Fudges
THE name fudge is applied to a large group of candies made of sugar boiled with water, milk, or cream, to about 238 degrees F., and stirred or worked with a paddle until candy becomes firm. If stirred while still hot, the resulting candy is coarse and granular. To prevent this, the syrup should be cooled in the saucepan in which it is cooked, or poured out upon a marble slab, platter, or agate tray that has been slightly moistened with a piece of damp cheesecloth. It should not be disturbed until cold. It should then be stirred with a wooden spoon, or worked with a spatula, pushing the spatula forward and lifting up the mass, turning it over and bringing it back, until the whole begins to get stiff. At this stage, turn into a pan, or, better still, leave the candy between bars on the marble slab, regulating the size of the open space according to the amount of candy and the thickness desired. If the fudge is worked so long that it is too stiff to go smoothly into a pan, return it to a saucepan, and warm slightly over hot water, stirring constantly, until it can be easily poured out. Fudge should be three fourths inch thick, and cut into inch squares. Fudge made with brown sugar is often called penuche. When made with maple sugar or syrup it is called maple fudge or maple cream. Divinity fudge is made by pouring syrup, boiled to 238 degrees F., upon beaten egg whites.
Water, milk, condensed milk diluted with an equal amount of water, thin cream, heavy cream, and sour cream, can all be used for making fudge. With water or skim milk it is desirable to use butter, but this may be omitted when cream is used. With sour cream a few grains of baking soda may be found necessary. Corn syrup increases the smoothness of the candy. All kinds of nuts, fruits, color pastes, and flavors, as well as the different kinds of sugar, make it possible to produce many varieties of fudge. Opera Fudge is particularly delicious.