European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 18, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Sharon Hudgins special to Stripe Magazine for Many people the five week period of Advent Christmas new year and Epiphany constitutes a season especially Rich in culinary connections. Depending on your National ethnic religious and even geographic background the taste of certain foods Wilt instantly evoke memories of Saint Nicolas Day. Santa Lucia s festival Christmas eve hog manay or the feast of three Kings. When i was growing up in Texas our traditional Holiday foods reflected the mixed ethnic heritage of my family mainly North German and English plus the culinary influence of friends who had immigrated to the United states from Norway Denmark and Southern Germany. As a result christmastime was an orgy of baking fruitcakes Gingerbread Pepper nut cookies Cranberry nut bread Date nut cakes and dozens of 4ug.ir cookies Cut in a variety of Christmas shapes am decorated with coloured icing. We also had Candy homemade Candy and plenty of in. To Christmas would be Complete without my Mother s Date Roll Candy my great aunt s Peanut Brittle and my father s chocolate fudge. It was important and expected that each Candy be made by the one person in the family who had a Knack for turning out the Best version of it. Topping everyone s list of favorite candies was my father s chocolate fudge. We were All fortunate that he did t confine his Candy making Only to Christmas. Any time of the year any time of the Day or night my father could be persuaded to Cook up a Batch of his famous chocolate fudge. My father made fudge without a formal recipe judging How to mix and real the ingredients merely by their look and  recently i asked him to make up a Batch of this fudge with the iame ingredients and methods that he has used for the past 45 years measuring each ingredient and writing Down each step of the procedure As he cooked. The recipe was so carefully written that anyone could successfully make this delicious chocolate fudge at Home. He ended the recipe with ii makes 64 one Inch pieces of Candy which serves two people the Way i eat  two other candies thai i also associate with Christmas Date from my student Days Al the University of Texas in Austin. Pecan pralines were an indispensable offering Al every Christmas parly and on every Buffet table. If the family giving the party was hispanic then the pralines would have been made by aunt Rosa or grandmother . Otherwise the hosts would have purchased the pralines from someone usually a hispanic woman recognised As the Best praline maker in town. Almost every Community in Central South and West Texas has a praline lady from whom you can buy excellent candies. The following recipe for Pecan pralines produces the firm nut chewy version of this Candy like the pralines served at most Tex mex restaurants. If you re homesick for this kind of Candy or it just would t be Christmas without pralines then this is the recipe for you. If you d like a Christmas Candy that s easy to make does l require cooking and Lum out perfect every time try the following recipe for Orange Pecan balls. I discovered this recipe when i was a freshman in College and i be made in every Christmas since. I serve Orange Pecan balls at my own Christmas parties Lake them to other parties As a hostess gift and pack them into pretty containers to give As Christmas presents. Once i even traded a Batch of Orange Pecan balls for a Large portion of homemade korean Kinchee. The last time i served Orange Pecan balls at a parly to guests from Germany France Argentina Canada and the United slates everyone asked for the recipe. So Here it is. Merry Christmas old fashioned chocolate fudge 4 cups granulated White sugar i cup unsweetened Cocoa powder i Teaspoon Salt it cups Light Cream 1 Tablespoon eight Corn syrup 2 Tablespoon Butler 1ft Leas Pooni Vanilla extract Ivi cups chopped Pecani or Walnut butter the inside of a Large 4-quart heavy bottomed Saucepan. Combine the sugar Cocoa powder and Salt in the pan stir to mix Well so that no lumps of Cocoa remain. Add he Cream stimulate your Sweet toot Christmas candies and Corn syrup stir to mix Well. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil Over medium Low heal stirring constantly. After i he mixture reaches a full rolling Boll let ii Cook for 3 minutes longer stirring gently Only enough to keep in from sticking and burning. Do not scrape the sides of the pan. Al the end of 3 minutes remove the pan from the heat. Drop i teaspoonful of the hoi mixture Inlo a cup of ice water. If in forms a slightly firm Ball in the water the fudge is ready to Cool. If in does t form a slightly firm Ball return the pan to the heat and boil for one minute longer. Test again by dropping a Small portion of the mixture into ice water. Depending on the humidity Altitude and temperature of your stove you might have to Cook the mixture a bit longer if you Are using a Candy thermometer the temperature of the mixture should reach 240 of place 2 Tablespoons of butter on top of the hot fudge mixture bul do not stir the mixture Al All. Set the pan on a wire rack to Cool until the Bottom of the pot is Cool enough to touch without burning your fingers. If using a Candy thermometer the temperature of the fudge should Cool to 110 of to Cool the fudge More quickly set the hot pan in a sink filled to a depth of 4 inches with cold water and ice cubes. Let the fudge Cool until it no longer Burns your Tongue when you Lasle a spoonful of in meanwhile Butler an 8-Inch Square shallow baking pan when the fudge mixture has cooled sufficiently stir in the Vanitha extract but avoid scraping the is jes of the pan. Beat the mixture by hand with a Large wooden spoon just until the fudge loses its gloss and begins to thicken. Quickly stir in the chopped nuts and immediately pour the fudge into the buttered pan smoothing the mixture into an even layer. Let the fudge Cool to room temperature. Cut into Ivi Lnch squares. Makes 36 squares of chocolate fudge. Note in order to make creamy fudge and keep the fudge from sugaring re crystallizing into sugar it is important to avoid scraping the sides or the pan once the mixture has come to a boil and after you have taken it off the heat. It Tipitt Dugalne it coober is ims