Holiday Throwback Recipes: Fudge

We've got a pretty solid collection of community cookbooks here in the office—and many more in our staffers' home libraries. And the holidays seem like the right time to whip them out and share some choice recipes with you, our readers. So fix yourself an eggnog, pull up a seat, and check back often between now and New Year's for our Holiday Throwback Recipes.

Today's Cookbook:
Talk about Good!
"Le Livre de la Cuisine de Lafayette" 
Published by the Service League of Lafayette, Louisiana
First edition 1967; annual subsequent printings 1968–1971

Someone (read: me) had a chocolate craving this afternoon, so I took the opportunity to deck the halls of SFA World HQ. Or, at least spruce up the coffee table with the best seasonal flair that Walgreen's had to offer. What I should have done was make some fudge. It's quick and inexpensive, yet it feels fancy—perfect criteria for holiday gifting!

The ladies of the Lafayette Service League offer a handful of fudge recipes; here's one that claims a presidential pedigree.

Mamie Eisenhower's Fudge
4 1/2 c. sugar
pinch salt
4 tbsp. butter
1 tall can Pet milk

Boil the above ingredients for 6 minutes (time it after it comes to a boil). Remove from the fire and add:

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate
12 oz. German's sweet chocolate
1 pt. marshmallow cream
2 c. nut meats

Beat until everything is melted. Pour out onto waxed paper and allow to set for 3 hours. This recipe makes quite a lot so have a large place to pour it out. This is excellent. It never dries out but remains moist for a week or more. Once you have made this fudge, you will never want to make any other kind.

—Lady Helen Hardy

Editor's note: We're not sure whether Lady was her first name, whether there's a royal Louisiana lineage we don't know about, or whether she bestowed the title on herself. In any case, we think it's pretty fly.