Brown Sugar Fudge (Penuche)
1
cup
white sugar; granulated
1 cup
light brown sugar; firm pack
1/2 cup
heavy (whipping) cream
3 tablespoon
molasses; *
2 oz
unsweetened chocolate; 2 sqs
4 tablespoon
butter; 1/2 stick
1 1/2 teaspoon
vanilla
1/2 cup
chopped nuts; optional
* This is to taste. The original recipe called for 4 Tbls of Molasses,
STEP
1: PREPARE: Prewarm the thermometer in hot water;
use a 2-quart
saucepan; butter
the upper sides (inside) of the saucepan; measure all
ingredients
except the vanilla and optionals, and dump into the saucepan.
Grease and if
necessary, line a 5 X 10-inch pan. Fill glass with ice cubes and
water
and the sink with 1/2 inch of cold water.
STEP
2: Dissolve the sugar, stirring constantly with a wooden
spoon, over low
heat until
the butter melts, the gritty sounds cease, and the spoon glides
smoothly over
the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium and bring
to
a boil.
STEP
3: Boil, after washing down any crystals that may have
formed, with a
pastry
brush dipped in hot water from the thermometer bath, using as little
water
as possible. Introduce the prewarmed thermometer. Reduce the
heat
while
keeping the fudge at a boil. Stir no more than necessary.
STEP
4: Test the fudge mixture in the ice-cold water when the
mixture thickens
and bubbles
become noisy. Ball, formed in ice water, should hold its shape
until the heat
from your had begins to flatten it and should be al dente ~-
slightly chewy
-- between 230 and 240 (110 and 115.5 degrees C.). Because
of
the molasses
and brown sugar, it can ball at a lower temperature than some other fudges.
STEP 5: Shock by placing the saucepan in the cold water in the sink.
STEP 6: Seed by adding, without stirring, the vanilla. Then allow to cool.
STEP
7: Stir when luke warm and "skin" forms on the top (110
degrees F.(43.5
degrees C.)).
Return the thermometer to its hot water bath to soak clean.
Stir the
fudge thoroughly
but not vigorously by hand, with an electric mixer, or with a
food processor.
Pause frequently to allow the fudge to react.
STEP
8: Watch for the fudge to thicken, lose its sheen, and
become lighter in
color or streaked
with lighter shade, give off some heat, suddenly stiffen. If
mixing by had,
the fudge will "snap" with each stroke; by mixer, mixer waves will
become very
distinct, by food processor, fudge will flow sluggishly back to the
center when
the processor is stopped.
STEP
9: Add the optionals (1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts (walnuts, pecans,
or
hazelnuts
(filberts)) before the fudge totally candies.
STEP
10: Pour, score, and store when cool in an airtight container
in the
refrigerator
or at room temperature.
YIELD:
1 pound of fudge. Recipe is easily doubled and can be frozen.
VARIATIONS:
HONEY
BROWN SUGAR FUDGE: In Step 1, eleminate the unsweetened
chocolate
and replace the molasses with 1/4 cup of honey. The honey causes
the fudge
to ball at a higher temperature.
CHOCOLATE
HONEY BROWN SUGAR FUDGE: In Step 1, replace the heavy
cream
with light cream or evaporated milk and replace the molasses with 1/4 cup
of honey.
ORANGE
BROWN SUGAR FUDGE: In Step 1, eleminate molasses, chocolate
but add
1 Tbl corn syrup. In Step 6, add 1 Tbl grated orange zest, plus if
you
can get it,
1 tsp of pure orange extract.
PEANUT
BUTTER BROWN SUGAR FUDGE: In Step 1, eliminate the molasses
and chocolate,
replace the heavy cream with 1/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of
creamy peanut
butter. To intensify the peanut butter flavor, add 1/3 of a
cup of
salted peanuts
in Step 9.
PRALINE
BROWN SUGAR FUDGE: In Step 1, eliminating the molasses is
optional --
you'ss get a more Southern praline with it, a milder one without
it--or
compromise and
use only 1 Tbls. Eliminate the chocolate. In Step 3, when the
mixture begins
to thicken, add 1 1/2 cups of pecan halves slowly so as not to
break the boil
or cool the mixture too quickly.