Weird World of Food: key lime fudge

Digital journalist

Tuesday 19 February 2013

This week my attempts to find the weirdest food the internet has to offer have taken me to the realm of dessert sweeties as I try my hand at making key lime fudge.

Now fudge is something which I have always been terrified of trying to make. It looks as if it should be simple: melt some sugar and butter, add some cream, stir it around for a bit and voila, you have a tin of fudge that’s so sweet and moreish that its guaranteed to give you pleasure and pain in equal measures (heart palpitations).

However, in reality it is more like a science experiment, with the introduction of specialised tools such as sugar thermometers and a whole host of other gadgets and thingamajigs, which are designed to fill weekend chefs and bakers with equal amounts of terror and dread. The fact that these tools even exist proves to me that this is a recipe that should not be attempted. As far as I am concerned any recipe that requires a science kit to create it is off limits! However, I am rather partial to fudge and I do love a good challenge so when I’m asked to make something simple but weird for a meeting I decide to chance my arm and see if I can find a simple, full proof fudge recipe online. It’s not long before I come across a recipe for key lime fudge that promises to do exactly that. The recipe, in fact, seems so simple that I am convinced there has to be a catch: maybe it's missing some key stages or I’ve misread it or, even worse, perhaps it just doesn’t work. Undeterred I decide to give it a go. I start by crushing some digestive biscuits with a rolling pin. I then pour the crumbs into a bowl, add some melted butter and sugar and mix it all together. Once it is combined, I line the bottom of an eight by ten inch baking tray with the mixture, flatten it out and bake it for six to seven minutes. Whilst my base is cooking, I melt some white chocolate in the microwave, zapping it for 20 seconds at a time and stirring it regularly. I know it’s unconventional but this is one of the main ingredients of this fudge recipe and, once I’ve added the condensed milk, lime juice and lime zest, it quickly becomes clear why. The entire mixture starts to thicken and bind. It is something which I never thought would happen but it does almost instantly. Feeling quite pleased with my progress so far and confident that my search for a limitless supply of fudge could soon be over, I add the white chocolate and condensed milk mixture to the top of my biscuit base and spread it out, making sure I cover every inch on the pan. I then place the fudge in the fridge and leave it to cool for three hours. Finally it is time to take it out and have a taste. I must confess that I was worried the fudge would not cut properly and the base would crumble into a thousand pieces but my fears prove to be completely unfounded: it cuts like a dream and it tastes amazing. Despite its ingredients, it does have the same consistency and taste as fudge and the lime gives it a real kick which is both refreshing and extremely moreish. It is also very sweet which is probably a good thing as, if it had not been, I may have eaten the entire pan in one go! So if you dream of being able to make yourself a limitless supply of fudge without any effort then look no further than this recipe. It’s sweet! If you would like to try making key lime fudge follow the recipe below. 100g of digestive biscuits, crushed 5 tablespoons of salted butter, melted 50g of granulated sugar 400g of white chocolate 1 can (397g) of sweetened condensed milk 3 tablespoons of lime juice The zest of 4 limes 1 Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade 2 Line an 8x10 inch pan with baking foil 3 Mix the crushed digestives, melted butter and sugar together in a bowl 4 Pour the mixture into the pan and spread it evenly so it covers the bottom of the baking tray 5 Place in the oven for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown 6 Melt the white chocolate either in the microwave or in a bowl over boiling water 7 Add the condensed milk and lime juice and stir 8 Add the zest and stir until the mixture thickens 9 Pour the lime fudge mixture on top of the biscuit base in the pan 10 Spread it out evenly so it completely covers the biscuit base 11 Place in the fridge for 2-3 hours 12 Slice and serve If you have got a weird recipe that you would like me to try email me. Alternatively, if you have tried making this recipe, why not let me know how you got on by leaving a comment in the box below. Happy baking! Weird World of Food: cranberry and soft cheese pancakes

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Weird World of Food: key lime fudge

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