Nigella Lawson | Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud

Sing it loud and proud to the tune of Tina Turner‘s “What’s Love Got To Do With It“.

Probably nothing, if you must know, but when we were in Sacramento a couple weeks ago, we stopped for a brief tourist-y couple of hours in Old Sacramento where we purchased fudge from a candy store, and it wasn’t very good.

You know how when your mouth is watering and you’re anticipating the feel and texture of good fudge doing its slow and sultry dissolve, filling your senses with the magnificence of rich flavorful chocolate??….Well, it didn’t happen, so I knew it was time for me to make a batch.

I’ve been making fudge since I was about six years old — always with my mom and her tried and true recipe, which is Hershey’s tried and true recipe.

All fudge is judged by that recipe and that taste.

There is NONE better.

In fact, I would double dog dare you to a “fudge-off” and surpass the delicious fudge creaminess of this fudge. I know a lot of recipes call for corn syrup but this one does not and I think it’s better.

Join me on my fudge-y journey while I channel my inner Nigella Lawson.

Starting out… Don’t let it bubble over!!!

When the candy thermometer hits 234 degrees, that’s the time to take it off the heat. Add butter and vanilla. Let it cool down to 110 degrees. Don’t stir too soon!!!

When it reaches 110 degrees, beat it until it starts to lose its glossy color. It takes about 15 or 20 minutes, so you’ll get a work out.

Pour into 9×9 pan. Wait for it to set up firm and lovely and oh so creamy.

Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Don’t you wish you were here??
“What’s FUDGE but a sweet old fashioned notion?”

Hershey‘s Fudge
This is the recipe. Follow it EXACTLY. It’s perfect just the way it is.

3 cups sugar
2/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa or HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups milk (I used nonfat ‘cos that’s what we have on hand.)
1/4 cup(1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line 8-or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter foil.

2. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in heavy 4-quart saucepan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full rolling boil. Boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches 234°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water, forms a soft ball which flattens when removed from water. (Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of saucepan.)

3. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. DO NOT STIR. Cool at room temperature to 110°F (lukewarm). Beat with wooden spoon until fudge thickens and just begins to lose some of its gloss. Quickly spread in prepared pan; cool completely. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature. About 36 pieces or 1-3/4 pounds.

NOTE: For best results, do not double this recipe. This is one of our most requested recipes, but also one of our most difficult. The directions must be followed exactly. Beat too little and the fudge is too soft. Beat too long and it becomes hard and sugary.

A Fudgy Disaster (lseckerle.wordpress.com)
Gluten Free Fudge Truffles (glutenfabulous.org)
Recipe: A Forest of Fudge (handmadecharlotte.com)
Peanut Butter Fudge (lemonskitchen.wordpress.com)
Oh, Fudge! (lovethosehandsathome.wordpress.com)
Favorite Fudge (ndcookbookproject.wordpress.com)

My version topped with a lush garden strawberry

A while back I read Our Growing Paynes post about Lemon Meringue Cupcakes. (Click here for their recipe.)

I love anything lemony and it looked so amazing and mouth-watering that I had to try it.

There’s a tangy sweet burst of lemon curd and fluffy meringue in every bite.

It brings out the Nigella Lawson in me to try and conjure up sensual adjectives to describe how they taste.

My son said it was the best thing I’ve ever made, and ranked it right up there with the Chocolate Babka I made a while back.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Lemon curd, cupcakes, and toasty meringue…how could it be anything but spectacular?

I made the Lemon Curd the day before.. the old school way with my mom’s vintage double boiler. There’s an easier microwave version that has great reviews; try that one if you’re short on time. This is the recipe I used:

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Whisk eggs, sugar, and lemon juice in a double boiler over simmering water until mixed well, then continue to stir until thick, 7 to 10 minutes.

Drain through a mesh sieve to get rid of lumps. Fold in butter until well incorporated. Mix in lemon zest. Cover curd and chill in the refrigerator until it’s thickened, about four hours. Very important to sieve it, don’t skip this step.

The finished product. So smooth. Like lemon velvet.

The vanilla cupcakes ready and waiting for embellishment and a little sparkle.

The meringue.

It’s fun to core out a bit of the cupcake ‘cos you can eat the middle and pretend it doesn’t have any calories. I used a tomato stem end corer —
a weird but very useful tool. Works great for strawberries, too.

Fill holes with lemon curd and spoon meringue on top in fluffy clouds of goodness.
Place in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes. Don’t go too far away because it takes just a second to go from beautifully toasty brown to burnt.