Opera Fudge Recipe

• Line an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter the foil; set pan aside.
• Butter the sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan. In the saucepan combine sugar, milk, light cream, and corn syrup. Cook over medium-high heat to boiling, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to dissolve sugar. This should take 5 to 7 minutes. Avoid splashing mixture on sides of pan. Carefully clip candy thermometer to side of pan.
• Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, till thermometer registers 238°, soft-ball stage. Mixture should boil at a moderate, steady rate over the entire surface. Reaching soft-ball stage should take 25 to 35 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter or margarine and vanilla, but do not stir. Cool, without stirring, to lukewarm (110°). This should take about 55 minutes. Remove candy thermometer from saucepan. Beat vigorously with the wooden spoon till fudge becomes very thick and just starts to lose its gloss. This should take about 10 minutes.
• Quickly turn fudge into prepared pan. While fudge is warm, score it into 1-inch squares. When candy is firm, use the foil to lift it out of the pan. Cut candy into squares. (Or, to make molded shapes, lightly oil small individual candy molds or candy sheet molds. Working quickly, press fudge into molds, then unmold, using toothpicks to loosen the corners. Allow the molded fudge to set on waxed paper till firm.) Store fudge tightly covered.