Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable (61 page)

Yield:

About 28 candies

Storage:

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Vanilla Opera Creams

Fondant centers dipped in tempered chocolate are called
opera creams
or
chocolate creams
. The names
opera creams
and
opera fudge
began appearing in cookbooks in the 1920s, although the origin of the names is unknown. Opera creams became particularly popular in Cincinnati, Ohio, and they are a specialty of the city to this day.

1.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

2.
On a clean surface, knead the fondant until it is soft and pliable. Knead in the vanilla extract.

3.
Shape the fondant into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Let candy firm up overnight.

4.
Melt and
temper the chocolate
, or simply melt the coating chocolate. Dip the fondant centers into the tempered chocolate. Place back on the baking sheet to firm up.

Yield:

About 28 candies

Storage:

Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

General Description:

This rich, sweet candy is one of the best-known and beloved candies in America
. Fudge is a smooth, creamy, semisoft candy made by cooking sugar and dairy products together. The mixture is beaten as it cools, which gives the finished candy its characteristic smoothness. The most common flavoring for
fudge is chocolate; in fact, “fudge flavor” has become synonymous with chocolate flavor, but fudge can be flavored with many ingredients. Other common flavors include peanut butter, maple, butterscotch, and white chocolate.

History:

By most accounts the first fudge was created by accident in America, as a botched batch of caramels. Historians trace the name
fudge
to the late 1880s, when students at several New England women’s colleges, including Wellesley, Vassar, and Smith, began making the candy in their dorms and selling it. The word
fudge
, which originally meant “to make dishonestly or carelessly,” had by that time gained a new use as a mild exclamation (“Oh, fudge!”), and the students may have applied this word to their creation, paying tribute to the inadvertent origins of the candy.

Serving Suggestions:

The number and variety of fudge recipes found in cookbooks are astonishing. Several of the most popular variations are provided here.

Candy-Making Notes:

Good fudge depends on precise measurements and timing. A smooth, fudgy texture comes from the formation of small sugar crystals in the mixture after it cools to 110°F. If you do not cook the mixture to the right temperature or stir it too soon after cooking, too many large crystals will form too quickly, which leads to a grainy texture. The fear of bad fudge has
led to the creation of many
no-fail fudge
recipes; these substitute ingredients such as evaporated milk or Marshmallow Fluff for the creamy texture of true fudge. However, the memorable quality of classic fudge makes mastering the recipe worthwhile.

Recipe:

Classic Chocolate Fudge

1.
Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and coat it with nonstick cooking spray.

2.
Combine chocolate, sugar, milk, cream, corn syrup, and salt in a saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat with a wooden spoon until the chocolate melts and the mixture begins to boil.

3.
Continue cooking without stirring until it reaches 236°F, soft ball stage.