On my blog (www.myislandplate.honadvblogs.com), a reader who signed herself just "Susan" drew my attention to a recipe from Nigella Lawson's http://www.foodnetwork.com site for an unusual dark chocolate fudge that sets up in the refrigerator and is kept in the freezer.

Wrote Susan: "It's very easy, and my coworkers love it. I've used macadamia nuts for it, but want to try pistachios, too."

Traditionally, the holidays are fudge season but oh, heck, is there really a season for chocolate?

This calls for 70-percent dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate. With all the new types of chocolate — from supermarket brands such as Ghirardelli's Intense Dark (86 percent cacao) to locally made chocolates such as Malie Kai's single-origin bars made from Hawai'i-grown cacao, you could make something pretty special without a lot of bother.

CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO FUDGE

• 12 ounces 70 percent dark chocolate, chopped, or 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk*

• Pinch salt

• 1 cup shelled pistachios or macadamia nuts

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

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

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

Pour this mixture into a 9-inch square foil tray, smoothing the top.

Let the fudge cool and then refrigerate until set. You can then cut into small pieces approximately 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches or cutting 8 by 8 lines to give 64 pieces.

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

* Such as Eagle brand.

• Approximate Nutrient Analysis per piece: 60 calories, 3 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 20 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 1 g protein