Fudge
making has been popular in North America for over a century. Young women on
college campuses in the 1890s are credited with its invention and there are many
theories as to why it was called 'fudge'. Andrew F. Smith in "The Oxford
Companion to American Food and Drink" suggests the name "refers to an expression
young women might have used instead of swearing". I guess it doesn't really
matter how it became known as fudge, only that it quickly became popular and by
the 1900s it was commonly found in candy stores, especially at summer resorts.
Now, if you find the old fashioned method of making fudge daunting, you
are not alone. The boiling of a sugar syrup has a tendency to be
temperamental and success and failure are never far apart. Luckily, fudge
recipes have now been developed to side step the boiling of this sugar
syrup. This is possible by using sweetened condensed milk which is a ready
made concentrated sugar syrup. It is made from a
mixture of whole milk and sugar that has had about 60 percent of its water
removed. Its consistency is thick and sticky (like honey) and it is very
sweet tasting. To give you a small bit of history, condensed milk was the
result of Gail Borden's (1801-1874) determination to invent a milk that
could be stored and distributed over long distances. At the time of its
invention (1856) milk was not pasteurized so it was difficult to keep it
fresh and free of germs. After Borden received a patent on his invention
he starting producing condensed milk, but it wasn't until it became
standard issue for the troops during the Civil War that it really gained
popularity
So, lets begin. This recipe is so easy. All
you need to do is heat the sweetened condensed milk with the chocolate and
butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until the
chocolate has melted and the fudge is smooth. Then remove from heat, add
the vanilla extract and nuts, and spread into your pan. Your done. It is
important to use a good chocolate that you enjoy eating out of hand. There are many good brands of chocolate on
the market today, both foreign and domestic. Taste the chocolate before
using as not all chocolates are the same. Although the professionals swear
by the high end bittersweet chocolates, these are not for everyone as their
taste can be too bitter for some palates. So keep this in mind when giving
fudge as gifts or when serving to children. Some popular brands of
chocolate are: Baker's, Callebaut, Cocao Barry, El
Rey, Ghirardelli, Guittard, Hersheys, Lindt, Nestle, Perugina, Scharffen
Berger, and Valrhona
To toast
nuts:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in
center of oven. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for
about 15 minutes or until the nuts are fragrant and their skins start to blister.
Remove from oven and place in a clean kitchen towel. Roll up
the towel and let the nuts steam for five minutes and then rub nuts
to remove skins. Let cool and then chop into pieces.
If using pecans or walnuts
toast the nuts for about 8 minutes, or until lightly brown and fragrant. Cool and then chop coarsely.
Chocolate
Fudge: First line
the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8 x 2 inch pan (20 x 20
x 5 cm) with aluminum foil. Set aside.
Combine the
condensed milk, chopped chocolate, and butter in a stainless steel bowl and
place over a
saucepan of simmering water. Melt the chocolate mixture, stirring frequently, making sure the mixture doesn't
get too hot or the fudge may be
grainy. Stir until smooth (it will be very thick). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla
extract and chopped nuts. Spread the
fudge into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Let
stand at room temperature until cool. Then carefully
remove the fudge from the pan by lifting the edges of the foil.
With a long, sharp knife cut the fudge into pieces. Store in the refrigerator for several days
or freeze, well wrapped, for several months. Let thaw at room temperature,
unwrapped, for a few hours before serving.
Chocolate Fudge:
1 1/2 cups (150 grams)
hazelnuts, toasted,
skinned, and chopped (can also use pecans or
walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped)
1-14 ounce can (396
grams) sweetened condensed milk
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