White Chocolate Fudge Recipes

CALIFORNIA WHITE CHOCOLATE FUDGE

2 c. sugar
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. butter
1 (12 oz.) white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 (7 oz.) jar Kraft marshmallow creme
3/4 c. chopped walnuts
3/4 c. chopped dried apricots

Combine sugar, sour cream and butter in heavy 2 1/2-3 quart saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 7 minutes over medium heat or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat; stir in white chocolate until melted. Add remaining ingredients, beat until blended.

Pour into a greased 8 or 9 inch square baking pan. Cool at room temperature. Cut into squares. Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

WHITE CHOCOLATE FUDGE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1. Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
3. In the top of a double boiler over lightly simmering water, heat white chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth.
4. Fold melted white chocolate and pecans into cream cheese mixture. Spread into prepared baking dish. Chill for 1 hour, then cut into 1 inch squares.

WHITE CHOCOLATE FUDGE

• 2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 (12 ounce) white chocolate baking bar, melted
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

1. Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, beating well.

2. Add vanilla and melted white chocolate to cream cheese mixture, stirring until blended.

3. Stir in chopped pecans.

4. Spread into a buttered 8-inch square baking pan or dish.

5. Cover and store in refrigerator.

WHITE CREAMY FUDGE from Martha Stewart

Makes about 4 dozen 1-inch hearts

• Canola oil for the pan and cutters
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
• Pink gel food coloring, (optional)

Directions

1. Lightly oil a 9-inch-square pan. (A smaller pan will make the fudge thicker and more difficult to cut.) Place milk in a heavy 12-quart saucepan. Stir in sugar; add butter. Over medium heat, stir constantly, until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Increase heat to medium high, bring to a boil, and cover with lid. Let boil for 2 minutes, and uncover. Do not stir; clip a candy thermometer on side of pan, and let mixture boil, over medium-low heat, until it reaches 240 degrees (the soft-ball stage), 15 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare an ice water bath.
2. Immediately remove pan from heat, and dip the base of the pan in the ice water for 5 seconds. Let the fudge sit at room temperature without stirring, with the thermometer attached, until the thermometer reads 122 degrees and mixture is lukewarm, about 40 minutes. If using food coloring, add 1 drop. Stir the fudge with a wooden spoon until it changes from glossy to opaque and is thick and creamy, 2 to 5 minutes. Quickly pour into prepared pan. Use piece of plastic wrap to smooth fudge into the pan, creating an even surface. Let cool completely, 2 to 3 hours, and cut with 1/2- to 1 1/2-inch heart cookie cutters. (Oil the cutters with the canola oil inside and out before using.) Fudge will keep, well wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

Paella Cienfuegos

Paella Cienfuegos

2 pounds raw shrimp, unshelled
3/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 pound to 3 pounds of a broiler-fryer chicken, cut into serving pieces
1/2 pound lean pork, cut into small cubes
1/2 pound chorizo (spanish saugasge) or spicy Italian sausage, sliced
3 cups chopped onion
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 cups raw rice
1 teaspoon Spanish saffron
6 cups hot rich chicken stock
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
6 to 8 frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and halved
1 1/2 pounds small lobster, cooked
12 fresh clams in scrubbed shells
1 teaspoon whole capers
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
3/4 teaspoon oregano
2 cup cooked tiny peas
1 7-ounce can or jar chopped pimientos, drained
1 large can asparagus spears, drained
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

In a large heavy skillet heat the olive oil. Saute' the chicken pieces until golden brown. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and keep warm. Add pork cubes and choirzo sliced and saute' until lightly browned. Remove with slotted spoon and keep warm. Add more oil to skillet if necesary and saute' onion and garlic until transparent but not browned. Add rice and saute stirring constnatly until it is golden. Add saffron and hot chicken stock (broth or bouillon). Cook over very low heat, stirring often, until all of the liquid is absorbed.

In a large casserole with cover which has been well oiled, place the chicken, pork and chorizo. Add the rice from the skillet, tomatoes, artichoke hearts unshelled shrimp, chunks of lobster (shell and all), clams in their shells and capers. Stir in a mixture of salt, pepper and coriander and oregano. Stir with care to arrange everything through the rice in the casserole; cover and cook to 350 f. oven 45 minutes. Then mix peas and pimentos carefully through casserole and return to oven for 15 minutes. Serve the paella in its casserole at the table, attractively garnished with asparagus spears and sprinkled with parsley.

Paella

Paella
(Serves 8 to 10)

Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
1 2-pound broiler-fryer, cut into serving size pieces
1/2 cup diced boiled ham or smoky sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon, finely chopped onion
2 ripe tomatoes, peeledand coursely chopped
1 1/2 cup pounds fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined
12 small clams in shells, shells scrubbed
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups uncooked rice
4 cups hot water
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
Few shreds saffron
1 rock lobster tail, cooked and meat cut in pieces or 1 package of frozen crab meat, thawed, drained and bony tissue removed
1- 7 ounce can or white whole pimientos

Directions:

Heat oil in paella or large skillet. Add chicken and ham and cook about 10 minutes, turning chickne to brown on all sides. Add onion and garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add next four ingredients; cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes, or until clam shells open. Remove clams and keep warm

Stir rice into mixture. Add water, peas, parsley and saffron. Cover and cook 25 minutes or cook until rice is just tender, stirringoccassionlly. Mix in the lobster or crab meat, half of the pimiento, and the clams in shells; heat until very hot. Serve garnished with the remaining pimiento.

Note: The ripe olive garnish in the photo is for eye-appeal.

Hebrew Cookies from Mama'nette

Hebrew Cookies

3 sticks oleo
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 cup or 10 ounces of finely chopped nuts
2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla


Whip the butter until fluffy with mixer and then add sugar gradually, creaming it well. Add vanilla, nuts, and salt. Sift flour into bowl and mix well using beater attachment on mixer. Place out on floured board to approximately 3/4 inch thickness. With a knife, cut about 1/2 inches wide and 2 inches long. Layer on undgreased cookie sheet. Bake 30 minutes at 325. When out of oven, cool slightly and then roll in confectioner's sugar.
Enjoy.

SUGARED CRANBERRIES

This recipe is from http://www.bonappegeek.com/2008/12/01/sugared-cranberries-snappy-sparkle-and-pop/

Oh! Yes. Hi. It’s been a while hasn’t it? So how have you been? … Mm hmm. … Mm hmm. … Oh really? And you had to have Him/Her/It removed from your home/office/kidney? Well I’m glad you’re coping. I feel a little bad for It/Him/Her, but whaddya gonna do. What about me, you ask? I’ve been fine. I’m still job-hunting and will move to Chicago this month and look for something there. Really looking forward to an exiting life of poverty. I know, join the club, right?

Sorry sorry, I’m still in polite-conversation-with-holiday-guests mode. Thanksgiving wore me out, what with cooking for twelve and preparing two pumpkin cheesecakes on top of worrying about my move. I hereby declare a moratorium on leaky wasteful fussy trauma-filled water baths for cheesecakes. No more water baths. I don’t care if it makes the cheesecake soft and creamy. You know what? I prefer my cheesecakes dense and velvety. NO MORE WATER BAAAAAATHS!

This post has nothing to do with cheesecake and water baths, but I’m sure that topic and all its associated pain will come up again in the future. Until that joyous occasion, here’s a beautiful snack and appetizer that always goes over well both at Thanksgiving and at Christmas time. Sparkling sugared cranberries make a sensationally pretty addition to your snack tray and is sensationally fun in the mouth. It pops in your mouth and releases an addictive tart sweetness that makes you grab another, and another, and another. Try it. You’ll be hooked. If not, at least you’ll fight urinary tract infections and load up on antioxidants.

SUGARED CRANBERRIES

Adapted from Cooking Light
Makes about three cups cranberries

Ingredients:
· 1 1/2 cups white sugar
· 1 1/2 cups water
· 1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
· 3/4 cup superfine sugar
OR 3/4 cup regular sugar ground fine in food processor or blender

1) Rinse and drain cranberries. Pick out stems and any soft or mushy cranberries. Have a medium bowl ready nearby.

2) Cook sugar and water in medium pan over low heat. Stir well until sugar is dissolved. Bring liquid to a bare simmer so that bubbles lightly break the surface. DO NOT BOIL. Remove pan from heat. If you accidentally boiled the liquid, let it cool for a few minutes.

3) Add cranberries to pan and stir. If any cranberries split, don’t despair. Pour the cranberries and the liquid into a medium bowl. Place a saucer on top of the cranberries to help keep them submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4) Put half the superfine sugar on a rimmed tray or shallow pan and break up any lumps. Drain cranberries in a colander (over a bowl, if you’d like to save the liquid for cocktails or to reuse it for the same recipe) and shake them well to remove all the liquid. Dump the cranberries onto the sugar. Shake the tray or pan to coat the cranberries and sprinkle the remaining half of the reserved sugar onto damp berries that need more coverage. Use all the sugar. Carefully separate any cranberries that stick together and let dry for a few hours.

5) Serve immediately or within a few days. The sugar coating becomes more dry and fragile with time, so they’re best early on when they’re at their prettiest.