The Pre-Christmas Fudge-off

The Nigella was making Christmas food gifts before Christmas, and her recipe for fudge got me thinking about my childhood and how we used to make edible gifts for people. I remember making peppermint creams for my nan, a lifetime smoker and big fan of mints, coconut ice and chocolate florentines. The thought of making fudge again seemed to appeal to my nesting instinct. I’d recently been given a very dated recipe book by the lady who runs the local antique/junk shop- she’s obviously decided from my rapidly expanding girth that I am into eating in a big way- and was curious to see how the ‘Express’ method really compared to the tried-and-tested method. As luck would have it, a friend had given me a sugar thermometer the previous Christmas that had yet to emerge from its packet.

Nigella Express Fudge follow link for method
Ingredients
350g/12oz dark chocolate, at least 70 per cent cocoa solids, chopped
1 x 397g/14oz can condensed milk
30g/1oz butter
pinch salt
150g/5¼oz unsalted pistachios, shells removed

This is an easy peasy recipe to follow, although I wouldn’t say that the first attempt was perfect-it split and I had to drain off excess liquid. It being Christmas, I also tinkered with the recipe a little, substituting the pistachios for the zest of an orange, a good teaspoon of mixed spice and a couple of cloves and cardamom, which I picked out before I let it set. And I dusted each piece with cocoa to keep them separate in the gift bag. It was very well received by my army of testers, all of whom loved the incredibly smooth dense texture, and I loved the Christmassy smell of the warmed chocolate and spices.

The Good Old-Fashioned Fudge
Ingredients
4 tbsp water
115g/4oz butter
550g/1 1/4lb caster sugar
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
1 can condensed milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
1. Butter an 18cm/7in square tin.
2. Pour the water into a heavy-based saucepan, add the butter, sugar and syrup and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Add the condensed milk, bring to the boil and cook, stirring continuously, for about ten minutes reaches a temperature of 118C/240F on a sugar thermometer. Alternatively take the pan from the heat and test by dropping a teaspoon of the mixture into a bowl of cold water. If it does not form a soft ball when taken out, continue to heat for as little longer and retest.
4. Once fudge is ready, remove from the heat and stand until bubbles subside Stir in vanilla and beat until thck and creamy.
5. Pour into tin and leave to set. Then cut into squares and enjoy!

This one was altogether more labour-intensive, but I got way more satisfaction from making it for some reason. I also tinkered with this recipe, in the interest of fair-play, and stirred in a good handful of crushed Macadamia nuts (just bung in a freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin, great post-festive-shopping therapy), then sprinkled the setting mixture with white chocolate chips. They stay whole provided you don’t mix them in. The nuts gave a good bite to the fudge, which was creamy and slightly grainy- exactly the kind of fudge that I adore. The pieces were heavy and crumbly and I really couldn’t get enough of it- so the junk-shop-lady wasn’t too far off the mark.

I think overall that I preferred the Good Old-Fashioned to the Nigella [[sharp intake of breath from those that know how I worship the voluptuous Goddess]]- I thoroughly enjoyed the patient stirring, the attentiveness, and the lush sugarry final result. The Nigella just lacked the satisfaction in the making, though if you like your fudge creamy and chocolatey (and if you are in a mad rush), it’s the one for you. So, for the first time ever in my world at least, Nigella loses. Yikes.