TABLET FROM SCOTLAND

Steps:

• 1. Butter your pan, I use a 11x19 jelly roll pan, and it is the recommended side, you can use smaller or two pans but make sure they are well buttered and on a heat resistant surface. Have a heavy wooden spoon ready. Have a glass of water to test for soft ball stage or use thermometer. Once I get everything in the pot I take a small spoon of the ingredients and put on a saucer so I can keep an eye on color as it forms.
• 2. Using a heavy bottomed saucepan slowly melt the milk and margarine together. Don't allow to boil. When the margarine has melted add the sugar and bring to the boil while stirring occasionally. Use a wooden spoon.
• 3. When the sugar mixture has reached boiling point stir in the entire can of sweetened condensed milk and return to the boil stirring all the time.
• 4. Cook on a rolling boil for 18-20 minutes stirring all of the time - please don't walk away from your pot as it will boil over and burn. It should be at the soft ball stage.
• 5. At the end of your 20 minutes take the pan from the heat and beat vigorously with your wooden spoon for about five minutes. Try to mix in some of the crystallized mixture that has formed on the side of the pan; what we're trying to do is to get the mixture to form large enough crystals that it will set, but small enough crystals that it will still pour. Once you feel the spoon stirring slightly grittily on the base of the pan, and the mixture being slightly stiffer, it's ready to pour.
• 6. The above is much harder to explain than to do; you'll know it when you feel the change. Of course, let it set too long or too fast, and you'll end up with a trayful of gritty lumps looking alarmingly similar to a cat box.
• 7. Quickly pour into your buttered pan (I use a 11x19 jelly roll pan, don't want big hunks of this) and allow to cool enough so that you can score the surface with a sharp knife into little bite sized pieces ( I make pieces about 1″ square). Make sure your pan is on a heat resistant surface.
• 8. Allow to cool completely before turning out your tin and breaking into pieces. Hide in a tin - I don't mean from everyone else in the house I mean from you - this stuff is seriously addictive .................. ask me how I know this??
• 9. Notes: PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS, this is a great pot of boiling hot sugar that can spatter and create great burns, do not have children present. Also please note you can flavor your tablet with vanilla sugar using a vanilla bean in the sugar for about a week before making the tablet. You can also use any other flavorings or a bit of whisky, or nuts, just add after cooked and right before beating.