I did make it back into the kitchen to whip up a batch of fudge. This time chocolate. And as you can tell from the photo I have had some success. The recipe is from the cookbook I feature a few days ago called Christmas Candy. This recipe although it may seem intricate is pretty easy and was a breeze to create. I still do not have a candy thermometer however my kitchen intuition kicked in nicely. So far this recipe is the simplest and easiest.
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge
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2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup of milk
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
*Notes: I did not have corn syrup so instead I used golden syrup. Also I omitted the walnuts.
Grease an 8 inch pan with butter.
In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the chocolate and the milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Stir in the sugar and corn syrup. Increase the heat to moderate and continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute. Uncover the pan and insert a candy thermometer. Cook, uncovered, without stirring, until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage. (236ºF on the candy thermometer). Note: Since I do not have a candy thermometer I used my mum's method of dropping a bit of the boiling mixture into a glass of cold water until it form a soft- ball.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and the vanilla. Set aside until the candy cools to lukewarm (110ºF). Note: Once the top of the fudge in the saucepan looked less glossy and when tipping the saucepan the fudge looked like it had a skin on top, I started to beat it with a wooden spoon until it thick and creamy.
With a wooden spoon, beat the fudge until it is thick and creamy and no longer glossy. Quickly stir in the nuts.
Pour the fudge into the prepared pan. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
When the fudge is firm and completely cool, cut into squares.
Hope you had a great weekend! - JW