Russian Fudge

I had originally planned to write all about the history and origins of fudge, but after a bit of research, I've found that there are very few agreed-upon facts, and many un-interesting theories.
One naming-theory I read, though, seemed feasible and mildly amusing. On Valentine's Day (February 14) in 1886, someone made a ''bungled" (fudged) batch of caramels, which resulted in what we now know as fudge.

Fudge is quite bad for you. It's basically just different forms of melted sugar and fat, boiled, then hardened. Let's see, there's the three and a half cups of pure caster sugar; golden syrup which is water and sugar' sweetened condensed milk, which is sugar, fat, and some milk; and butter.

When cooked right, however, all that knowledge won't register as the heavenly treat melts in your mouth. It's one of those foods that you could easily eat until you feel sick, and then eat some more. Trawling through the Internet, I've seen numerous forums complaining about how difficult fudge-making is- but from my first attempt, I have always found it very easy. Literally, I just out it all in a pot, heat it, and boil it for 30-40 minutes. It hasn't failed yet.

My friends and I did a fudge stall for our Business Studies practical, and we sold out. Needless to say, a lot of people are thankful to whoever fudged up their caramels 122 years ago.

Here is the recipe I use when making my delectable Russian fudge. It's based on the Chelsea Sugar recipe which you can find on their website. I do hope you give it a try, you won't regret it!

What ya' need:
125g butter (a quarter of a standard block), but I've used marg. before, and it didn't make much of a difference.
3 tbs golden syrup.
1/2 cup milk.
3 1/2 white sugar (yet I've used raw sugar, and it didn't ruin the batch).
1/2 tsp salt.
Half a regular-sized can of sweetened condensed milk (200g)
2 tsp vanilla essence

Grease a 20-25cm tin or baking dish then line with baking paper. Ready your electrical beater so you can access it quickly (plug it in, but don't switch it on).
Place everything in a large, heavy-based pot, except the essence. Make sure the handle of the saucepan is heat-proof and strongly attached to the pot. Mix all the ingredients over a gentle heat, until the mixture is a smooth consistency and the sugar has dissolved.
Then, stir the mixture with a wooden spoon over the heat until it begins to boil (you may need to increase the heat), and keep it at this stage for about 45 minutes, constantly stirring.
After that time has passed, you will see it is really thick, and has reached what people call "soft-ball" stage. This means that you could form shapes with the mixture and it would hold, but please don't, because it will be about 120'C.
Personally, I have never seen it go this thick, but as long as it is harder to stir and denser than liquid, you should be fine. Remember: the longer you cook it, the quicker it sets.
To me, the perfect fudge is one that goes hard almost immediately.
Once you are at this stage, take the pot off the heat, and add the vanilla. Beat with the electrical beater at high speed until your mixture has lost it's gloss and becomes thicker. It should smell delicious and look like liquid gold- but, no matter how tempting, don't dip your fingers in, because it's practically molten.
Be careful not to beat it for too long, because it will begin to set- always keep that in mind.
Pour it straight into the dish, and scrape as much from the pot as you can (you can use a spatula, but that's another utensil to wash).
"Scour" the fudge after you have poured it in; run a knife through it so it will break into pieces easily.
Leave to cool, then enjoy. It will make about 35 decent-sized pieces.

This makes a great, cheap gift, and everyone will love it.