Ogden candymaker Ruth Kendrick is positively sure that chocolate knows her name.
"It calls me constantly," she insists."You know I'm here . . . come and get me," the sweet indulgence beckons.And Kendrick swears that she's connected to cream (a rich component of homemade candy), although on not-so-friendly terms as chocolate.
"Cream heating on the stove and I don't get along," Kendrick sighs. "It waits for me to turn my back and boils over."
In a strange way, titillating tales of a candy expert's mishaps actually give us non-dippers a taste of hope . . . hope that we, too, can whip up glorious gobs of creamy chocolate. And in our very own kitchens.
Kendrick offers encouraging assurance that anyone can make professional-quality candies using normal kitchen equipment and utensils.
"Candymaking," the definitive book she and her mother, Pauline H. Atkinson, co-authored, continues to be a top-seller for those seeking a how-to guide for making candy.
The book, now in its fifth printing, is an outgrowth of Atkinson's "little red book," a collection of recipes she collected over her many years of candymaking.
Kendrick, who inherited her mom's "magic touch," has continued the sweet tradition.
But can a non-gifted red-thumbed (scalded from previous brittle bouts) really learn to make candy? Candy that is edible and recognizable?
Absolutely, says Kendrick.
"Truffles are so easy, it's disgusting," she says about her favorite candy. By adding various oils, like peppermint, or flavored extracts you can create a variety of wonderfully delicious, easy-to-make candy.
Another confidence-builder for the beginner is peanut brittle. Kendrick recommends this "fun and easy" concoction because it doesn't require a candy thermometer for preparation.
Always the optimist, Kendrick says that older folks can crunch away at peanut brittle that has been stretched thin with nary a fear of abruptly losing their teeth.
Kendrick, who has curbed her candymaking from many hundreds of pounds to this year's batch of about 100 pounds, says that two of the biggest pitfalls while making candy are easily corrected.
"Just read the directions and follow them," she instructs. "People won't do that (follow directions). The next thing they'll do is buy a $2 grocery store candy thermometer."
She tells novices not to use cheap thermometers; they're inaccurate and can cause unfortunate failures. Kendrick recommends purchasing a Taylor candy thermometer (costing around $15).
In a word, using high-quality products will add up to the best homemade candy. To make good toffee, you must use the freshest butter - grade AA sweet cream, she says. Her favorite brand is Land O' Lakes.
The proper equipment is important in making quality sweets, she notes. However, her unique candymaking table has raised a few eyebrows. Mainly from folks who don't catch on to Kendrick's tongue-in-cheek humor.
Attending a Gourmet Getaway in Park City, we sat in on a candymaking class taught by Kendrick. She began by talking about how dogs and small animals running through the kitchen while one was making candy probably wasn't a good idea.
Almost immediately, members of the press were scribbling terse tidbits about her mawkish methods of dipping chocolate, shocked by this woman!
What they didn't know was that Kendrick is fastidious and almost fanatical about cleanliness during cooking.
So whenever she recounts the Tale of the Table, we imagine a best-selling second book of her bizarre and not-so-serious stories.
The table thing began while Kendrick was being wheeled down the hallway of the old Dee Hospital on her way to surgery.
As she rolled along, she spied a marble-topped table being used as a saw bench (the place was under construction).
Leaning up on the gurney she told her husband, "They're ruining that marble table! Go see if you can buy it." She then continued on to the operating room.
After surgery, she awoke to hubby's soothing words, "I got that table for 50 bucks!"
The fascinating piece of information about the 7-foot marble-topped table is that it was built to serve as a morgue slab.
Of course, it was never used for anything else but a culinary table in the hospital's kitchen. You know, for making cookies and kneading dough.
But Kendrick loves to spice up her candymaking routine by casually mentioning that special slab of marble.
There's a lot of character in Kendrick's candy.
*****
Recipes
ELEGANT CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
1 1/2 pounds (about 41/2 cups) milk chocolate, melted (110 degrees F)
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with plastic wrap; set aside. Place melted chocolate in a medium-size bowl. In a 1-quart saucepan, scald cream. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Beat chocolate with an electric mixer. Stop mixer and pour cream all at once over chocolate.
Continue beating, cleaning sides and bottom of bowl several times with rubber scraper, until mixture is smooth and well-blended; this takes no more than 1 to 2 minutes.* Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate 6 hours or until firm. Cut into 1-inch squares and serve immediately.** Store in refrigerator. Makes 64 pieces.
For Mint Truffles:
Add 5 drops oil of peppermint in place of vanilla.
For Cherry Nut Truffles:
Add 1 teaspoon almond extract in place of vanilla, and stir in 3/4 cup chopped candied cherries and 1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds.
- Each piece contains 67 calories, 5g fat, 6g carb, 12mg sodium, 5mg cholesterol, 60% calories from fat.
- From "Candymaking" by Ruth A. Kendrick and Pauline H. Atkinson
*NOTE: The chocolate and cream mixture may sometimes develop a rough, somewhat "curdled" look as the truffles are beaten with mixer. To correct this situation, simply beat in more milk or cream - it does not need to be heated and may take anywhere from 2 tablespoons to about 1/2 cup - and continue beating until the mixture is smooth.
**NOTE: To form truffles into balls, omit 8-inch pan and chill mixture in bowl until firm. Shape into balls with spoon and hands or with small ice cream scoop; if mixture becomes too soft to form, wash and thoroughly dry hands and dust lightly with cornstarch.
Arrange truffles on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Dip in tempered dipping chocolate or melted compound coating or roll in unsweetened cocoa, chopped nuts or coconut.
To decorate, use melted compound coating. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a small tip or into a plastic bag; cut a small hole in the end of the plastic bag. Pipe coating in "drizzles" over the set chocolate. Makes 24 to 36 truffles, depending upon size desired.
COCONUT-CASHEW BRITTLE
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
21/2 cups sugar
3 cups cashews
3 cups ribbon coconut*
1/2 teaspoon salt
Set aside a 15 X 10-inch jellyroll pan. In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, combine corn syrup, water and sugar. Place over high heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil. If sugar crystals are present, wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush. Clip on candy thermometer.
Cook syrup to 232 degrees F. or soft-ball stage. Add nuts and stir constantly until syrup turns a light-brown color and temperature reaches 287 degrees F. or soft-crack stage. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and salt. Mix until coconut is well-coated with syrup and mixture is golden brown.
Pour onto baking sheet and allow brittle to cool several minutes. Using 2 forks and working quickly, separate brittle into fairly large pieces. Allow to cool completely. Store in airtight containers. This candy improves with a few days aging. Makes about 2 pounds.
- Each 1/4 pound contains 408 calories, 18g fat, 62g carb, 131mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 38% calories from fat.
- From "Candymaking" from Ruth A. Kendrick and Pauline H. Atkinson
VIRGINIA FUDGE
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups pecans
Set aside an ungreased 9 X 13-inch baking pan. In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, combine milk, butter, corn syrup and sugars. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil. If sugar crystals are present, wash down sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Clip on candy thermometer. Cook to 234 degrees F. or soft-ball stage.
Pour without scraping into baking pan. Cool until lukewarm. Add vanilla. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens. Add nuts and continue stirring until candy loses its gloss. Scrape out onto plastic wrap. Pat into a loaf shape about 9 inches X 5 inches. Slice and serve, or wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for several weeks. Makes about 50 slices.
- Each slice contains 105 calories, 5g fat, 15g carb, 30mg sodium, 7mg cholesterol, 44% calories from fat.
- From "Candymaking" by Ruth A. Kendrick and Pauline H. Atkinson
MICROWAVE CARAMELS
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 14-ounce sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Microwave on high, uncovered, sugar, butter and corn syrup for 15 minutes. Gradually stir in sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on high for 15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes with a clean spoon. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour into buttered 8-inch X 12-inch pan. Cool, cut and wrap. Makes 2 pounds.
- Each 1/4 pound contains 385 calories, 18g fat, 55g carb, 163mg sodium, 39mg cholesterol, 41% calories from fat.
- From Sheri West
OLD-FASHIONED BUTTERMILK FUDGE
2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, broken up
2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts
In a 3-quart heavy saucepan, stir together chocolate, sugar, buttermilk, corn syrup, salt and butter until well-mixed. Place pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 234 degrees F. on a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat and place pan in larger pan of cold water. Let mixture cool without further stirring or shaking of pan. When mixture is cool enough so hand can be held on bottom of pan comfortably, add vanilla and beat fudge vigorously until it begins to stiffen and loses its shine. Stir in nuts.
Turn mixture into a buttered 8-inch square pan, pressing into a uniform layer. Score in squares and cool thoroughly. Makes 11/4 pounds fudge.
- Each ounce contains 139 calories, 6g fat, 21g carb, 49mg sodium, 3mg cholesterol, 36% calories from fat.
- From Madaline Varner
*****
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Making candy?
Here are a couple of places to purchase candymaking supplies (and the "Candymaking" book).
Bakers Cash & Carry
367 W. Paxton Salt Lake City, UT 84101
(801) 487-3300
Orson H. Gygi Company, Inc.
3500 S. 300 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
(801) 484-6527 or (801) 484-6261
*****
CORRECTED VERSION:
VIRGINIA FUDGE
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups pecans
Set aside an ungreased 9 X 13-inch baking pan. In a heavy 4-quart saucepan, combine milk, butter, corn syrup and sugars. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil. If sugar crystals are present, wash down sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Clip on candy thermometer. Cook to 234 degrees F. or soft-ball stage.
Pour without scraping into baking pan. Cool until lukewarm. Add vanilla. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens. Add nuts and continue stirring until candy loses its gloss. Scrape out onto plastic wrap. Pat into a loaf shape about 9 inches X 5 inches. Slice and serve, or wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for several weeks. Makes about 50 slices.
- Each slice contains 105 calories, 5g fat, 15g carb, 30mg sodium, 7mg cholesterol, 44% calories from fat.
- From "Candymaking" by Ruth A. Kendrick and Pauline H. Atkinson