Charcoal salt sounds weird, but roll with me here.
It’s smoky, it’s sulphury, it’s umami. It’s smoked salt to it’s highest power, it’s final boss, the last chapter in the villain’s origin story. Except it’s not a villain, it’s an outright hero, and should be celebrated as such.
I can’t imagine making a dessert that didn’t include some kind of salted element, even if it’s just a pinch somewhere, because the salt really plays against the sweetness and brings out all of the flavours, spiking them on every mouthful, and this fudge is no exception.
I get my charcoal salt from Halen Môn here, and if you’re no stranger to this website and my recipes, you’ll know that they are my favourite salt supplier. I’ve even written a recipe for their website using, you guessed it, their salt in a dessert. So I can’t recommend this product enough, and after you’ve made this fudge, I highly recommend sprinkling it over your breakfast, particularly over a soft boiled egg and some black pudding.
But let’s start with this fudge.
I have Nigella Lawson to thank for this recipe (and so many other valuable things in my life) as it provides fudge in a few very easy steps without any of the hassle that usually comes with fudge making. I cannot say I’ve comprehended any other fudge recipe since.
This is a dense and chewy fudge as opposed to the crumblier kind you often find in packets in the shop and all the better for it. It’s a melt-in-a-pan and stash-away-until-you-need-it number which makes it perfect for prepping in advance so that you can serve on demand, and once tasted, that demand will be often.
This is also best kept as cold as possible, so it won’t keep well out of the fridge – just chop up and serve as needed and then anything you’re not serving, keep it in the freezer.
Oh, and you can eat it straight from the freezer too, don’t worry.
Your ill patience has been catered for here.
Serves 12 happily depending on how small you cut the fudge
30g unsalted butter
150g dark chocolate
150g milk chocolate
1 x 397g can condensed milk
½ teaspoon charcoal salt plus an extra sprinkle (or flaky sea salt, if not using charcoal salt)
70g pecans – roughly chopped
- Line a 20 x 20cm tin with baking paper. You don’t have to be neat but do leave a bit of an overhang over the sides of the tin to make pulling the fudge out easier later.
- Off the heat, put your butter in a saucepan. It’s better to the put the butter in first as it creates a soft pool underneath your chocolate when it melts to stop your chocolate burning.
- Now add both chocolates into the saucepan in small pieces and on a gentle heat, melt down the butter and chocolates, stirring gently and scraping up anything on the bottom of the pan as you go (I have a very reliable rubber spatula I use for such a stir)
- Once the butter and chocolate have melted, pour in the condensed milk. Yes. The whole can and stir until you create a smooth batter-like consistency with no lumps.
- Now take the pan off the heat and add the salt and half of the pecans, stirring into the thick, dark chocolate until everything is combined.
- Carefully empty the mix into your lined tin, guiding the fudge to the edges of the tin with your spoon or rubber spatula. Sprinkle over the remaining half of the pecans and an extra sprinkle of salt.
- Allow to cool for roughly 5 minutes before sliding into a fridge to set, overnight is good but 6 hours is fine.
- Cut into little squares and serve.
MIKEY AND THE KITCHEN. 