Victoria Fudge

A straightforward cream fudge carrying candied fruit and coconut, in the manner of Victorian-style holiday sweetmeats. Everything depends on reading the soft-ball stage accurately.

• Soft ball, in numbersSoft ball is 234-240F on a candy thermometer; aim for 236F for a fudge that sets firm but cuts cleanly. The cold-water test in the original works, but a thermometer removes the guesswork on a humid day.
• Do not stir once it boilsStirring a boiling sugar syrup seeds large crystals and gives grainy fudge. If crystals form on the sides of the pan, wipe them down with a wet pastry brush rather than scraping them back in.
• When to beat"Take from fire, beat until creamy" works best if the pan first cools undisturbed to about 110F. Beating a very hot syrup produces coarse grain; beating a cooled one gives the fine, opaque texture the recipe is after.
• CocoanutThis means shredded or desiccated coconut, unsweetened by preference since the syrup supplies plenty of sugar. A cup of the modern sweetened flake will make the finished fudge noticeably cloying.
• FlavoringRose water or rose extract was a common candy flavoring of the period and is still sold; almond extract is the easier substitute. Use about 1/2 teaspoon of extract, or up to 1 tablespoon of rose water, added with the fruit.
• The fruitChop the cherries, figs and pineapple small and toss them in a little of the sugar before adding, so they scatter rather than clump. Fold them in at the very end of beating, when the mass is already thick, or they will sink.
• Pan and cuttingAn 8-inch square pan, buttered, gives strips about 3/4 inch thick. Cut while the fudge is still slightly warm, as the original directs; fully cold fruit fudge crumbles at the edges under the knife.
• YieldThree cups of sugar plus the fruit gives somewhere in the region of 2 lb of candy, depending on how far the syrup is reduced; enough for a few dozen small strips.