In honour of\u00a0International Fudge Day,\u00a0which is celebrated on\u00a0Wednesday, June 16, here are some fun fudge facts as well as recipes from chef lecturers at Capsicum Culinary Studio.<\/p>\n
In the late 17th century, the word fudge meant\u00a0\u201cto fit together or adjust [clumsily].\u201d Around 1800, the word was used to mean a hoax or cheat and by mid-century the use of the term \u201cOh, fudge!\u201d as a kid-friendly expletive\u00a0had come into favour and was\u00a0often used when something had been messed up. It is\u00a0believed\u00a0that the first batch of fudge was created when someone was trying to make caramel and \u201cfudged\u201d up. The name stuck.<\/p>\n
While the Americans claim fudge as their own invention, some think it is an offshoot of a confectionary from Scotland called \u201ctablet\u201d, which is made with sugar, condensed milk and butter and was first noted in\u00a0The Household Book of Lady Grisell Baillie\u00a0in the early 18th century.<\/p>\n
The record for the largest slab of fudge in the world weighed\u00a0over 2 600 kilograms and\u00a0was crafted at the Northwest Fudge Factory in Ontario, Canada in 2010. It reportedly took a full week to make and, while the ingredients are not available for this record, the previous holder contained 320kg of butter, 1 270kg of chocolate and 1 155 litres of condensed milk.<\/p>\n
Mackinac Island, a tiny 9,8km\u00b2 island in Michigan in the US, considers itself the fudge capital of the world with 14 fudge shops in the town, and the oldest – Murdick\u2019s Candy Kitchen \u2013 dating back to 1887. Every August, the island hosts a Fudge Festival, complete with events like Fudge on the Rocks where local bartenders craft fudge cocktails. Festival-goers are referred to as \u201cfudgies.\u201d<\/p>\n
The island churns out over 4 535kgs of fudge daily during peak season and fudge makers ship in about 10 tons of sugar and 10 tons of butter each year to create and craft their products.<\/p>\n
Mamie Eisenhower, the wife of the 34th US President, Ike Eisenhower (1953-61), was a huge fudge fan and even crafted her own recipe – named\u00a0Mamie\u2019s Million-Dollar Fudge – which included chopped nuts and marshmallow cr\u00e8me.<\/p>\n
Says one expert: \u201cGood fudge is all about the sugar crystals. Big sugar crystals make fudge taste grainy while very tiny sugar crystals result in a creamy, sweet fudge that tastes like \u2026. well \u2026 great fudge!\u201d<\/p>\n
While there are hundreds of recipes out there, here are these from two Capsicum Culinary Studio chefs.<\/p>\n
White Chocolate Fudge<\/strong> ~\u00a0Chef Caren Marimuthu, Capsicum Culinary Studio, Durban<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/u><\/p>\n 125ml white sugar Method<\/u><\/p>\n Line a flat bottom 10cm x 10cm baking tray with plastic wrap (spray the tray with cooking spray before lining with plastic wrap so that it sticks to the tray without creasing). Quick & Easy Microwave Fudge<\/strong> ~ Chef Jaco Page, Capsicum Culinary Studio, Cape Town<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/u><\/p>\n 1 tin condensed milk Method<\/u><\/p>\n Grease a square dish with butter or Spray and Cook.\u00a0In a large microwave bowl add condensed milk, sugar and butter and microwave for 2 minutes or until butter has melted. Stir to combine all the ingredients and microwave for another 2 minutes and stir quickly. Repeat 3 times or until golden brown. Stir in vanilla essence and pour into the prepared square dish. Wait until slightly cooled then cut into squares.<\/p>\n Chef’s notes<\/strong>:\u00a0When adding the vanilla essence, you can also add other options such as Peppermint Crisp,\u00a0Rolo,\u00a0toasted nuts or peanut butter to make a more decadent fudge.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to have a go at Lady Grisell Baillie\u2019s recipe<\/strong> \u2026<\/p>\n Ingredients<\/u><\/p>\n 1kg granulated sugar Method<\/u><\/p>\n Melt butter and vanilla extract then add condensed milk and stir through before adding sugar and stirring well. Bring to the boil slowly stirring most of the time and once it bubbles up leave it boiling while stirring most of the time for around 30-40 minutes until it starts to thicken and turns a darker colour. Then remove from heat and beat well with wooden spoon until thick and pour into baking tray. Cool before marking into squares.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In honour of\u00a0International Fudge Day,\u00a0which is celebrated on\u00a0Wednesday, June 16, here are some fun fudge facts as well as recipes from chef lecturers at Capsicum Culinary Studio. In the late 17th century, the word fudge meant\u00a0\u201cto fit together or adjust [clumsily].\u201d Around 1800, the word was used to mean a hoax or cheat and by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":16635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2060],"tags":[1564,4705],"class_list":{"0":"post-16634","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-food-wine","8":"tag-capsicum-culinary-studio","9":"tag-international-fudge-day"},"yoast_head":"\n
\n125ml brown sugar
\n75ml glucose
\n140ml\u00a0double cream
\n180g good quality white chocolate
\n40g butter
\n5ml vanilla paste<\/p>\n
\nIn a small saucepan, over medium heat, cook sugar and glucose until softball stage (113\u00b0C).
\nOnce the correct temperature is achieved, lower the heat and add the cream, chocolate and butter and mix until the chocolate is completely melted and forms a cohesive mixture.
\nStir in the vanilla paste and then pour mixture into a lined tray and allow to cool.
\nCut into squares and refrigerate overnight until completely set.<\/p>\n
\n400g sugar
\n120g butter
\n15ml vanilla essence<\/p>\n
\n410g tin of condensed milk
\n100g unsalted butter
\nhalf cap full of good quality vanilla extract<\/p>\n