Les Poissonchats

My mother told me they’d steal a jug of cream, sugar and a cooking pan and sneak off into the fields. The eldest would make a fire and attend to it while the younger ones gathered dead branches and pinecones. She was the only girl and therefore was bestowed with the honour to do the cooking, stirring diligently with a stick, clockwise. What they were attempting at making: Nidelzeltli. 

Nidelzeltli are a Swiss classic, caramel cream candies that melt on your tongue if done right. 

Obviously, as it goes with children, they generally hadn’t been patient enough to wait until the mass was sticky and ready to be poured out to cool. Instead they’d spoon the hot caramel cream directly from the pot. 

I can’t possibly imagine anything more delicious than that. 

What you’ll need

2.5dl whole cream, 250g of sugar, one teaspoon of butter, a wide stainless steel pan, a morning without any plans and a free mind.

How to cook it

Heat the sugar and the cream in the pan while continuously stirring until the mixture rises, reduce the heat to have it gently blubbering away. Stir frequently and keep an eye on it. Oh and keep temperature constant. As a rule of thumb, after half an hour the mass will start caramelising. Keep on stirring until the mass has the consistency of, say, sand and water ready to build sand castles. Thick and languid and slightly friable. Pour on a tray laid out with parchment paper and flatten to about 1cm thick. Cut into even cubes while it’s still warm. It is recommended to eat all the waste rim right away.

How to enjoy it

Just so.