The late Mr. O-P was more of a
tippler than I am. I'm no teetotaler, mind you; it's just that whereas he was a
wine and single malt scotch drinker, I go for drinks that are light on alcohol
and heavy on paper umbrellas. As a consequence, when he passed away I found
myself peering into a liquor cabinet with no idea what to do with all of the
spirits that were taking up space. So, one bottle at a time, I started to cook
with it. This is bourbon's week, and on the hunt for bourbon recipes, I found
this one in an old issue of Bon Appétit. Wow! Is this ever delicious! I added a
cup of broken walnuts, because I happen to like my fudge on the nutty side, but
you can do what you like. This strikes me as a sweet that would be perfect for
the holidays, that is of course, if you want to share.
Chocolate Fudge with Bourbon Sugar
Bourbon Sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup demerara sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon
Fudge
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate
(preferably 72%), coarsely chopped
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate,
coarsely chopped
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted
butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 cup broken walnuts, optional
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
To make the bourbon sugar:
Preheat the oven to 150°F or to the
lowest setting. In a small bowl, add the vanilla seeds, sugar, and bourbon. Mix
well with a fork. Spread the mixture in an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and let it bake until the mixture is dried
(about 3 hours). Store the bourbon sugar in a seal tight container.
To make the fudge:
Line parchment paper on top of an 8x8
baking dish, leaving about 2 inches overhang on two sides. Lightly coat the
parchment paper with oil spray.
Place heatsafe bowl over a small pot
of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Add the chocolate and
stir until melted. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan over medium
heat, add condensed milk, butter, bourbon, corn syrup, scraped vanilla seeds,
and salt. Heat until it's hot, but not bubbling. Move the sauce pan away from
heat.
Add 1/4 milk mixture into the
chocolate and gently stir until incorporated. It's best to use a rubber
spatula. The mixture might look lumpy and greasy, but it will eventually smooth
out! Repeat the process 3 more times, stirring vigorously until the fudge is
very shiny and smooth (elastic-like). About 5-8 minutes. Add the fudge mixture
into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the rubber spatula.
Sprinkle the fudge with bourbon sugar
and sea salt.
Let the fudge cool down before
covering and chilling in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Remove the fudge from the baking dish
and cut into squares.
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