donut pan idea no. 40: "o" fudge!

I've been hanging on to a library copy of My Sweet Mexico by Fany Gerson since December. It is full of incredible recipes, like the Mexican hot chocolate tablets that I made at the beginning of this year. I had to squeeze one more treat out of this book before I take it back to the library, but I'll be back for more. I'm definitely getting my own copy. It's a keeper.

There are several more recipes in the book I think would be great in donut form, but today I give you fudge! More specifically, milk fudge, or jamoncillo de leche. I don't go seeking out fudge, generally, but this is so good. 

Like I've said previously, I am not reinventing the wheel here, just making things in the shape of wheels. Fudge making is not my forté in the kitchen, either. If you have a great fudge recipe that you'd like to try in the pans, go for it. It's a fun way to present any fudge. I like slicing bits off and combining the flavors. I made almost all of the flavors Fany suggests in the recipe. I also adapted her recipe so that I wouldn't end up with six pounds of fudge, but could still have a few in each flavor. It took drawing up a matrix. I'm known for my matrices in the kitchen, ask anyone who has ever lived with me.

Let's start with what you will need for 3-5 milk fudge "o"s: one 14 oz. can condensed milk, 6 oz. (1/2 can) evaporated goat's or cow's milk, 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, half pinch of salt, and in most cases 1 tsp. vanilla extract. You will also need tin foil, for lining the pans. See below for the ingredients needed for variations on this basic milk fudge recipe.

What I've got in my saucepans in the photo below, clockwise from top left are: lime fudge, raspberry fudge, coconut fudge, and tequila fudge (the best!). The photo below that shows the beginnings of chocolate fudge.

Before you do anything, line your donut pans with foil. There is not a lot of down time while the fudge is cooking. I ruined my first batch of lime fudge which was going along beautifully by looking away for just a minute, so be careful.

The first step of the basic recipe will have you combine the 14 oz. can condensed milk, 6 oz. evaporated milk, 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, half pinch of salt and 1 tsp. vanilla in a heavy saucepan. I only made the variations on this recipe (below), not this plain milk fudge.

Cook over medium heat for about thirty minutes. Be sure to use a medium/large saucepan. The batches I made in the smaller pans were failing until I transferred them to larger pans. You have to stir constantly, or more precisely, stir for a minute, then let the bottom sit for about ten seconds or so, then agitate again. You've got to keep doing this for quite a while. Eventually the fudge will get almost foamy, then get really thick. It needs to move around the saucepan in one big piece before it's ready to pour into the donut pans.

Variations:

For lime, replace vanilla with 1 tsp. grated lime zest. After cooking, remove from heat and add 2 tsp. fresh lime juice and a bit of green food coloring if desired, stirring well to combine.

For raspberry, replace vanilla with 1 tsp. raspberry extract. After cooking, I used about 2-3 tbsp. beet juice to color it (I've been juicing like crazy lately), but you could also use food coloring. Taste and add a little more raspberry extract if needed.

For coconut, replace the 6 oz. evaporated milk with 6 oz. of coconut milk.

For tequila, add 1 tbsp. (for boozy taste) after cooked and removed from heat.

For chocolate, add 3 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder with other ingredients.

When ready, spoon into the foil-lined pans. When cool enough to touch, press the mixture lightly into the pans and use your fingers to smooth the backs, wetting them as needed with water to keep from sticking to the fudge.

Set the donut pans in the freezer for at least two hours. The fudge will set up without you doing this, but you won't be able to maintain the perfect donut shape when removing the foil if the fudge isn't frozen. After the fudge is frozen, carefully peel away the foil. Work from the outer edge of the donut when removing the foil, not the center which can cause excess warping. You will have to pick and scrape the foil from the surface of the fudge in some places, but it won't take that much effort.

Set fudge out to serve, or place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for later. If serving, allow about a half hour for the fudge to thaw.

This stuff is addictive. I've been eating slices of the coconut and chocolate fudge with bites of raw almonds (clever). I'm pretty happy about knowing how to make this now. A fairly simple but really tasty recipe with a lot of room for experimentation. Fun!