Oh, Fudge!
December 9, 2009
Every year around Christmas time I attend at least one holiday cookie exchange party or dessert buffet event. Among the many traditional cookies there is always fudge.
As a child, I remember my mother and grandmother walking around the house stirring, and stirring, and stirring that bowl of fudge. Sometime they would pause to watch TV, I suppose to prevent boredom, stirring all the while.
Fudge is an American invention. There are several stories about how fudge first came to exist. Most food historians agree that fudge was invented in the late 1800’s. At least one story claims that fudge was the result of a batch of caramels gone wrong and the name came from the exclamation, “Oh fudge!” Before becoming “fudge”, it first may have been called "Divinity" because it tasted "divine."
Crystal formation is the key to making great fudge. It is the super small crystals of sugar in fudge that give fudge a firm but smooth texture. Forming crystals at just the right time and in just the right size is the secret to successful fudge. When the crystals are small enough, they won’t feel grainy in your mouth.
Making non-grainy fudge is all in the cooling and stirring. A typical recipe will require you to heat the ingredients and then cool undisturbed until a certain temperature is reached. If you disturb the fudge during this time you risk the formation of large crystals of sugar and thus a grainy fudge.
When the fudge has cooled, you must begin proper crystal formation. Here is where the stirring comes in. You start to stir, and keep stirring, until the fudge becomes thick. The more you stir, the more crystals you get; lots and lots of tiny crystals. You should end up with a firm, smooth fudge.
When your finished stirring, your arm feels like it’s about to fall off. Yeah, but s-o-o-o worth the sacrifice!
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