Old-Fashioned Penuche (pronounced peh-NOO-chee) is a delicious buttery, caramel fudge-like confection. While most versions of penuche use brown sugar, this version does not. Instead, it requires the making of a traditional caramel made with cane sugar, corn syrup, half-and-half, heavy cream and butter, uses no flavorings except for pure vanilla and includes toasted pecans. This penuche melts in your mouth and beats traditional fudges hands down for richness.
Butter an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Line buttered pan with a 16-inch long sheet of parchment papar, buttered on both sides, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan. Allow excess to overhang pan edges (to create handles). Arrange your countertop so all utensils and ingredients are within fast reach. Have pecans, baking soda, and vanilla all measured out and ready in a handy spot near the stove. Also within easy reach, have a warmed candy thermometer*, waxed paper or spoon holder (for laying down sticky spoon or thermometer), and (just in case) oven mitts and a container of ice water**.
Combine sugar, salt, corn syrup, half-and-half, cream, and butter in a heavy-bottomed 3-quart sauce pan set over low heat. (Sauce pan should have straight sides so candy thermometer can be attached to side of pan.) Stir with a greased wooden spoon until sugar is completely dissolved. This takes some time, and it is dificult to tell by looking at it. So, to be sure all the sugar is dissolved, carefully feel the texture of the hot sugar mixture by rubbing a little between your fingers or run your finger along the mixture clinging to spoon. If there is any graininess at all, keep stirring until it's gone.
Once sugar is dissolved, increase heat to medium and cook, stirring continuously, until mixture foams to a boil. Add baking soda, lower heat and stir like crazy... (The oven mitts are right there if you need them.) The mixture will froth and foam, double in volume, and then gradually subside and begin to take on a golden color. After mixture settles down some, attach a warmed candy thermometer onto pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously and scraping sides of pan, until thermometer registers just 240 degrees F. Watch carefully, thermometer will hover at 239 degrees for a while and then move up. This is crucial -- You MUST remove mixture from heat BEFORE it passes 240 degrees F.
Remove pan from heat, remove thermometer, and continue to stir quickly. Mixture will look like a loose caramel sauce. Carefully add vanilla (mixture may froth again), stirring until incorporated. Add pecans and continue stirring quickly. At this point you must pay attention, keep your eyes on mixture, and keep stirring. Watch and feel it as it begins to thicken, lighten in color, and becomes harder to stir. When it has thickened enough that the spoon leaves a path on bottom of pan while stirring, it's almost ready.
As soon as you notice that the mixture is starting to lose its glossy shine and is beginning to turn matte, turn it out into prepared pan and, if necessary, press it down with a buttered spatula. Don't wait until mixture looks completely matte or it will be too dry when you try to cut it or, worse, harden in the pan. If you stop stirring too soon, it might not solidify at all and be nothing more than a caramel (albeit a very, very good caramel), but not penuche. If you stop stirring at the right moment, the mixture will firm up almost the second it hits the pan.
Let candy cool in pan on wire rake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until firmly set, remove from pan using parchment handles, and cut into squares.
(If candy doesn't harden immediately, let it sit for several hours or overnight and it may harden. If not, don't be sad...you still have great caramel.)
Makes about 1 pound.
* Safety Note: It will not break the thermometer to place it in syrup just after it begins to boil, unless it has been in a cold room. However, it is always well to warm it a little as a precaution when putting it into boiling syrup. They are made to withstand such a shock, but it doesn't pay to be unnecessarily careless.
** Safety Note: Keep a container of ice water handy. If you accidentally splash or spill hot sugar on your hand, immediately plunge it into the ice water to stop the burn.
Personal Note: Candy recipes are notoriously unforgiving. Substitution of ingredients or the slightest deviation in technique, temperature or timing can make for major problems. For what it's worth, I've been cooking and baking and for more than 40 years, but success at candymaking continues to be hit or miss for me. It really is harder than you'd think, so don't feel bad about a few failures here and there.
CONSTANT STIRRING is crucial for perfect Penuche. Stirring keeps sugar crystals small, giving the concoction the desired consistency.
DO NOT use anything smaller than a 3-quart pan when preparing this penuche. You will need the exta volume when the hot, sugary liquid foams up during cooking.
Be sure your candy thermometer is accurate. Check it by bringing a pot of water to a rapid boil; dip the thermometer into it. If the temperature does not read 212 degrees F, you'll have to either buy a new one or adjust your recipe to allow for the difference. (Remember to adjust the boiling point of water to your local altitude and barometric pressure.)
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Serving Size: 1 Serving (30g) | ||
Recipe Makes: 36 Servings | ||
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Calories: 95 | ||
Calories from Fat: 40 (42%) | ||
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Amt Per Serving | % DV | |
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Total Fat 4.4g | 6 % | |
Saturated Fat 2g | 10 % | |
Monounsaturated Fat 1.6g | ||
Polyunsanturated Fat 0.5g | ||
Cholesterol 8.9mg | 3 % | |
Sodium 32.3mg | 1 % | |
Potassium 25.3mg | 1 % | |
Total Carbohydrate 14.2g | 4 % | |
Dietary Fiber 0.2g | 1 % | |
Sugars, other 14g | ||
Protein 0.6g | 1 % | |
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition. |
Calories per serving: 95
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