October 24th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Jeff D McQueen
We have all heard of peanut butter being added in to our fudge. Yes, it is possible and this yummy treat is actually one of my personal favorites. My mom makes it all the time for me and I”ve grown very fond of it.
Here I will share 5 really great peanut butter fudge recipes that will make the mouth water and will make your kids happier. Even adults love it. Good luck
My Favorite Peanut Buttery Fudge
2 c sugar (half brown sugar if desired)
1/2 c milk (evaporated)
2 tbsps light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c peanut butter
1/2 to 1 c chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Mix sugar, salt, syrup and milk in pan. Bring it to a gentle boil.
Cook until a little amount forms soft ball in cold water, about 235degrees on your candy thermometer. Take away from the heat, add peanut butter & vanilla. Do not stir.
Cool to lukewarm then beat just until creamy, losing gloss and beginning to hold shape. Add in nuts if used. Pour inside a buttered loaf pan or 8- x 8-inch pan and cool. Slice in small rectangular shapes or any shape that you”d like.
To Test If It has reached Soft Ball Stage
A tiny bit of cooked syrup dropped into chilled water forms a ball, but is soft enough to flatten slightly when picked up with fingers (234degrees to 240degrees).
Choco-Peanut Butter Fudge
2.5 c of sugar
2 tsps of vanilla extract
1 c of chopped pecans
1/2 c of butter, divided
1 c of milk
1/4 c of cocoa
1 tbsp of light corn syrup
1/2 c of peanut butter
Inside a big saucepan, mix sugar, milk, cocoa and corn syrup. Cook on medium heat, stirring often, until sugar has dissolved. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, then stir until melted; then cover and boil the mixture for 3 mins.. Take off the cover then continue to cook, without stirring, until the mixture will reach its soft ball consistency.
Take away from the heat, then add remaining butter, peanut butter, pecans, & vanilla extract. Allow the mixture to cool for about 10. Beat it until butter, peanut butter & pecans are thoroughly blended into the chocolate mixture. Immediately pour on your buttered nine-inch square pan. Cool and cut fudge in square-shaped pieces.
Cream Cheese Peanut Butter Fudge
4 square pieces unsweetened chocolate
8 ozs cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 c peanut butter
5 c sugar (powdered)
1/2 c chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts are good)
1 tsp vanilla
Melt chocolate in microwave and allow cooling to room temperature. Mix cream cheese with chocolate and peanut butter. Add in sugar & vanilla. Spread into an eight or nine inch pan. Refrigerate 2 hours before cutting.
Hope you will take some time out to try the fudge recipes that I just shared with you. Enjoy!
About The Author
Jeff is a food fanatic! You can check out his very popular Fudge Recipes
website where he shares some of his Fudge Brownie Recipes and
Fudge Cake Recipes
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October 23rd, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Jeff D McQueen
Yes, we have lots of new fudge recipes around but still, there is a certain level of distinction to good ole fashioned fudge. Below are some really great and reliable traditional fudge recipes that are always a hit with everyone
Chocolate Fudge
550g caster sugar
550ml double cream
75g liquid, glucose (available from chemists and cook shops)
150g melted milk chocolate
Put 550g caster sugar, 550ml double cream and 75g liquid glucose (available from chemists and cook shops) inside a pan. Slowly heat together, stirring continually, until sugar melts then fast boils until your thermometer reaches 118C.
Turn off the heat & add 150g melted milk chocolate, mix really well then pour into a 22cm square non-stick tin. Leave fudge overnight to set then turn out and slice in squares.
Traditional Nut Fudge
2 c sugar
1 c water
1 c milk (sweetened, condensed)
3 ozs unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped or grated
1 c chopped toasted nuts
Prepare a 9×9 by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Inside a big saucepan, mix sugar and water over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, constantly stirring until sugar is dissolved. Allow the mixture to boil for one minute, then mix in condensed milk. Insert a candy thermometer and cook the mixture to 235 degrees, stirring frequently and washing down the sides of the pan occasionally using a wet pastry brush to prevent crystallization.
Once candy reaches 235, remove the pan from the heat then set it aside to cool for 15 minutes. Don”t stir it during this time, or you will form sugar crystals and fudge will be grainy!
After 15 minutes, add the grated chocolate then stir to melt chocolate. Using a clean wooden spoon, beat the fudge vigorously until it thickens and begins to lose its gloss. (Alternately, you can use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the fudge. If you use a mixer, watch it carefully as it is easy to overbeat and turn the fudge hard and grainy.)
Once the fudge begins to thicken and set up, quickly fold in your nuts then pour the fudge into a prepared pan. Allow it to set at room temperature until firm, about 3 hours or overnight.
After the fudge has set, cut it into small 1-inch squares to serve. Store remaining fudge in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to one week, or inside the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Bring fudge to room temperature before serving.
Here is 1 recipe for a really great hot fudge sauce that you might like to keep to drizzle on your ice cream if the urge hits you.
Hot Fudge Sauce
2/3 c heavy cream
1/2 c light corn syrup
1/3 c packed dark brown sugar
1/4 c unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsps unsalted butter
Bring cream, corn syrup, salt, cocoa, sugar, and half of chocolate to a boil in a 1 to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, constantly stirring, until chocolate has melted. Lower heat then cook at a low boil, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, then take it away from the heat. Next, add butter, vanilla, & remaining chocolate then stir until smooth. Cool sauce to warm before serving
About The Author
Jeff is a food fanatic! You can check out his very popular Fudge Recipes
website where he shares some of his Chocolate Fudge Recipes and
Easy Fudge Recipes
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October 23rd, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Jeff D McQueen
Preserving food is an age old technology discovered by humans. A lot of people would argue which is the very best process in food preservation. Generally people would like their food stuffs to be safe, of excellent quality, nutritious, fresh, wholesome, great nutritional value, nice color, good aroma, distinct flavor and texture.
Food is generally classified as safe when there’’s no natural danger of toxins, pathogenic-microorganisms and chemicals that could be harmful. Food is called sterile when it doesn”t have bacteria living naturally inside of it.
When food isn”t sealed and sterilized it would then create bacteria. Like milk, for example, contains bacteria living naturally within it thus spoiling its contents within 2 to 3 hours when kept outside in room-temperature.
Although when it’’s placed inside a refrigerator the bacteria count slows down thereby making milk last in your refrigerator for 1 week even if it already has some bacteria.
Preservation of food involves the handling of your food & how it’’s going to be treated which would affect the speed of spoilage whether it’’s slowing down or growing fast, it could be accelerated due to the presence of microorganisms.
Preserving foodstuffs means to stop the fungi growing, microorganisms & bacteria growing and also the oxidation of certain fats that will generate rancidity. While some other processes in preservation would mean putting bacteria, yeast and benign-fungi to your food so that it”ll generate certain desirable qualities, like that of cheeses and wines.
Some processes also stop food from getting discolored like in the process of oxidation or enzymatic-browning like what we see in sliced apples. Certain kinds of foods are sealed once treatment is done in order to stop another recontamination by microbes.
There would also be drying wherein food is actually not stored inside any container. Other processes include freeze-drying, freezing, spray-drying, food-irradiation, sugar-crystallization, adding some preservatives, using syrup for preservation, vacuum-packing and canning.
Here are some processes in preserving food:
1) Salting
Salt is better recognized as the process of curing. This type of food preservation eliminates moisture found in meat using osmosis. The meat will be combined with salt, sugar perhaps even both. Nitrates and nitrites will also cure the meat & stop ”Clostridium botulinum” from appearing.
2) Freezing
Usually used for commercially and domestically preserving huge selections of various foods.
3) Irradiation
Exposing to ionization radiation identified as cold-pasteurization or irradiation. This process of preserving involves factors that would help in killing bacteria, insects, molds & reduces spoiling or ripening of your fruits.
4) Highly pressurized food preservation
Use really high pressures. About seventy thousand worth of psi, which induces release of nutrients, maintaining the texture, appearance & the flavor while preventing spoilage.
5) Vacuum-packing
Food is stored within an airless environment, like a bottle or a bag that’’s air-tight. Since there’’s no oxygen it slows spoilage.
6) Pickling
Food is left within an anti-microbial and edible content in liquid form. Fermentation type of pickling actually uses actual food to encourage production of ”lactic acid”. While chemical-pickling kills or stops bacteria & microorganisms found inside the liquid.
7) Burying food
Since the foods are buried, it would mean lower oxygen level, light & pH-level, and provides desiccants in soil & a more cool temperature.
Smoking
Meat, fish, etc is preserved using smoke. By combining aromatic-phenolic hydrocarbons and heat coming from smoke would preserve foods.
9) Lye
Sodium-hydroxide would stop growing bacteria by generating much alkaline.
10) Canning
This would involve the cooking of your food & they”re sealed in clean & sterile cans or jars. Sometimes pressure cooking would be required as a last step in this process. Meats & veggies dishes that contain low acid content should undergo pressurized canning.
11) Using controlled micro organisms
Cheeses, beers & wines are kept within a very long period of time because their process of production will use micro organisms to stop its spoilage.
12) Jellying
Food is preserved by solidifying and forming them into gel, like using maize flour & gelatin. Jellying will produce fruit preserves, marmalade and jellies when this process if done on fruits.
13) Modification of Atmosphere
Preserving food by changing its surrounding atmosphere. Salads are difficult to keep fresh so they”re packed using sealed plastic bags inside an atmosphere that’’s modified decreasing oxygen & increasing carbon-dioxide.
14) Drying
Considered as an old method, where water is reduce to delay or prevent growth of bacterias. A lot of meats are dried, just like fruits. Millet, wheat, maize, oats, barley, rye, rice, cereal-grains, currants, raisins, sultanas and grapes are a few examples of food stuffs that uses drying to stop spoilage.
15) Sugaring
Used in preserving certain fruits like peaches, plums, apples, pears, apricots, etc using sweet syrup or maybe in some crystallized form.
About The Author
Jeff is a food fanatic! You can check out his very popular
Best Recipes website where he shares some of his Best Bread Recipes and Best Cake Recipes
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October 22nd, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Will Smith
An alkaline body basically involves being able to obtain an internal PH balance. The measurement of concentrated hydrogen ions in a solution is the process in which Ph is discovered. Studies have found that alkaline-balanced bodies have a tendency to be more immune to bad digestion, continual tiredness, too much weight, everyday pains and aches, inadequate energy, etc.
The nutrients that food has have been vital for optimal health. This information was released in 1988 by the U.S. Surgeon General. Foods have nutrients necessary for metabolic function, and when there is an imbalance problems will occur.
Two thirds of Americans don”t smoke or drink too much, making diet the most important factor in their health.This was first published in a report from the Surgeon General’’s office.
Because our normal diet is composed of mostly acidic foods, the acidity must be offset by the body, drawing upon alkaline-based mineral reserves, calcium and magnesium, etc. Calcium is generally located in bones, while magnesium is generally found in muscle tissue.
We balance our bodies through an alkaline diet. If you have an alkaline system, your daily consumption can include food with 70-80% alkaline content. The other 20 to 30 percent is due to acidic foods. You have to know that eating the right amount of acidic foods is important to your alkaline diet. Having pizza or a burger once in a while is alright. Simply keep track of the level of acidity that you consume with your food every day.
A well-balanced alkaline body can remain in good health more readily.
Do you want to have better digestion, flawless skin, a slimmer shape, decrease pain, and be more energetic? Perhaps it’’s worth taking a trial run for yourself? The results of alkalizing one’’s body can be amazing. The benefits include fresher-looking skin, easier digestion, fewer pains, and higher levels of energy.
Employ the tips below to achieve an alkaline body. It is easy to accomplish. All you need to do is begin.
Spend some time thinking about what an alkaline body can do for you. How would that impact your situation? Imagine feeling in great health, light, new and full of energy. This is the gift an alkaline body offers.
In regards to the types of foods eaten during the course of the day, aspire to set strong habits. Remember in your mind if you eat foods that are acidic or alkaline. A good mental mindset will be the result of appreciating the vitality of an alkaline body.
An alkaline body is achieved via these methods.
About The Author
Will Smith is an enthusiastic provider of self help programs and boosts consumer understanding within the online market place. Get more info about
alkaline body by visiting http://www.attractedactions.com/health/alkaline-body/
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October 21st, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Ian Newton
A recent radio programme had the interviewers visiting a farm which grew commercial vegetables. As they were leaving they asked if they could pick some broccoli, to take home to feed their chickens.
The farmer replied that they shouldn”t feed his broccoli to their chickens as it would kill them. Shocked the interviewers asked why? He said the commercial broccoli was sprayed four or five times and weren”t safe to eat. When asked what vegetables they ate they said they have their own vegetable patch behind the house well away from the fields.
Soil Health.
There are even wider concerns regarding commercially grow vegetables. It’’s the condition of the soil that concerns many health researchers. Soil health and community health are being closely monitored in many western countries. We know the soils become depleted. The practice of leaving a field fallow, i.e. , allow the field to recover for a season, is not economically viable on many large struggling farms.
The effects of drought, flood, fire, hail, tornados and insect invasion allow farmers little opportunity to care for their farms in the traditional manner. The soil is pushed and stressed and super phosphates are used to encourage growth in place of nutrients.
Storage Problems.
Your supermarket has the problem of transport over potentially long distances and storage, whilst having to offer a fresh looking produce. This is achieved by picking before fully ripe and using ethylene gas to ripen fruit and vegetables. This is the natural gas a banana
Of course for some crops ripening too fast so they use Smartfresh, which is a synthetic produce enhancer, blocks normal ethylene in fruit in order to slow normal ripening. This can delay ripening for up to a year. This means you could be buying and consuming food up to a year old.
The benefit is that you the consumer can get the food you want all year around, the downside is that many agricultural scientists believe the Vitamin C and other anti oxidants are severely depleted.
Where are your veggies grown?
If your vegetables are grown in a developing country, read poor or no chemical control. You risk high levels of contamination. If you have travelled in a third world country you have noticed the massive air pollution and the grossly inadequate drainage and sewerage. If you are in a northern hemisphere winter, stop for a moment to consider where your produce is coming from.
Consider again how many hands have handled the apple you are about to bite into. I bet you will give it a good washing now. Don”t forget that pesticides are not water soluble so water alone will not clean fruit and vegetables. A little non toxic detergent and a good scrub will be sufficient.
About The Author
And now I would like to offer you free access to my vegetable gardening tips. go to http://livingwellpublications.com/wellness/vegetable-garden/
Would you like to read my free health and lifestyle blog go to
http://livingwellpublications.com/blog/
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October 20th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Charles Volcolatte
First, let us define what organic foods mean. These refers to foods that have been grown without the aid of any chemicals, fertilizers and insecticides. It is possible that these foods have been cultured pest free using plant oils, some relevant bacteria and bugs that eat other kinds of bugs. For fertilizer needs they refer to the aid of manure. These procedures are in line with fruits and vegetables produce. In terms of animal care, they become labeled as organic if they were fed with only natural foods and were not given shots for antibiotics or growth-enhancing chemicals.
On the other hand non-organic foods are those that were cultured through the use of fertilizers and chemicals which usually remain on foods. There were studies being made in light of this subject, and it showed that only if these foods were exposed in great concentrations of chemicals will they cause havoc on one’’s health.
It is a common misconception that products labeled as natural meant organic. False. There is no strict ruling from the government that is why most manufacturers have been labeling their products as natural or organic to attract consumers.
So how does organic foods stand out from other type of foods? Actually organic foods does not apply for the superior title. Very little difference is noted among the conventional foods and the organic ones. Most of the time it just differ with how they were grown, eliminating the chemical utilization for the organic plants. For one, they actually taste better because organic foods are required to be eaten as soon as possible, making it fresh upon serving. Children who are more sensitive to the harmful effects of chemicals on non-organic foods may well benefit from the organic kinds. Although in terms of nutrition, it yet to be researched and undergo further studies.
Another advantage of raising food organically is its impact on the environment. The chemicals that are used in some crops make other animals and life form susceptible to poisoning. According to some research made by non-governmental organizations there are some fruits and vegetables that contains high amounts of pesticides. It includes apples, peaches, cherries, strawberries, grapes and pears for fruits and bell peppers, celery, lettuce, carrots and nectarines for the veggie-types.
Organic foods are known to cost much higher than the conventional ones. If your budget is not apt for it you can try to wash the fruits and vegetables with mild soaps and lightly brush off the surfaces to eliminate any pesticides residue on its skin and layers.
For the benefit of the younger ones, peel off the skin of fruits before serving them. The main picture being presented here is the importance of having healthy foods consisting of fruits and vegetables rather than nothing at all.
About The Author
Charles Volcolatte is a health and weight loss researcher for http://www.skinnyasap.com/. He writes and researches actively on Weight Loss Programs and shares his knowledge at http://www.skinnyasap.com/ where he works as a staff writer.
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October 20th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Tony Hill
It probably hasn”t escaped your knowledge that the festive season is slowly creeping upon us. The supermarkets are slowly starting to fill their shelves with gold chocolate coins, Christmas Tree decorations, fancy nuts and mince pies - it won”t be long before the Coca Cola advert is aired on TV - then we will all know that Christmas truly has arrived.
I don”t know about you, but when I throw a festive party I really want to make sure it sparkles and go all out to ensure that it becomes a night you won”t forget!
This article focuses on food and drink as there are so many different options - hot food, cold food, sit-down meal or a buffet…which do you go for??
Well why not do a mixture of hot and cold style buffet food - and I”m not talking mini scotch eggs and cocktail sausages. For the starter you could make a fancy prawn cocktail served in fancy cocktail glasses to make it look extra sophisticated! Then a big bowel of lightly spiced potato wedges, a big bowel of hearty chilli and some cheesy nachos - your guests can then help themselves to whatever they fancy.
In true Christmas style finish of your meal with a selection of specially-picked cheeses, a handful or crackers and why not match the wine to taste. As is customary with every festive season you could then bring out the platter of mince pies to finish of the meal, with some naughty After Eights…
In terms of drink there is lots to choose from - wine, beer, sprits, cocktails, mulled wine…the list goes on!
Cocktails are a good idea for parties - you can easily make up a few jugs, they taste nice and in many cases they can look really good too. Obviously Mulled Wine is a popular choice at Christmas, but it’’s not necessarily the best choice for parties - it doesn”t go down as well as some other drinks - but it should definitely be an option.
Wine is always a safe choice and you could go all out to match it to your cheese selection if you wanted to be really sophisticated!
Another option could be to go for a fancy Champagne - a nice pink Champagne would be good for the girlies - Christian Audigier do wine and Champagne in fancy bottles that are covered in ”tatoo”-style covers” - they would certainly make a statement!
Whatever you decide to go for - just remember you can never have too much sparkle!
About The Author
Tony Hill is an online marketer and researcher who is currently researching Christian Audigier Rose and Christian Audigier Wine
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October 19th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Beverly Manago
Are you a supplier within the food and drink sector? You should realize that your success could depend on how you market the products you sell to prospective or potential customers or consumers. You do not need to be a full-time and seasoned expert in marketing. Your core skills in product development and manufacturing would be particularly important and useful. You could begin looking outside or beyond your very own business or company to be able to effectively field market within the industry.
If you are not that confident about your own level of field marketing capability within the food and drink industry, you should not worry in any way. There are currently several field marketing agencies that are operating to offer and provide the specific type of service that you and your business requires. You could use such to optimize your own opportunity for success. Do you plan to take such a service? Here are the most important factors that you truly should take a closer look at especially when selecting a company that would deliver your success. Take note of each of the following.
Capability and experience in multiples, wholesale, impulse, and cash/carry sectors. This feature would surely enable you to take the opportunity to broaden the range of your own products” influence to the widest possible extent.
Track record in putting up or setting standards through becoming a results-driven group or organization. This could be in terms of sales turnover and market share growth. When doing so, do not miss to look very carefully at your business” current clients as well as their success stories.
Extent on how to utilize full-time sales specialists. Most agencies are using their part-time personnel for this purpose. In general, the service providers should intend to manage your company’’s brands to comply with agreed upon development strategies so that maximum exposure could be ensured. Thus, sales potentials of your food and drink products would be possibly achieved. This could require full-time attention and focus on the side of the service provider or agency.
The agency should use effective information systems, offline or online. This could ensure that your food and drink business would be kept up to accelerate on rate of sales, effectiveness of marketing/promotional tasks, stock controls, and latest market trends. Thus, this could be a core differentiation factor, especially with the rising availability of Internet systems and the emerging mobile technologies.
Typical services that you should expect from the field marketing service provider for your food and drink business are as follows: assurance that your food and drink goods are consistently stocked across all key stores; monitoring of sales rates, capacity, and shelf space for optimum stock levels; conversion of available warehouse inventories into shelf stocks; monitoring of stores that could carry out agreed upon or target sales promotional programs; presentation of new products and marketing initiatives throughout important regional decision makers; provision of target support for brand activities; and creation and implementation of sales tactics and opportunities for your food and drink brands.
About The Author
Beverly Manago is a freelance writer focused on the real estate industry. She is also a consultant for My Real Estate Virtual Tour, a web 2.0 marketing tool that lets real estate agents create stunning virtual tours and single property sites easily, with a free version available for listing presentations. She also contributes to the Marketing for Realtors section there.
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October 19th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Pat Carpenter
Sadly, far too many of us overlook the possibility of bringing Italian cooking into our very own kitchens for concern that many of the recipes are far too hard. The truth is that learning to prepare Italian cuisine just might make your home the much loved drop in dining spot for friends and family all over.
Interestingly, most great Italian recipes have an easier adaptation that can be prepared with very similar results when it comes to flavor and aroma. Additionally, in spite of the commercials of old, all Italian cooking does not necessitate an entire day of simmering in order to reach wonderful flavor. Though you don”t need to let your friends and family in on that small secret. Be a martyr for flavor and they will love you even more. You don”t have to let anyone in on your cooking tips and best-kept secrets when it comes to making these often effortless dishes.
The main challenge that most Americans face when it comes to Italian cooking is basically learning a new set of basic ingredients. The cheese, meats, or grains that are used in their creation most often identify or define Italian fare. It’’s the blend of these chief ingredients that create some of the most distinctive flavors on earth. Learn about these ingredients. Detect the flavors and scrutinize the combination of flavors and you will be able to not only follow many fine Italian recipes but also to invent a few of your very own Italian inspired recipes.
The best thing when it comes to preparing Italian food is that a good number of these dishes are rather hard to ruin. This of course does not indicate that it cannot be done, only that it isn”t as straightforward as with some of the more delicate cuisines around the world. Italian food is resilient and flavorful but for the most part not too terribly delicate when it comes to flavor. You can go a little heavy with some spice or cheese without completely ruining the dish in most cases. If you are anything like me, this is a common event when cooking and one of the reasons I love cooking Italian food so much.
Whether you are a novice when it comes to the gastronomic arts or a weathered pro there is something that will offer the appropriate test for you when it comes to Italian cuisine. Take a look around. There are recipes in great quantity across the Internet, at your local library, in specialty cook books, and even in your favorite block buster best selling novels.
Another thing or cooking tip you should keep in mind when creating Italian food is that nothing seems to bring out the flavor of Italian food better than a great bottle of wine to go with. Perhaps this is the reason that it is difficult to ruin an Italian meal, no matter how bad it is, the good wine paired with it, will wipe out all ill will and tastes in very short order. You will need to spend a little time researching and studying the skill (though some will claim that this is truly an art form) that goes along with pairing a fine bottle of wine with the right flavor combination when it comes to Italian cooking. Once you”ve mastered this, there is nothing to prevent you from being the diva of all things Italian when it comes to food preparation.
The most important thing for you to keep in mind when preparing Italian food is not to take the cooking too seriously. Good Italians know that the enjoyment of the meal is far more important than the method of creating the meal. Make your meal an event with lots of time for pleasing conversation and enjoyment of your company in between courses. You must also never hurry a good Italian meal or you will find that all your labors cooking Italian will be for nothing as the true joy of Italian cuisine has been lost somewhere in translation.
About The Author
CookingInSeason.com is a quality resource for cooking tips and recipe ideas for cooking with the best of what is in season. Discover more about cooking tips at http://www.CookingInSeason.com
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October 13th, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Jeff D McQueen
Who doesn”t love fudge? Everybody loves it. It’’s a kind of comfort food and it’’s not really hard to prepare. There are different kinds of fudge that you can try and experiment making. If you don”t already know of a great fudge recipe, you might like to try the net and search it for the really good ones. For sure, there will be lots of them all over the net.
When you”re searching online, do check out lots of sites before deciding on the recipe that you”re going to be making. Or if you don”t really like to go online, then try and ask your family or friends if they know of any really good fudge recipes
Before preparing fudge for a party, you might like to test out several different kinds of recipes before deciding on which one to serve at your party. You could also make different kinds of fudge then decide so that you”d be able to compare the flavors.
Lots of people want nuts inside their fudge but others don”t so take this into consideration also when making fudge for parties. Don”t be afraid to prepare lots of batches of fudge because for sure you”ll always find lots of people willing to eat them up.
So do go out and experiment with different kinds of fudge as well as experimenting different variations of the basic choco fudge. Be creative and don”t limit yourself. Below I”d like to share 1 of the very best recipes I have in my files for great fudge.
Ingredients
675g Caster Sugar
500ml Double Cream
50g Butter
1 Handful of White Chocolate
1 tsp of Glucose (This IS NOT essential but does add a more complex structure and texture to the fudge! If you can get it…GET IT!)
1 Vanilla Pod - also optional but gives the fudge a beautiful smell and wonderful speckled appearance from the Vanilla seeds!
Put all ingredients except the White Chocolate into a heavy saucepan! For the Vanilla pod, lay it flat on chopping board, and run a sharp knife down the center of the pod, split the pod in two and scrape out the hundreds of moist dense seeds from each half, add to the mixture!
Grease and Line a baking tin ready to pour fudge in once cooled!). Place saucepan on a VERY VERY low heat for the beginning stage! (You need to dissolve all the sugar crystals before it comes to the boil! Look for a smooth liquid texture without any Graininess at all!)
Once sugar is dissolved, and you get beautiful buttery, creamy golden sugar syrup, Increase the heat until it comes to Rapid Boil! (Don”t be afraid! but DONT you DARE take your eyes and attention of it NOW! Keep stirring constantly or that cream will burn at the bottom of your pan and ruin your beautiful Fudge!
Continue to boil and stir for 15-18 minutes!
Now many of you will NOT know what a ”Soft Ball stage” is, so we are going to call this the ”Beautiful Golden Thick Honey Stage! It will be approximately between 112 -115degreesC, the ”Soft Ball stage” if you”ve followed my advice, just check if it’’s all reduced, A Deep Golden color, Thick yet smooth like Set Honey.
Remove Fudge from heat once you feel you got the Beautiful Golden Thick Honey Syrup and put to one side! Have a rest..You”ve earned it!
You”ll need a Cake/Pastry Mixer or you could do this by hand with whisk and bowl! Pour fudge into mixer or bowl and begin to beat! (People forget this! Usually they just simply pour the fudge into tray and cool once cooked! This is WRONG! You need to cool the fudge slowly all the while beating it to give it that wonderful Smooth yet Crystalline texture!)
Cooling/Beating should take at least 10-15 min, all the while you”ll see your fudge come into life as it begins to cool! About 5 minutes into the Cooling process, add the handful of White Chocolate while the fudge is hot enough to incorporate but not TOO hot to burn the Chocolate! (White Chocolate is very delicate and subtle!).
Now it should be getting quite cool by now before it starts completely setting, spoon/spatula the fudge mixture into your pre grease proofed tin and smooth out so the mix lies flat (or you could try and experiment with bread tins etc for different shapes.
Relax! Sit back and enjoy! Leave to cool out of the sunlight for at least 4-6 hours, (its best 36hrs after and lasts in perfection for 5-7 days after making!) Enjoy your fudge
About The Author
Jeff is a food fanatic! You can check out his very popular Fudge Recipes
website where he shares some of his Fudge Brownie Recipes and
Fudge Cake Recipes
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