Fudge

So, Monday was Fudge night. We were allowed to use the kitchen of a cafe close by where we work because the boyfriend of one of our colleagues runs the place. We definitely needed some bigger then usual workspaces, pots and pans and they provided it for us. Thanks Hans! Yes, Hans again, but another Hans.

The recipe looks quite simple, but it definitely took me a few batches trying out at home before I got it down completely and before I was able to make the recipe in different flavors. Just two degrees can make a huge difference when working with sugar in the kind of end product you get. To get the fudge to set properly or have it still a bit liquid. It's also a matter of moist, water. It also can't be too dry because then you get something different as well and although that end product could turn out very tasty indeed, it's not what we're aiming for. After several try outs at home, bags of sugar, heavy cream and butter and a sugar thermometer, a dinner of 1.5 bananas, we were ready and went to the cafe 'Onze vrienden' right after we finished work.

We were able to turn the disgusting looking mixture of heavy cream, butter, sugar, sugar, sugar, a bit of salt and chocolate and vanilla into the best badge of fudge I've ever made.

Here you can see the velvety, meltingly hot, lava like liquid it turned into. You should almost be able to imagine the smell of the caramel wafting through the kitchen. Elian is multitasking, and handling the stirring of two batches of fudge at once, while I shoot the picture. On the left is the vanilla fudge, on the right is the chocolate fudge. As you can see, warm fudge is much intenser of color than fudge that has cooled down.

The few hours we spend in the kitchen also made very clear that Elian's knee isn't holding up very well. The pain got worse and she was almost unable to stay standing. On Tuesday it got worse and she called the hospital to find out if there was something wrong or if she was supposed to be doing something about it. Apparently, it was because the anaesthesia had worn off that was in the stuff they directly injected into her knee. Her physiotherapist told her it should get better in a few days. If it wasn't on Friday, she's supposed to call back. On Wednesday it was still the same, so we're hoping it's been at it's worse and her knee will start to feel better from now on. 

On Tuesday night, I cut the fudge and put it into bags. 

Unfortunately the coffee fudge hadn't set properly. In hindsight we know what caused it, but by then it was too late to do something about it. We have now two perfect badges of fudge sitting at the office, waiting to be sold. The first one was sold already!