how good--and rich--it is.  Moreover, it's extremely quick and easy to put together and looks beautiful. It would make a perfect gift candy, too.  Important! You want to serve this fudge very cold.  In fact you can store it in the freezer and serve it directly from there.

I'd like to give a shout out to my Polish friend Sylwia who gifted me with the can of sweetened condensed milk used to make the fudge. As I said in my last post, it's impossible to find this item in my town.  Sylwia, brilliant woman that she is, brings a supply back to Denmark each time she visits Poland.  Dziekuje, Sylwia.

Pistachio Fudge
Adapted From Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson

12oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used 74%)
1 14oz. can condensed milk (I used sweetened condensed milk)
pinch of salt
1c shelled pistachios
2T butter

1.  Melt the chopped chocolate, condensed milk, butter and salt in a heavy-bottomed pan on low heat.

2.  Put the nuts into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin until broken up into both big and little pieces.

3.  Add the nuts to the melted chocolate and condensed milk and stir well to mix.

4.  Pour this mixture into a 9-inch square aluminum foil pan, smoothing the top. (I used a regular 9-inch non-stick baking pan lined with aluminum foil.)

5.  Let the fudge cool and then refrigerate until set.  (I put mine in the freezer for 20 minutes to harden even more before cutting.)  Cut into small pieces approximately 1 3/4 by 1 3/4 inches in size.  Cutting 7x7 lines in the pan to give 64 pieces best achieves this.

6.  Once cut, you can keep it in the freezer, no need to thaw; just eat right away.