February 12, 2007

Fudge-tastic

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Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness has chosen Comfort Foods as this month’s Blog Party. As usual she requests that those who are attending bring a finger food and a drink. When I think of comfort food I immediately think of macaroni and cheese, and that’s why I wrote about it when Ivonne and Orchidea hosted a one off event called Dishes of Comfort. In an effort to bring something new to the table I opted for a sweet comfort food this time around. Chocolate is always a good choice for comfort; chocolate ice cream, chocolate brownies, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate fudge… Fudge. It’s a fun word to say too. Ah fudge! Fudge gets even more comforting when you add dried cherries to it. Cherries in any form are a comfort food for me because they remind me of family. Every summer of my life I’ve worked in my Grandparents cherry orchard alongside my cousins, aunts and uncles so whenever I think of cherries, that’s what comes to mind. Well, that and the fact that they’re just plain tasty.


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As for a beverage to bring to the party, my mind drifted once more to hot chocolate. I’ve mentioned on a couple of occasions that I enjoy chocolate and Baileys together. This time around I thought I’d drop the Baileys, (maybe because I’m all out of it…) and go for your classic hot chocolate with ooey gooey marshmallows on top. Although the hot chocolate would have been comforting enough all on its own, it’s infinitely more comforting when it’s served in a Peter Rabbit mug. For a very long time, (still?) the boxed set of Peter Rabbit books by Beatrix Potter sat on a shelf behind my bed, ready at a moment’s notice for storytime. The books were wonderful and so was my Peter Rabbit dish set. That charming little rabbit could very well be responsible for my love of food. When I was little I had to eat everything out of the bowl to see him starring back at me on the bottom. I never wanted to miss out on Peter Rabbit so in went the food.


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So today ended up being a comforting day not only in the food department, but also in the mail department. I love getting mail, it’s as good as Christmas. Today I received one of my many Amazon purchases; Flavours by Donna Hay. (Please send help… Visa can’t take it anymore and is threatening to disown me.) This is my first Donna Hay book and it’s beautiful. Her pictures are so pretty, and most importantly, her food tastes just as good as it looks! The fun didn’t stop there though, today was also the day I received by Blogging By Mail Valentine’s postcard which came from Chelsea of Bon Vivant. She sent me a wonderful card which she made herself. Homemade cards are the best! I put it up on my fridge. Thanks Chelsea for the card and thanks Meeta for hosting!


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Chocolate Fudge with Cherries and Pistachios (Adapted from Very Best Baking)


1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

2 T butter

¼ tsp fleur de sel

2 cups marshmallows

2 oz 85% cocoa chocolate, chopped

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

¼ cup pistachios, chopped

¼ cup pecans, chopped

½ cup dried cherries


Line and 8 inch square baking pan with foil.

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in everything that’s leftover until marshmallows and chocolate are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan, remove foil, cut into pieces.

Stores well in wax paper in a ziplock.



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19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fudge (served the perfect way for a party), hot cocoa, a new book and loving mail...it just doesn't get better. Cherries are such an inspired addition to fudge.

Anonymous said...

This sounds like my kind of day! I love the fudge photos, btw!

Sara said...

Fudge and Peter Rabbit. Two very comforting things!

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Almost? I'd say I've got you there sweetie! Glad to see that you got your card!!

Ilva said...

Not only comforting food, nice pics as well!

Freya said...

Sounds like my kind of party, fudge and hot chocolate!

K and S said...

fudge and hot chocolate! yummy! and what a pretty card you received!

Anonymous said...

That looks so good!!! The photos, especially the hot chocolate, are terriric.

Unknown said...

Fidge plus hot choc? What else can be better than that? :p

Unknown said...

I mean fudge, not fidge.

evinrude said...

chocolate is comforting alright! yum! can i join your party? hee.

anyway, thanks for dropping by at my blog and leaving your "foot prints"!

Abby said...

And there's Cornelius Fudge, who in my mind eats a lot of the cherry pistachio chocolate kind ...

Can you believe my husband, who drinks cocoa almost every day, doesn't like marshmallows? 'Tis heresy.

Love the photos! A bite of fudge a day ... or an hour ... maybe?

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

What a really lovely card you got!
Fudge, and with cherries that that is good!

Anne said...

I LIKE your hot chocolate...including the mug. I could use some of that now :)

Rachel Rubin said...

good idea! i have been trying to think of some comfort food to turn bite-size and haven't come up with anything yet. guess i'm running out of time and will just be a party lurker :)

emily said...

I LOVE the fudge pictures. Have you thought about going into food styling?

Jeanne said...

That's it - I'm going straight home tonight and making this!! Chocolate fudge is great but fudge with fruity, nutty additions.... heaven. And I adore the hot chocolate photo - such a nostalgic and wonderful image. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I love chocolate and this has all my favs! Really a fudge-tastic comfort food.

J said...

These mini brownies look seriously good, and I'm glad to see someone else redeploy the china spoons...!
And thank you for your kind comment on my comfort food post
J