I had never heard of such a thing, but I was mighty intrigued. We decided that she would make the pumpkin fudge and I would simultaneously make good ol' fashioned chocolate fudge. We were even considering trying to marble the two together. Too bad we never got that far.
There were certain facts working against us as we started this endeavor. First, neither of us had ever made fudge and commenced the project with naive fervor. Second, we don't have a candy thermometer, which is a major obstacle in successfully making fudge.
We were doing alright at first...
...but it all went downhill when we had to do several steps based on the temperature of the mixture on the stove. Without a thermometer, we utilized the archaic method of dropping a dollop of the mixture in a cold glass of water. (Natalie found this technique online). Depending on what form the mixture took upon entering the water, it determined its readiness. The string phase was one indication, the balling phase was another. I don't even remember what they were supposed to tell us because whatever we thought they demonstrated was wrong.
We ended up with a sugary mess! I have kept the sad remains in a Tupperware container in case I can think of something to do with it. I hate wasting food and it really doesn't TASTE bad, it just has an awkward consistency. I am going to see if inspiration for its use hits me before I give in and throwing it in the trash. Although let's be honest, this is likely just a vicious cycle and the fudge catastrophe will spur yet another baking disaster. At least I know it!
