Mid-Century Fudge

Author Notes

This recipe is a staple from my best friend’s mother. I spent almost every weekend at their house when I was a teenager in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Mrs. H. spent a lot of energy preparing beautifully-molded aspics and my friend and I spent an equal amount of energy trying to avoid having to eat them. This fudge was an entirely different story and once we mastered the recipe, we ate it constantly. For the sake of nostalgia, I have copied the recipe just as it was given to me by Mrs. H.—but have added a few clarifications. Given the use of the term "top milk," I suspect this recipe predates the 1950s by a good bit.

This fudge is sweet beyond belief, but the texture--uncluttered by unnecessary additions--somehow manages to counter and slightly sharpen or focus the sweetness and keep it from becoming cloying (so long as it is eaten with restraint).
—fulmar