Penuche is a sweet confection made by heating sugar and milk or cream to the soft ball stage, whipping it until smooth and creamy, and adding nuts. It can be used as icing or cookie and is popular in the American South and Northeast, especially during holidays. Penuche can be difficult to make and requires patience. It can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few weeks, refrigerated, or frozen.
Penuche is a type of confection made by heating sugar and milk or cream on the soft ball stage, allowing it to cool briefly, and whipping the mixture until smooth and creamy. After beating, the penuche can be mixed with the nuts and poured into a pan to set before being cut into chunks. Penuche can also be rearranged slightly to create a signature icing or cookie; this practice is particularly common in Hawaii.
This confection is sometimes known as brown sugar fudge or penuche fudge and is technically a form of fudge, although it lacks the chocolate that many people associate with fudge. Like chocolate fondant, penuche can be difficult to make and requires patience in the kitchen. It is also extremely sweet, with a rich caramel-like flavor caused by the partial caramelization of the brown sugar during the cooking process. Penuche is generally easy to find in the American South and Northeast and is especially popular around the holidays.
To make penuche, cooks first mix two cups of brown sugar and two-thirds of a cup of milk or cream over medium heat, stirring the ingredients constantly until they reach a boil and then allowing them to heat up a bit. further, until you reach the soft stage. The soft ball stage is approximately 237 degrees Fahrenheit (114 degrees Celsius), and can be measured by dropping a spoonful of candy into a bowl of cold water; if it forms a soft ball, it is in the soft ball phase.
The penuche pot must be allowed to cool before stirring, or it will crystallize and become gritty. Once it reaches around 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), cooks can add a teaspoon of vanilla, if desired, and then whip the penuche until smooth and creamy before adding chopped nuts. After the whipping phase, the penuche is ready to be modelled; the pan should be lined with waxed or oiled paper to prevent the penuche from sticking.
After the quill cools in the mould, it can be unmold before being cut and wrapped for storage. Penuche keeps well in an airtight container at room temperature for a few weeks and can also be refrigerated or frozen. The heat can cause penuche to melt and become a bit sticky, which can be unpleasant. Penuche can also be made with maple syrup, for a slightly different flavor. The maple syrup variation is popular in New England, where maple syrup is plentiful.
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