Fudge

Fudge

Ingredients

• 675g golden castor
• 500ml double cream
• 50g unsalted butter
• A good squeeze of glucose syrup (optional)
• A small amount of white chocolate (optional)
• + whatever else

Or....

After buying the wrong stuff at the supermarket I ended up doing:

• 810g golden castor sugar
• 600ml single cream
• 70g or so of butter
• Glucose syrup

which worked quite well too.

Method

Bung it all in

For plain fudge, put the butter, sugar, cream and glucose in a pan and heat on low until all the sugar has dissolved. (I do this on a very low heat for a good 20 minutes).

Once the sugar has dissolved you can up the heat a bit. You need to slowly bring it to the boil whilst stirring constantly to stop it burning. A good rolling boil is what you're after, nothing too feirce, just bubbling nicely. (It's a sticky very hot liquid, splashing is not good!)

Sugar has nicely dissolved

Once the fudge is bubbling away keep stirring until it's at the soft ball stage. You can do this by eye (see the description below) or you can use a thermometer. I use an infrared thermometer and boil until it's around the 115 degree C mark.

Bubbling away

Once it's hit the right temp turn off the heat and let it rest for a couple of minutes.

Whilst it's cooling find a nice big glass bowl and ensure it's clean. You don't want any sugar crystals in as that'll ruin your fudge.

Tip the contents of the pan into the bowl and wisk for a few minutes until it's cooled slighly.

This is the time to add the white chocolate if you're using it, and also any other flavours.

Once you've added any flavours and it's cooled a bit more tip it into whatever you're using to let it set. I use a greaseproof paper lined oven tray that's a few cm deep.

Chocolate orange fudge well packed for storage

Flavours

	Flavour	Notes
#1	Basic vanilla	Vanilla seeds and about another 100ml of cream. Only boiled to around 113 degrees C too. Was very light and creamy.
#2	Chocolate orange	45g of 100% coca chocolate. 50ml cointreau Zest of an orange
#3	Rum and raisin	125g raisins 75ml spiced dark rum (steep for a few days)
#4	Coffee and walnut	1 shot espresso 50g Walnut pieces nicely chopped
#5	Clotted cream and cherry	Reduce sugar to 525g and add 100g golden syrup Reduce cream to 300g and add 227g clotted cream Add some chopped glacé cherries

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Above instructions based on this: here

Dear Readers!!

This is my first lens ever! I am a professional Pastry Chef with a true passion for Fudge!! :-)..and i've decided with my first lens im going to share one of the best kept secrets in Fudge Making! This recipe was passed down to me by my Advanced Pastry Tutour!..a wonderful man, one time Pastry World Cup winner and Grandmaster Chocolatier!

Enjoy! :-) The Recipe Ingredients

675g Caster Sugar 500ml Double Cream 50g Butter 1 Handful of White Chocolate (This is the Secret Bit!! Trust Me! No-one will ever guess its in there!..but it works miracles for ya ;-)) 1tsp of Glucose ( This ISNT essential but does add a more complex structure and texture to the fudge! If you can get it..GET IT!) 1 Vanilla Pod - Not essential but gives the fudge a beautiful smell and wonderful speckled appearance from the Vanilla seeds! Directions

1. Put ALL ingredients except the White Chocolate into a good heavy saucepan! For the Vanilla pod, lay it flat on Chopping board, and run a sharp knife down the center of the Pod, split the pod in two and scrape out the hundreds of moist dense seeds from each half, add to the mixture! Grease and Line a baking tin ready to pour fudge in once cooled!) 2. Place saucepan on a VERY VERY low heat for the beginning stage! ( You want to dissolve all the sugar crystals before it comes to the boil! Look for a smooth liquid texture without any Graininess at all!) 3. Once sugar is dissolved, and you have a beautiful buttery, creamy golden sugar syrup, Increase the heat until it comes to Rapid Boil! (Dont be afraid!..but DONT you DARE take your eyes and attention of it NOW! Keep stirring constantly or that cream in there will burn at the bottom of your pan and ruin your beautiful Fudge!No Soap Opera, No making a drink..Its Fudge Time :-)

Continue to boil and stir for 15-18 minutes!

4.Now many of you will NOT know what a 'Soft Ball stage' is, so we are going to call this the 'Beautiful Golden Thick Honey Stage!' Now all those adjectives ive used there should now reflect the fudge you see before you!? It will be approximately between 112-115°C, the 'Soft Ball stage' if you've follwed my advice, but dont worry about geeky chef talk, you just need to check its all reduced, A Deep Golden color, Thick yet smooth like Set Honey!? Go with you gut instinct..but be brave!! If you've been cooking it for 22 minutes and your sweating coz it doesnt look done but your over by 4 minutes and counting and Nick says this or that..Dont Worry!! Maybe your cookers not as powerful or you had the gas lower than i did or your pans too big or small etc, If it FEELS right and LOOKS right then it probably is!!

5. Remove Fudge from heat once you feel you got the Beautiful Golden Thick Honey Syrup and put to one side! Have a rest..you'e earned it!

6.You'll need a Cake/Pastry Mixer or you can do this by hand with whisk and bowl! Pour Fudge into Mixer or bowl and begin to beat! (People forget this!..too many people simply pour the fudge into tray and cool once cooked! This is WRONG! You need to cool the fudge slowly all the while beating it to give it that wonderful Smooth yet Crystaline texture!)

7. Cooling/Beating should take at least 10-15 min, all the while you'll see your fudge come into life as it begins to cool! About 5 minutes into the Cooling process..add the handful of White Chocolate while the fudge is hot enough to incorporate but not TOO hot to burn the Chocolate! (White Chocolate is very delicate and subtle!..Respect it though and it will work Wonders:-)! I also recommend a handful instead of 50g, 2 tbsp etc because it adds a wonderful human element where you will truly feel like an Alchemist concocting a miracle! Well you ARE ;-)!

8. Now it should be getting quite cool by now (You better not have cheated and put it in the fridge!) before it starts completely setting, Spoon/Spatula the fudge mixture into your pre greaseproofed tin and smooth out so the mix lies flat (or you can always experiment with bread tins etc for different shapes :-)

9. Relax! Sit Back and survey your Brilliance! Leave to cool out of the sunlight for at least 4-6 hours, (its best 36hrs after and lasts in perfection for 5-7 days after making!) Enjoy the BEST Fudge Ever!

Didnt i tell Ya!?

I hope you like this recipe, id love to hear from people who try it! Also if you need any advice or help on anything to do with Pastry and Confectionery..id be happy to help :-)

Yours Sincerely Nick Dudley-Jones