(no subject)
Maple Cream Fudge (From Edith Boone's Cookbook)
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup cream or milk (I remember her using evaporated milk)
4 Tablespoons butter
dash of salt
1 cup nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon maple flavouring
Instructions if you know what you're doing:
Combine sugar, milk. Cook on low heat to the boiling point. When mixture reaches soft ball stage (234F on a candy thermometer), add butter, salt, and flavouring and then cool quickly without stirring. . Beat until mixture thickens and loses its gloss. Add nuts, and pour into a greased pan.
Instructions for the rest of us:
Get out your heaviest large saucepan.
Grease an 8 by 8 inch pan to have cubes of fudge, or a larger pan if you want flatter pieces.
Fill half of your sink with ice water to about half the depth of the pan. Put some more ice water into a Pyrex cup or bowl.
You may want to only make half of that amount, just in case! Put the sugar, milk, into the saucepan and put it on the stove on a low to moderate heat. Slowly bring it to just almost a boil. Stop stirring once in boils.
After a few minutes, start testing the temperature with a candy thermometer. You're looking for 234F. If you're not a rich so-and-so with a special thermometer just for making candy, drop a bit of the mixture into the water in the Pyrex cup. When it sticks together to form a soft ball that you can sort of smoosh flat with your fingers, the syrup is cooked.
Remove the syrup from the heat and add the butter and salt without stirring. Put the pan immediately into the cold water in the sink to cool the syrup quickly. Do not stir at this point, and be careful because the syrup is very hot!
Once the syrup has cooled to just over room temperature (probably around 100F or so), start beating it. I use a stand mixer, but Mom used to use a big spoon. Beat it until it starts to thicken and isn't shiny anymore.
Add the nuts, if you're using them, and pour the mixture into the cake pan to cool. It's a good idea to cut it before it hardens completely, although you may have to cut it again after it's completely cool.
Note: If you don't cook the syrup enough, the fudge won't get hard, if you cook it too much, it will get too hard and brittle. If you stir it once it starts to boil, it will 'sugar,' or become grainy.
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup cream or milk (I remember her using evaporated milk)
4 Tablespoons butter
dash of salt
1 cup nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon maple flavouring
Instructions if you know what you're doing:
Combine sugar, milk. Cook on low heat to the boiling point. When mixture reaches soft ball stage (234F on a candy thermometer), add butter, salt, and flavouring and then cool quickly without stirring. . Beat until mixture thickens and loses its gloss. Add nuts, and pour into a greased pan.
Instructions for the rest of us:
Get out your heaviest large saucepan.
Grease an 8 by 8 inch pan to have cubes of fudge, or a larger pan if you want flatter pieces.
Fill half of your sink with ice water to about half the depth of the pan. Put some more ice water into a Pyrex cup or bowl.
You may want to only make half of that amount, just in case! Put the sugar, milk, into the saucepan and put it on the stove on a low to moderate heat. Slowly bring it to just almost a boil. Stop stirring once in boils.
After a few minutes, start testing the temperature with a candy thermometer. You're looking for 234F. If you're not a rich so-and-so with a special thermometer just for making candy, drop a bit of the mixture into the water in the Pyrex cup. When it sticks together to form a soft ball that you can sort of smoosh flat with your fingers, the syrup is cooked.
Remove the syrup from the heat and add the butter and salt without stirring. Put the pan immediately into the cold water in the sink to cool the syrup quickly. Do not stir at this point, and be careful because the syrup is very hot!
Once the syrup has cooled to just over room temperature (probably around 100F or so), start beating it. I use a stand mixer, but Mom used to use a big spoon. Beat it until it starts to thicken and isn't shiny anymore.
Add the nuts, if you're using them, and pour the mixture into the cake pan to cool. It's a good idea to cut it before it hardens completely, although you may have to cut it again after it's completely cool.
Note: If you don't cook the syrup enough, the fudge won't get hard, if you cook it too much, it will get too hard and brittle. If you stir it once it starts to boil, it will 'sugar,' or become grainy.