Foodie Friday -- Lemon Fudge X2

I found a recipe for Key Lime fudge and I changed it around to make the lemon fudge. The shortbread crust is my idea. Both crusts tasted good, but they are both too thick and tough, so this is the reduced version of the recipe. The first lemon fudge was slightly too creamy and less ‘fudgy’ in texture, so I tried to use a boiled sugar type of fudge. The results were adequate, but the recipe has been tweaked to reflect the changes.

If you don’t want to make this, then by all means come by my house as I have plenty of fudge in the freezer! Or you could simply go online and buy someone else’s stuff.

Lemon Fudge with Shortbread Crust

Crust:

¾ cup flour
1/3 cups sugar
1 Tbls lemon zest
1 Tbls. lemon juice (one small lemon)
5 Tbls. butter.

Fudge:

20 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
¼ tsp. sea salt
3 Tbls. lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice (2-3 small lemons)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix first three ingredients together. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut butter into pieces and add to flour mixture. Blend with fingers until crust resembles a coarse meal. Press evenly into prepared 9 x 9 pan, lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Prepare filling

Finely chop white chocolate. Place chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Add sweetened condensed milk and salt. Microwave chocolate in 30-45 second increments, mixing after each interval, until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add zest and juice. Carefully blend in juice until incorporated. Pour fudge on top of cooled crust. Smooth top. Refrigerate 2-3 hours until firm.

Hints & suggestions:

·         Use food processor to chop chocolate

·         Zest lemon before juicing it

·         Use Baker’s (grocery store $3 for 6 oz) or Ghirardelli white chocolate (found at Sam’s Club 2.5 lbs for @$8) in 2012.

·         Set out at room temp for about 1 hour prior to cutting. Crust might be tough, but it does soften up.

Cooked Lemon Fudge with Shortbread Crust

Crust:

¾ cup flour
1/3 cups sugar
2 Tbls. corn starch
1 Tbls lemon zest
1 Tbls. lemon juice (one small lemon)
6 Tbls. butter.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix first four ingredients together. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut butter into pieces and add to flour mixture. Blend with fingers until crust resembles a coarse meal. Press evenly into prepared 9 x 9 pan, lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Fudge:

Zest from 4 lemons (1/2 cup zest and 2/3 cup juice)
3 cups sugar
½ cup heavy cream
20 oz. white chocolate, chopped fine

Place first 3 ingredients into medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Place candy thermometer into pan. Add white chocolate and stir until melted. Heat fudge until it reaches 240 degrees F. (firm ball stage). Remove from heat and pour into heat resistant glass bowl. Cool until temperature reaches 110-115 degrees, about 1 hour. Beat with mixer for 5-10 minutes or until mixture firms. Pour over cooled crust spread evenly. Chill in refrigerator 3-4 hours.

Hints & suggestions:

·         I never could get it to firm up and gave up about 10 minutes. Don't worry about it if it stays liquidy.

·         White chocolate isn’t really chocolate, it’s cocoa butter and it doesn’t always play by the same rules

·         White chocolate tends to be a little ‘softer’ than regular chocolate, resulting in a creamier and stickier fudge.

 

Enjoy, Peeps!