Chocolate Mondays: Maya Angelou's Fudge

Wow who's got pix of the snow...I took a few today. I missed the whole thing, testing recipes and such in my kitchen. Enjoying my quiet time and busy time with my family! But here's a look at the aftermath!  A lot of digging out for a...while!

I dug out my rose molds and made my favorite yellow roses. 

Maybe I'm also thinking of my son in TX. I love yellow 

flowers and they liven up Chocolate. I also  love poetry. Life is poetry...so many poetic events. I like to write my own poetry, now and again. For Now, Let's talk about The Great Poet and Author Maya Angelou's, " Hallelujah,The Welcome Table", Have you read it? It's funny, insightful about Maya and delicious recipes to follow every story or visa versa! Really good autobiography.

Maya Angelou's Fudge Recipe,

I've been wanting to make this particular Fudge from her book for such a very long time! Mainly because of my experience as a fudge maker, at the Baltimore Harbor Pavilion. I worked for a summer in a little stall called the "Fudgery" Visions of spades, marble tables, songs of cavorting in the pavilion eating fudge and vinegar french fries! Hard work on a large scale but Oh Joy...but here's how Maya makes ...

Chocolate Fudge

This recipe seemed simple to me, but there are a few keys to keep in mind. 

1. Safety first! This stuff has to get Hot, Hot, Hot...once the boiling begins you won't have time to get hot pads/mitts, ice water with cubes etc. so have everything out and ready even the pan for cooling, before you start with the cooking. In the food service biz this is call Mise en place. 

2. You don't have to buy fancy gadgets...a tooth pick, skewer or metal knife will aid in getting the fudge to the ice cold water. Muffin tins can create a basic mold

3. If you want to do layers make or buy a good ready-made caramel, strawberry jam or something already standing by to put in the middle as soon as the mixture is ready to go in the pan. This is a fun treat for two to make.

Makes about 10 pieces...but I used a mini muffin tin and made 24 ;)

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar

3 cups milk

2 Tbsp. corn syrup

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate pieces

3 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. chopped pecans

Butter 8x8 in. pan Ms. Angelou says..

1. In large, heavy saucepan, bring sugar, milk, corn syrup, and chocolate to a boil.
2. Put a drop of mixture in 1 c. of ice-cold water. When the drop forms a soft ball, remove from heat. If ball does not form, continue cooking and repeat until a ball forms. If you have a candy thermometer that will be at the 240 or soft ball point...two notches below 260.
3. Add butter and vanilla extract to hot mixture. Cool. This is the point where you want to work quickly. (Using hot mitts) When saucepan with chocolate mixture has cooled to a lukewarm temperature, beat mixture with spoon until it loses its gloss and becomes thick. If you want nuts, fold in pecans before mixture cools completely. 
4. Cool in the prepared buttered pan. Cut in desired size squares.

Chocolate Note: 

*Once the fudge was done, I beat it just like the recipe says...but it became thick like it's supposed to...only nearly too thick to put into the muffin molds I'd prepared. 

*On my next time making this I will let the fudge cool about 2 min..3 min. tops and then spoon it into my molds that way it can set up in the mold better.

*Now as far as add-ins if you want to add nuts do it after you take the fudge off the heat. Then pour into your cooling pan or molds.

*At the Fudgery once the fudge reached the right temperature, it was poured onto the table to cool, then once it cooled to the point where it wouldn't run off the table...thus the metal bars around the table. The bars were removed and then the spade was used to stir and form the bars. To Translate this to a home kitchen...the fudge cooling happens in the pan.

Once it's not so hot and drippy it's ready to form.

*You could pour the fudge out onto a counter with something heavy to hold it onto the counter. Then fold and shape into a loaf...or

*Once the fudge is cooled in the pan pour it out into prepped molds.

    

Quotes  by Maya Angelou and more Fudge Nuggets

Go forth, carefully in the inclement weather and make something wonderful!