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Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Weeks 5, 6, & 7: Catching Up
I don't know how regular bloggers do it. Especially those with young children. The fudge has continued, but the blog is trailing behind.
Week 5: Chocolate Orange. Very tasty. Made the original recipe and added 1tsp of orange extract. I personally think it would be better a little stronger, maybe 1 1/2 tsp. My husband liked it the way it was. One "reviewer" could taste the citrus, but couldn't tell what it was. So, it had a hint of orange, but not a strong flavor.
Week 6: Chocolate taffy. No, that's not the flavor - it really was chocolate taffy. My first flop since beginning this. I did a couple things different, which means I don't know what caused the problem. Yes, I should know better. It wasn't entirely my fault, however, as you'll see.
First, I was attempting to make a slightly spicy chocolate, using some raw chocolate truffles as the cocoa base. The truffles were unlike any I've had before. Hence the "raw" part of their name, perhaps. They had no butter or cream or anything; just chocolate and spices. While I like a bit of spicy-ness in my chocolate sometimes these were just way too spicy for my taste. I thought that if I made them into fudge it would down down the chili pepper just enough.
Second, I put the butter in at the beginning of the recipe. I was wondering why the butter had to be added at the end, and I have seen some recipes that put it at the beginning, so I decided to try it.
Third, I really, really think it didn't get beaten enough. I made this batch on a day when it was just me and the babe home. He woke from his nap at a rather critical point, and wasn't very agreeable when I informed him that I really had to beat the fudge before I poured it. Ultimately he's the boss at times like that, so I poured it and hoped for the best.
Sadly, it really wasn't (the best, that is). It wasn't nearly chocolatey enough. It was mostly just sweet & spicy. The heat factor was actually just about where I like it, but it really needed more chocolate. Mainly though, it didn't set. It was sticky and chewy, and after a day or two, quite grainy. Oh well.
Week 7: White Chocolate Swirl. This was at the request of my 4 year old, with a resounding assent from my 7 year old, and the assistance of my husband. I made the original recipe, simultaneously melted some white chocolate chips, and then swirled the white chocolate on/into the fudge as i poured it. Hubby was in charge of spooning out the white chocolate.
This was pretty tasty. The white choc was a different texture than the fudge (hard, like chocolate), which I think detracted from the enjoyment a bit. I'd like to attempt this with a white chocolate fudge recipe, and swirl the two. I think that would work better. I also thought the white chocolate overwhelmed the chocolate a bit. But that's just me. Everyone at Family Dinner enjoyed it, but I didn't get any critical reviews of its' merits & shortfalls.
Whew...writing an entire post one-handed is exhausting. I've got more to say, but I think I'll just post this and wait until the little guy is asleep in bed before trying to do more....
Week 5: Chocolate Orange. Very tasty. Made the original recipe and added 1tsp of orange extract. I personally think it would be better a little stronger, maybe 1 1/2 tsp. My husband liked it the way it was. One "reviewer" could taste the citrus, but couldn't tell what it was. So, it had a hint of orange, but not a strong flavor.
Week 6: Chocolate taffy. No, that's not the flavor - it really was chocolate taffy. My first flop since beginning this. I did a couple things different, which means I don't know what caused the problem. Yes, I should know better. It wasn't entirely my fault, however, as you'll see.
First, I was attempting to make a slightly spicy chocolate, using some raw chocolate truffles as the cocoa base. The truffles were unlike any I've had before. Hence the "raw" part of their name, perhaps. They had no butter or cream or anything; just chocolate and spices. While I like a bit of spicy-ness in my chocolate sometimes these were just way too spicy for my taste. I thought that if I made them into fudge it would down down the chili pepper just enough.
Second, I put the butter in at the beginning of the recipe. I was wondering why the butter had to be added at the end, and I have seen some recipes that put it at the beginning, so I decided to try it.
Third, I really, really think it didn't get beaten enough. I made this batch on a day when it was just me and the babe home. He woke from his nap at a rather critical point, and wasn't very agreeable when I informed him that I really had to beat the fudge before I poured it. Ultimately he's the boss at times like that, so I poured it and hoped for the best.
Sadly, it really wasn't (the best, that is). It wasn't nearly chocolatey enough. It was mostly just sweet & spicy. The heat factor was actually just about where I like it, but it really needed more chocolate. Mainly though, it didn't set. It was sticky and chewy, and after a day or two, quite grainy. Oh well.
Week 7: White Chocolate Swirl. This was at the request of my 4 year old, with a resounding assent from my 7 year old, and the assistance of my husband. I made the original recipe, simultaneously melted some white chocolate chips, and then swirled the white chocolate on/into the fudge as i poured it. Hubby was in charge of spooning out the white chocolate.
This was pretty tasty. The white choc was a different texture than the fudge (hard, like chocolate), which I think detracted from the enjoyment a bit. I'd like to attempt this with a white chocolate fudge recipe, and swirl the two. I think that would work better. I also thought the white chocolate overwhelmed the chocolate a bit. But that's just me. Everyone at Family Dinner enjoyed it, but I didn't get any critical reviews of its' merits & shortfalls.
Whew...writing an entire post one-handed is exhausting. I've got more to say, but I think I'll just post this and wait until the little guy is asleep in bed before trying to do more....
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