Chocolate Fudge

Wow! Today when I opened my blog, the stats showed it had crossed 1000+ in viewership. A more detailed analysis showed that in the last 14 days (I started this blog on September 2nd, but installed the stat counter on 4th), it has been viewed 1000+ times, by exactly 396 different visitors, and from 10 different countries (including India). I'm overwhelmed and overjoyed...never expected this for something I started as a creative outlet, something I get to do only when my lil' man is sleeping! Thank you all so much for visiting, reading, commenting, emailing me, browsing around-even those who are shy/hesitant/too busy to comment or don't comment for whatever reason :-). And a special thanks to those who've subscribed-I'll make sure it's worth your time!

So let's have a sweet dish featured on this post, in keeping with the occasion, shall we?

This is a chocolate fudge recipe that I found in a book given to me by mom, a book called "The Ladies Club of Cannanore Exotic Recipes". This book's pages are now yellowing and tattered, there's no publication date on it, and it seems to be recipes contributed by the club's members-and I reckon it must have been published prior to 1982, because of the 4-digit phone numbers printed in it. This recipe was contributed by a Vanaja Lakshmanan. It's very easy to make and I often make it when I have a chocolate craving and there are no chocolates in the pantry!

The only trick is to know when to remove it from the fire after reaching the correct consistency. I've never been to a cooking or baking class, and have only learnt from my mom/grandmother/aunties /cousins and friends, so when this recipe says "one-thread" consistency, I've been told it means to dip a spoon into the boiling mixture, take it out, and when the sugar drips down like a single thread, then it has reached the correct point. If you boil it beyond this point, the sugar somehow re-crystallizes and the fudge doesn't turn out to be smooth. Also, this recipe produces a very small quantity, so you might want to double it!

    Ingredients:

1. 3/4th cup Sugar
2. 3 tablespoons Cocoa
3. 5 tablespoons Milk powder
4. 2 tablespoons Butter
5. 1/4th teaspoon Vanilla essence
6. 2 tablespoons Water

• Mix the sugar and water and melt it over a very slow fire.
• When the sugar dissolves, let it bubble rapidly until it forms a one-thread consistency.
• Immediately remove from fire and add the butter and vanilla essence.
• Then add the cocoa and the milk powder and combine well.
• Spread onto a buttered plate/tin.
• Cut into squares when slightly warm.

      Indulge!

TIPS: You could also add chopped nuts and raisins if you like.
You'll get a smoother fudge if you use castor sugar or powdered sugar.