Grandma's Peanut Butter Fudge (Fo' Real, yo!)

So, today I had a major craving for peanut butter fudge... It could be because I'm homesick, or overworked, or missing my grandma... Or it could just be that I've had a craving for it ever since I sent Jessie the text with the "directions" in it... Either way, I needed a break from my school work today and decided to whip some up...

BTW, Jessie, for someone who doesn't like to do excess dishes, you sure made it complicated! Made properly, it is a one pot-one plate experience, with a few additional tools necessary for making the candy.

Directions will be given by picture, so pay attention :) No measurements were taken. This very much depends on proportions and current weather (humidity), etc...

Add sugar and cocoa powder to the pot and whisk to combine.

The sugar-cocoa mixture should look like this (I had to add more sugar to get to this stage)

Add just enough milk to moisten the sugar. I started with about a 1/4 c. and ended up using about a 1/3 c. (just eye-balling it)

Turn the heat to med-low and switch to a wooden spoon... As Jessie said - "Just keep stirring..."

Just starting to bubble a bit...

Getting nice and bubbly...

Really cooking now!

 It was at this stage that I tested the "done-ness" of the candy. I don't have a candy thermometer, so I tested it with cold water. (I didn't get a picture of this because it moves pretty fast). Pour some really cold water in a glass dish (mom used a small drinking glass, I use glass prep bowls). Drizzle some of the candy into the cold water. Stick your fingers in and manipulate the candy ball. It should form a nice ball, but still be pliable (soft-ball stage). If you cook it past this point, the fudge will be too tough to eat... Mine was in the perfect soft-ball stage, so I removed the pot from the heat. This is when you add the vanilla (it maximizes the vanilla flavor).

I also added a couple of heaping tablespoons of peanut butter to the pot and beat it with the wooden spoon to thoroughly incorporate the peanut butter (you can use smooth or chunky, your choice)... WARNING: It sets up REALLY fast so you better be prepared to dump it onto the greased plate as soon as it comes together... otherwise it will start cooling in the pot and it will take forever to get it out again...

Aaron took a picture while I was stirring... I know, not a very good one...

After it's been mixed... It should be the consistency of thick frosting...

Glob it onto a (greased) plate and press flat... Cut into squares while still warm to prevent breaking...

Let it cool and eat your fill!

My mom used to make this anytime one of us kids got sick. We'd take the (nasty) medicine she'd give us and then follow it up with a piece of peanut butter fudge... It made getting sick not so bad!

My grandmother is no longer alive, but anytime I visit my Auntie, she makes me peanut butter fudge. I'm usually not a great candy maker and the last few efforts of making peanut butter fudge were disastrous! My sugar constantly crystallized... it made for very gritty peanut butter fudge. But, it must be sufficiently humid out today because I had no problems with this batch... Yummy!

Grandma Charlotte's Fudge

Chocolate. Is there any word in the English Language (apart from beer, which incidentally goes fantastic with Chocolate) that cultivates such heartfelt love? I'm happily married to a wonderful guy I love, but I gotta tell you chocolate stirs a passionate feeling so deep it might just trump my nuptials. 

That being said, yesterday I was craving chocolate and was sorely lacking in supply. Of course my first contact was to Jen to help me out. She pulled through. Sort of... See her solution was to whip up some Grandma Charlotte (her's, not mine) Fudge. Now I'm not exactly a fudge making pro. Just to make it a big more interesting, she sends me the directions via a series of Text Messages! 

Here's what I got: 

 

Helpful right? 

So here's the translated ingredient list: 

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 3/4 tbsp cocoa

1 tsp vanilla extract (this was my addition because I LOVE it)

1/4 plus 1 tbsp milk 

1 cup peanut butter

The Cast

These ingredients probably need tweeked a little. The taste is amazing but it's a little crumbly to work with and Jeff likes gooey fudge. 

Here goes nothin'!

My favorite cook wear is All Clad. I love it. Can't explain it, just do. 

Sift the sugar and cocoa together into about a 6 inch pot. You can use smaller if you like but the more room it has to spread out (without being too thin) the better it will kind of carmelize. Add milk and stir well.  

Cold, Wet, and Sweet - There's got to be a joke there.

Add vanilla. 

I call this "Honeymoon Vanilla".
We bought it at a market somewhere in Mexico.

 Turn the heat on to a medium low. Let the mixture kind of warm up and start to get glossy. Keep on stirring. Think Nemo... 

Concoction Starting to Glaze

At this point, risk of burning is pretty low. So while it heats I recommend finding a dish and lining it with plastic wrap. I know, I know. Deviation from Grandma. But I hate dishes.  Grandma would still be proud. 

Wrap it Up.... 

 Here is about half way done. You can see some of the grainy-ness of the sugar on the spatula. Keep on stirring... 

At about 3/4 of the way through you'll be able to swipe the pan and the mix will hold consistency for a few seconds. 

Swoosh!

 Tilt the pot. If it still looks grainy and lump, keep on stirring. I played with my heat a bit here. Up a little to get the sugar to melt more. Not too high though, it's easy to burn. Burning sugar tastes like dirt... Well, sort of. First it tastes like caramel, then like dirt really quickly. Someone should talk to sugar... 

Grainy like a 90's camera phone.  

When it really starts to come together (this is about 8 minutes in) you'll get a little separation of cocoa and milk fat from the carmely sugary sauce. Keep stirring. I stopped for a second to show this but ideally you keep it all combined. 

I see swirls. 

 You're shooting for around 200 - 225* F. Keeping it there on a medium heat melts the sugar crystals without burning anything. I found this awesome candy thermometer at an estate sale for $1. If you don't have one, no worries. 

Between 200 and 225 it gets this nice black glossy look. You can read your fortune, or maybe just keep stirring and make fudge. Your call. 

Shiny! Squirrel! 

I turned off the heat and removed the pot from the burner just to cool a touch. It was really just because I needed 2 hands to prep my KitchenAid Mixer and Mom didn't have quite enough radiation to produce that third arm. 

Glass bowl, whisk attachment. 

I would show here putting in the peanut butter but again, no third arm. So here are a series of shots of the mixer combining everything. Put in the peanut butter first, start the mixer, than pour in the sugar/cocoa mix. 

PB in the center, whipping out. 

Whip it, whip it good now. 

It fully incorporates and looks like Oreo Crumbs. At least mine did.

Me Want Cookie!

 Dump contents of mixer bowl into the lined dish. 

Fold over plastic wrap. 

I used a smaller bread pan to smash everything down tight and into the lined pan. You could use fingers if you want. This was quick and easy. 

Flipped the now-fudge out onto the marble counters, keep the plastic wrap on. 

Practice Safe Rolling. Prevent dirty counters. 

 Using a rolling pin, I smashed it out a little thinner. 

Purely Illustration. 

About as thick as a pen. 

 Get ready for my favorite part! I brewed up a cup of Brooklyn coffee and enjoy! 

Three of my favorite things! 

So here's to you Grandma Charlotte. And a big thank you to Jen for making my morning a little better! 

Recipes while traveling (or how to make wallpaper paste)

So, Jessie is on part two of her "adventure" (or, is it part 3?). She is on a ferry in the middle of the ocean and we have had communications via text all day. But, that does not diminish her superpowers of coming up with appropriate ideas for what is for dinner. So, I thought I would share our conversation this afternoon (while I was at work transcribing minutes from the last board meeting and she was around Ketchikan and had a cell signal).

Jen: Got any good recipes for potatoes? I have a shit ton and I'm best at mashed. (read: I don't feel like making mashed potatoes tonight)

Jessie: I bought that cookbook at your recommendation. It has a bunch of good potato recipes.

The fiddlehead one. (please ignore the lack of proper grammar... it's a text message... like yours are always grammatically correct?)

Yeah. You said it was good so I bought it. :)

The millet bread recipe is awesome. We call it bird seed bread and it was out (should be our) favorite when the restaurant was open. (I secretly hope that Jessie perfects this recipe as she is awesome at bread and I suck at it... OK, now that it has been published for all to see, not so secretly)

So... from here, we have a few non-food related text messages that pertain to my opinions on the best way to get rid of a bruise (lavender oil... seriously) and a funny blog she introduced me to (barefoot foodie - hilarious!)... I won't bore you with this discussion, but I will bore you with more of our food related conversation...

How about twice baked potato? They freeze and reheat well

I have about every potato imaginable except for russet. My Yukon golds don't bake well.

Chowder?

What kind? Can I do a chicken chowder? (I have to make this clarification because Jessie has an affinity for the various kinds of seafood chowder at a local restaurant here in Juneau and I do not... I prefer land-based animals in my bowl, thank-you-very-much)

Yeah. Or corn

I've tried making corn chowder and I don't care for it. (I'm starting to sound like a whiny little bitch about now, aren't I?)

Chicken would be ok

Have I bored you yet? Yeah, it was a really intense conversation about potatoes and chowder options... I know... But the recipe for wallpaper paste is included in these messages, I swear... There's a bunch more that extol how much work sucks and food is better, etc, etc... On to the recipe!

Purple potatoes broasted (I'm assuming that this is supposed to be "roasted") with cauliflower and pureed with cream is delightful. (See, I told you!)

Yum!

Get an already cooked chicken and pull some to eat with the puree and you're set.

Is it like a soup? Or more like mashed 'tatos?

Kind of like grits.

Sounds easy and tasty.

It really is. Some salt and pepper and you're good. Could even throw some leftover Alfredo in (we made homemade Alfredo sauce for New Year's Eve)

What temp for roasting veggies?

375

K. I might make that tonight and make the soup tomorrow (one of the omitted conversations from above was about soup... my specialty)

Toss in some olive oil and maybe one of the seasonings I gave you. Then roast. Will give everything a nice flavor!

So, there you have it... We are so bad ass at recipes that we don't need more information than that... What? You do? OK... Here is more info:

Roughly chop up 1 head of cauliflower

Peel several potatoes (I used 3 med. sized yukon golds and 3 med. sized purple potatoes... feel free to use whatever you want) and chop into chunks... it's not too precise, but roughly the same size.

Put the chopped veggies into a cake pan or roasting pan. Drizzle the veggies with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with the seasonings of your choice.... salt, pepper, etc... whatever you like. Toss to coat.

Roast at 375 F until the cauliflower is golden brown and the potatoes are soft (pierce with a knife)... My oven took about an hour or so.

Here's where I took my liberties (and it probably resulted in why it turned out like wallpaper paste). After roasting, I mashed the veggies with a potato masher (so much for not making mashed potatoes), added about a cup of cream, a squeeze of crushed garlic from a tube (you could probably add some garlic cloves to the roasting pan, but I didn't think of this until after my veggies were roasted). I took my stick blender to puree it, because I don't own a food processor. I needed to add some more regular milk to it to loosen it up a bit. After tasting, it needed a lot of salt and pepper, but it was still pretty darn tasty. To save me some time and grief, I bought a rotisserie chicken from the store. The chicken and wallpaper paste combined was awesome! 

This is why I think that Jessie has awesome superpowers when it comes to food and recipes... She can be super stressed out, in the middle of "nowhere" with limited resources and electronic services, and she can knock it out of the park! I had absolutely no idea what I was going to have for dinner tonight and lucked out that she was available to give me some pointers... I probably would have ended up eating a bowl of Captain Crunch (not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, unless my mom is reading this...)

Completely satisfied in Juneau...

Jen