Hadn't made chocolate fudge in years, but took a notion to make some
for tomorrow's family festivities, as well as bringing the mixed berry
crisp. I had forgotten how *unbelievably* long it takes to squeeze the
last 8 or 10 degrees out of the candy thermometer! The candy gets up
to about 220°F within about 10 minutes, but I've been pacing around
the kitchen eyeballing that damned thermometer for the last 15 and
it's still not up to 234°F. I think this is why I haven't made it in
years. Too impatient!

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Chocolate Fudge

desserts

2 3/4 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped, roasted nuts, optional

Grease an 8 by 8-inch pan with butter. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan,
combine the sugar, chocolate, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter,
half-and-half, and corn syrup. Over medium heat, stir with a wooden
spoon until sugar is dissolved and chocolate is melted. Increase heat
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and boil for 3
minutes. Remove the cover and attach a candy thermometer to the pot.
Cook until the thermometer reads 234° F. Remove from the heat and add
the remaining butter. Do not stir. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes
or until it drops to 130 degrees F. Add vanilla and nuts, if desired,
and mix until well-blended and the shiny texture becomes matte. Pour
into the prepared pan. Let sit in cool dry area until firm. Cut into
1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--

"If the soup had been as warm as the wine,
if the wine had been as old as the turkey,
and if the turkey had had a breast like the maid,
it would have been a swell dinner." Duncan Hines


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On Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:36:37 -0700 in rec.food.cooking, Terry Pulliam
Burd > wrote,
> I had forgotten how *unbelievably* long it takes to squeeze the
>last 8 or 10 degrees out of the candy thermometer! The candy gets up
>to about 220°F within about 10 minutes, but I've been pacing around
>the kitchen eyeballing that damned thermometer for the last 15 and
>it's still not up to 234°F.

I bought a digital thermometer that beeps when the set temperature is
reached. It's great for roast beef, but I haven't made any candy.
My new years resolution was to replace all my slow inaccurate mechanical
thermometers.

I'm glad to see that you used a real fudge recipe, not some of the
crappy bogus so-called fudge recipes that are floating around.