Monday, December 10, 2007

Oh Fudge (Random Recipe Monday)


Three cheers for the folks that put together foodtimeline.org. What a great resource for those of us crazy for food history trivia. Ever wondered how candies came into our holiday lives? Well, maybe not. But fudge is one of those treats that I'm glad to see grace the plastic tree-shaped dishes so prevalent right now. It's one of those things that I don't keep around because I'd eat the whole thing. But with get-togethers on the horizon, I have an excuse to make some up and a reason not to eat it all.

There are many fudge recipes, and I'm no expert candymaker, that's for sure. But I'm going to be trying out Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower's Miracle Fudge this week. According to wikipedia, this was a favorite treat of Ike's and was served at dinners at the White House. I can't quite imagine such a straightforward little treat surving in today's White House.
Here's wiki's version of Mamie's fudge:
4-1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 pinch of salt
1 tall can evaporated milk
12 ounces semisweet chocolate bits
12 ounces German sweet chocolate
1 pint marshmallow cream
2 cups chopped nutmeats
Heat the sugar, butter, salt, and evaporated milk over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil for 6 minutes. Put chocolate bits, German chocolate, marshmallow cream, and nutmeats in a bowl. Pour the boiling syrup over the ingredients. Beat until the chocolate is all melted, then pour in a pan. Let stand for a few hours before cutting. Remember it is better the second day.

Oh, and the origin of fudge? Foodtimeline.org says that college girls in the late 19th century cooked it up as a way to stay up past their bedtimes. My, how times have changed.

Photo courtesy of AllRecipes.com. Click
here for advice on fudgemaking.

4 comments:

Greyhound Girl said...

I'm going to use this recipe- maybe tonight! SOunds yummy and usually my fudge turns out like glue!

Anonymous said...

One of my best childhood memories (I have, like... four) was going to The Fudge Shoppe downtown as a family and picking out my little peices to put in my own little bag. My favorite was called "Smurf" and was a white chocolate fudge with marshmellows and blue food coloring. huh, haven't thought of that in years.

Sling said...

My big sister used to make fudge for us all the time!..I think it was her way of staying up past her bedtime..
I worked at Russell Stover Candies for a time.They let you eat all the candy you want!..You get sick of it in no time..

paris parfait said...

Oh, fudge! I knew I was forgetting something this Christmas. Now that my daughter, the chocolate fiend, is home for the holidays, I suspect a batch or three of fudge will be required. Thanks for the reminder! (And do you have any advice for the pounds I will gain eating all that fudge?) :) Happy holidays!