Tag Archive: fudge
A Brief History of Brownies
September 22, 2011
The brownie, one of the most loved baked treat, was believed to be "invented" in America. Some references imply that brownies were originally made in New England at the beginning of the 20th century. Albeit the facts that it is basically cake-like and baked in a cake pan, brownies are considered as bar cookies rather than a cake.
Brownies can either be "cake-style" or "fudge-style”. Cake-style is that with the consistency of a cake, only richer and denser. On the other hand, fudge-style is more like, er, fudge than cake. It is the richer, denser, and creamier version of the brownie. What determines the style of brownie is the ratio of flour to chocolate and/or cocoa.
I hate to state the obvious but it’s apparent brownie derived its name from its dark brown color. But just like almost any food, the origin of the "brownie" is covered in myth. One of the legends told is that a chef added melted chocolate to biscuits by mistake. Another one states that a cook was baking a cake but didn't have enough flour and baked it anyway, thus, making a brownie.
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Aunt Belle’s Chocolate Fudge
August 1, 2011
Do you remember the slogan for an old commercial that had people taking sides on tacos? Some would say, “I like making it!” and others would say, “I like eating it!” If you are over 40 and grew up in the U.S., I’ll bet you remember.
When it comes to fudge, most people would say they like eating it way more than they like making it!
Making fudge is tiresome, tedious work that often ends with unsatisfactory results. Fudge has to be cooked at a high temperature then cooled while stirred constantly or the sugar will crystallize into a gritty mess.
So, with patience and a gastronomic aptitude one can achieve great fudge. That is why I like eating it. I don’t possess either one of those fudge making qualities.
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Coconut Fudge Balls
December 8, 2010
Early Spanish explorers named the tropical island coconut after the animal it resembled. Coco means "monkey face."
Did you know that the coconut provides a nutritious (and delicious!) source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals? It is one of those "functional foods" I’ve talked about in previous blogs.
Coconut oil has a bad reputation of being a “bad” fat, but in reality it is not. Coconut oil is saturated, but it does not contain trans fats.
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Hot Fudge Sauce
July 31, 2010
Summer time is ice cream time – with hot fudge sauce of course!
Wow – it seems there are about as many different recipes for hot fudge sauce as there are types of ice cream to put them on.
From what I can tell (after reviewing many recipes) hot fudge sauce is different from ordinary chocolate sauce in that it’s really a chocolate fudge that never sets. Cream or milk, sugar, and butter are boiled until thickened so that it gets nice and gooey.
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