Recipe as analogy : White chocolate and preserved lime fudge

Fudge-WhiteChocPreservedLime

(White Chocolate and Preserved Lime Fudge)

Once I forgot the butter in a cake. It turned out sweet, but dry. Nothing lubricating each little crumb, and as I tried to eat it, it clung to my throat a little longer than I wanted it to, as if in vengeance. As I tried to cough or breathe,

it said :

Hello there baker
who likes to spend hours, thumbing through crisp pages of unused cookbooks.
Who is obsessed with ‘perfect’ banana bread, and
who has eaten cake for breakfast, or dessert for dinner.
Who chooses the light of the oven over the sun glinting off leaves on trees.

Look out the window.

Do you feel the hours slipping through your fingers like butter, or clump between your nails, like flour. Is it hard to remember the important things that make up this crazy recipe called life?

Sometimes you need to take a break. Rewind to the time when you didn’t have so many different flours in your cupboard, or when you never used to run out of sugar twice in one week. When the question was What shall I do today, rather than What shall I bake today?

I coughed. The crumb crawled down to the pit of my stomach.

Screw you, little crumb, I said.

I tossed the rest of the cake out, and made fudge instead.

White chocolate and salted lemon fudge :
((Just like life, often the best recipes incorporate a little sweet, sour and salty. To keep it interesting. This lovely fudge recipe is from Desserts by David Everitt-Matthias)

100ml double cream
750g granulated sugar
250ml liquid glucose
400g white chocolate, chopped
50g unsalted butter, diced
125g salted lemons, finely chopped [I used preserved lime, but David salts his own lemons with coarse sea salt, bay leaf, lemon juice and olive oil]

Put the double cream, granulated sugar and glucose in a large, heavy-based saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Raise the heat and boil until it reaches 140’C on a sugar thermometer, stirring frequently to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a freestanding food mixer and start beating on low speed. Add the chopped chocolate in 3 stages, allowing each one to be incorporated before adding the next. Then add the butter and beat well on low speed. Finally mix in the salted lemons.

Pour the mixture into a baking tray lined with baking parchment, place another sheet of parchment on top and leave to cool. Put it in the fridge to set. Cut it into the desired shapes and store in an airtight container until needed.

You could also pour some melted white chocolate on the fudge before cutting it.

Tags: , , ,

39 Comments »

  1. Hรฉlรจne said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 1:05 am

    What a delicious fudge you made. Never see one with salted lemons. Love the picture.

  2. the projectivist said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 1:08 am

    oh!!!!
    lovely little LemonPi
    that post was the most marvellous thing i’ve read in ages!

  3. Anh said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 1:24 am

    Your sentiment is exactly what has been in my mind lately. The stress of life, that is and I do find some renewed love in other things in life nor just cooking or baking.

    Don’t stop baking though when you feel like it since I love seeing what you have created!

  4. Lauren said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 1:52 am

    That cake sans butter is what my first GF cake tasted like, but I’ve gotten much better since then =D.

    This fudge sounds so interesting! The flavours sound like a wonderful combination!

  5. Steph said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 2:32 am

    This post made me giggle, you’re my hero. I’ve had a very similar experience, screw the little crumb indeed! Gorgeous fudge, though I’m very intrigued that he salts his own lemons, I might look into giving that a try.

  6. Christie @ Fig&Cherry said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 6:57 am

    Love the inclusion of preserved lime – yummy!

  7. Sophie said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 7:14 am

    MMMMMMMMMMM,….the fudge looks incredible!!

    Where do you buy liquid glucose????

  8. Rosa said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 8:33 am

    That sounds and looks very promising! A wonderful combination!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  9. Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 9:24 am

    Hehe you’re still making fudge!? How many lots is it now? ๐Ÿ˜›

  10. anna said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 5:13 pm

    Hahaha, love your response to that little jerk crumb. White chocolate and citrus are so awesome together but I’ve never had salted lemons or limes before. Salt and any type of chocolate has never been a bad thing in my experience though.

  11. veron said,

    October 17, 2009 @ 7:04 pm

    Thumbing through unused cookbooks, that’s me. Choosing the light in the oven vs. the sun on trees…that’s me too. I’ve never made fudge. This looks yummy, like one I’d like to savor and let melt in my mouth while chasing it down with some black coffee.

  12. Rose said,

    October 18, 2009 @ 1:10 am

    Ahhh the days before baking? Before cooking? When you had “free” time that wasn’t full of kitchen madness?! Seems like forever ago ๐Ÿ™‚ It’s a passion alright. Beautiful fudge. I haven’t made any in years!

  13. Natalie said,

    October 18, 2009 @ 1:45 am

    Wow this fudge sounds amazing… and unline any other little treat I have ever seen. Can’t wait to make this!

  14. Darina said,

    October 18, 2009 @ 1:56 am

    Wow, what a wonderful combination. Lemon makes the world go round.

  15. grace said,

    October 18, 2009 @ 5:56 am

    there’s nothing quite like a deep, philosophical post first thing on a sunday morning. way to use your noodle, y, both in the awesome essay and the phenomenal combination of white chocolate and lime in FUDGE. ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. shaz said,

    October 18, 2009 @ 9:50 am

    If you ever decide to give up baking, I’m sure you could turn to writing instead. That is such a brilliant post. And the fudge looks brilliant too.

  17. Lisa said,

    October 18, 2009 @ 2:22 pm

    Fantastic read, and anything white chocolate slays me. The pairing of it with preserved limes is so interesting, and I would love to taste it!

  18. Helen said,

    October 18, 2009 @ 4:08 pm

    I am a bit obsessed with preserved limes at the moment but I would never have thought to use them in anything sweet!

  19. Julia @ Mรฉlanger said,

    October 18, 2009 @ 8:31 pm

    Scenario for you.

    Friday at work for Julia, co-workers ask, “oh, so Julia, what are you getting up to this weekend?” Julia responds, “Oh, a few bits and pieces, and some baking, of course!” Julia’s co-workers nod at her knowingly, having heard this line many many many times before – and secretly hope for some home baked goodies at the beginning of the week. They turn away and continue working, and Julia sits silently for a moment knowing many do not truly understanding the drive that is behind those Monday morning tea treats. However, Julia ultimately thinks, “don’t fight it! You have to follow your passion.”

    So, when you combine that passion with the talent that you have, Y, well…..IMHO, definitely don’t fight it!

  20. shez said,

    October 18, 2009 @ 9:21 pm

    How lovely Y ๐Ÿ™‚ I had the same conversation with a snapper that sat on the kitchen counter staring at me on Saturday morning. And then I threw dessert plans out the window and played hookey all Sunday in the outdoors instead!

  21. Cannelle Et Vanille said,

    October 18, 2009 @ 10:31 pm

    love your writing Y… time slipping through fingers like butter… beautiful!

  22. Arwen from Hoglet K said,

    October 19, 2009 @ 1:37 am

    Horrible crumb! Doesn’t it know you can’t do everything! Looks like you salvaged the situation well with the fudge.

  23. the caked crusader said,

    October 19, 2009 @ 6:35 am

    I know just how you feel….sigh!

    Lovely looking fudge. Never had it with citrus flavours – bet it’s good!

  24. Dimah said,

    October 19, 2009 @ 6:40 am

    A wonderful combination! Looks delicious!

  25. Cakelaw said,

    October 19, 2009 @ 9:38 am

    I agree – life needs a balance of flavours ot be just right. And this fudge certainly looks just right!

  26. FFichiban said,

    October 19, 2009 @ 11:48 am

    Ahh what a insightful little crumb :P? Hee hee I really thought that you made cheese from the first photo but this fudge sounds just delightful

  27. dawn said,

    October 19, 2009 @ 1:16 pm

    kicked up fudge, I think you are my new hero! love this.

  28. lisaiscooking said,

    October 19, 2009 @ 2:13 pm

    That’s so great. I’ve run out of sugar twice in one week too. Smart little crumb. And, incredible fudge! Sounds really amazing with the preserved lime.

  29. Amy J in SC said,

    October 19, 2009 @ 2:31 pm

    This looks like a wonderful combination and when you can eat cake, fudge is a good backup for sure.

  30. Howard said,

    October 20, 2009 @ 12:04 am

    That was the best opening post I have read in a while, gave me a good chuckle.

  31. Inner Pickle said,

    October 20, 2009 @ 4:27 am

    Gorgeous post, fabulous recipe, beautiful photograph. I’m mentally cataloguing the ingredients to see if I actually need to leave the house before I can make it.

  32. clumbsycookie said,

    October 20, 2009 @ 7:55 am

    That little crumb was a smarty pants, eh? Glad you didn’t give in and made fudge instead! That’s a really awesome combo of flavours there!

  33. Jen (jenius.com.au) said,

    October 20, 2009 @ 10:31 am

    i love white chocolate and preserved lemon separately… together, this combination sounds absolutely gorgeous!

  34. Karine said,

    October 21, 2009 @ 8:50 am

    Salted lemon and white chocolate must be amazing together.
    Thanks for sharing!

  35. Hannah said,

    October 22, 2009 @ 1:26 am

    Beautiful, I’m digging the idea of the bright tartness of lime to perk up a white chocolate fudge, and cut the richness a bit, too… Good thinking!

  36. Vera said,

    October 22, 2009 @ 5:31 pm

    This fudge must taste fantastic!

  37. deeba said,

    October 25, 2009 @ 2:04 pm

    Bwahahaha…love love love your crumb chronicles. Thanks for a good laugh! That fudge must have drowned the poor crumb in pure luxury. It’s beautiful!

  38. Manggy said,

    October 26, 2009 @ 6:46 am

    Well, there is this little caveat- of your passion also being your job! Ha ha ha. Amazing how eloquent that little crumb is- as eloquent as the beautiful picture of fudge ๐Ÿ™‚

  39. Caitlin said,

    October 27, 2009 @ 11:48 am

    I’m realizing that I have thoughts like that all the time as well. Turns out, brownies stifle it quite well too ๐Ÿ™‚

RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URI

Leave a Comment