Past Newsletters
Vol 3 No 6

In Pursuit of Chocolate

From Fathers to Fathers
A Gift of Chocolate from the Brigittines

In this month of June, C&H Gourmet Chocolate of the Month is honored to join in the celebration of the masculine parent. And so fittingly, we bring you the delectable delights of decadent chocolate fudge, made by fathers themselves - the Brigittine monks to be exact.

This holy order of monks, founded in 1370 and dedicated to a life of prayer and work, is completely self-supported through their ingenious production of their world famous fudge. At their monastery, located in the lush Willamette Valley in Oregon, the monks quietly tend to the production of some of the most delicious and sinful tasting candy in the world.

Blending the finest quality ingredients, including real chocolate, fresh dairy butter, real cream, the freshest nuts, and real flavors, the monks have become known the world over for their pure, unwavering confectionary standards.

Their gourmet confections have received hundreds of praises from candy experts and customers alike, with several prestigious television news programs having featured segments on them, including CNN and ABC Nightly News, touting the superiority of their candy. Featured in magazines and news journals including Town and Country Magazine, Bon Appetit, People magazine, US News, World Report, Chocolatier and The New York Times, they also enjoyed a fun stint on the game show Jeopardy! Read on to see what Chuck Thomps of Spirit Magazine had to say about these heavenly delights.

"Other-Worldly Fudge"

I've always found it amusing that many of the adjectives we use to describe chocolate connote a deeply felt theological reverence for the stuff. A good piece of fudge, for example, is not just delicious, it usually has to be described as "heavenly" or "divine." And when the desserts really get tasty, one might assume from all the heavy breathing that a decent hunk of chocolate is the first step to eternal perdition: That's when the candy is said to be "sinful" or even "decadent." Americans, it is well documented, take their chocolate seriously.

With all of the religious attachment surrounding chocolate, it is hardly surprising that some of the best gourmet fudge in the country comes from a group of Brigittine monks who make their chocolates at a small monastery in the pastoral setting of Amity, Oregon, about forty-five miles southwest of Portland. Brigittine Monks Gourmet Confections began in 1982 as a way for the monastery to offset some of its expenses, but the business has grown so steadily each year that the chocolate sales have now become the order's sole source of income. . .

Founded in Sweden in 1370 by St. Brigitta, the Brigittine Order is monastic, featuring and lifestyle dominated by strict adherence to prayer and contemplation. Monks wear traditional dark-gray habits and silence prevails at most times, even during the fudge making process (one hour is reserved each evening for conversation and recreation). Fudge was chosen as a means of financial support because it was a product members of the order could make in silence and entirely on the grounds of their own property. As to the origins of their fudge recipe, the monks are remaining characteristically quiet. -- By Chuck Thomps, "Spirit" Magazine.

Beyond the Monastery Gates

The Order of The Most Holy Savior, commonly known as Brigittine, was founded in the year 1370 by St. Birgitta of Sweden. Steeped in tradition, elements that characterize the Brigittine Order include a devout love of Christ and a respect for learning, all incorporated into a simple monastic life style.

In the present day, the Brigittine Order has thirteen monasteries of contemplative nuns and a congregation of contemplative -apostolic sisters whose motherhouse is located in Rome, the former dwelling of St. Birgitta.

The Brigittine Monks survived from the fourteenth to the middle of the nineteenth century, at which time they were dispersed, mostly due to the European wars. A Brigittine Monk, Richard Reynolds, martyr, was declared a saint in 1970. Then in March of 1976, Brother Benedict Kirby established a new branch of the Brigittine Monks, as we know them today.

The style of life for the monks is given to prayer and contemplation. It is an ancient lifestyle with its concept of withdrawal from the main stream of society. Wearing habits, dark gray in color, the monk's lives are centered around an intimate union with Christ.
Silence prevails during the hours of the day, but the spontaneity of speech can arise, with restraint, and in respectful consideration of each person, which includes daily recreation periods.

In their successful attempt at being self-supporting, each person in the community of monks feels the responsibility to contribute, with whatever talents he has to offer, in the work to which he is assigned. Work is only done at the monastery, there is no engagement in types of work that cannot be done within the enclosure. Having now found a useful and rightful place in an order that is steeped in tradition, the production of their now famous confections is sure to be a custom carried on through the decades, even centuries, to come.

Fudge for Father's Day

The first known printed record of fudge existed in the year 1896. It's origins can be best understood by the name itself, "fudge," meaning to "fail to live up to something; to fail to perform as expected." It is said that an ordinary housewife attempted miserably to bake a chocolate cake, and out of that debacle came new attempts to recreate the rich and creamy "fudge" that had resulted.

Well, for you brave and brazen culinary wizards who may have gotten it into your head that fudge might be the perfect thing for dad on his special day, we offer you a recipe as well as some helpful hints at getting this mercurial, finicky confection just right.

And remember, if you fail as miserably as did the housewife who ended up with a winner, you can net your own winner by ordering dad his very own membership to the Gourmet Chocolate of the Month Club. It's delicious, thoughtful, and might we add, fail-safe. Good luck!

Homemade Fudge

2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 can evaporated Pet milk
1 cup nuts

Mix all ingredients together. Cook over medium heat until ball stage (drop a touch of the mixture into a glass of water, when it forms a ball it's finished cooking). Take off of the heat. Stir in the nuts, then pour into buttered pan and let cool. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Fudging the Fudge

Maybe you've heard that you can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear - but you may or may not be able to rescue fudge gone astray. All disasters being much more palatable when sprinkled with a little humor, take heart with our helpful definitions when running in to runny fudge.

Fudge Failure

The empirical standard that we use to measure failure is this: After the fudge has cooled, a small square is cut from one corner. If after an hour the remaining fudge has shifted into the missing square area then the fudge is considered a "failure." Typically this is the time the stories begin... What went wrong? What could I do differently? Did anyone see me make this stuff? Who can I blame? It wasn't me!

Fluid Fudge

Failure of the fudge to set, then you try to mask the problem by putting in the refrigerator or freezer in a desperate attempt to "fix it." It gets firm enough to cut when cool but then takes on an uncanny resemblance to a squashed bug as it warms to room temperature. This is most typically the result of way too much butter, too high a water content, or the substitution of an inferior margarine for superior butter.

And remember, fudge is meant to be sent to relatives and friends. Sure, make some for yourself, but you should really spread the love around and get the fudge out to others. This means using the US Postal Service. Fluid Fudge will make a mess of any package in which you send it.

Fudge Disaster

A fudge disaster is different than a fudge failure...it's actually something much worse. Fudge Disaster is fudge that never should have been made in the first place. We categorize these disasters in 3 grades:

Grade 1: Fudge that tastes bad but doesn't set.
Grade 2: Fudge that tastes bad but does set.
Grade 3: Fudge that tastes bad, sets, and was sent out by the United States Postal Service to a valued relative or friend.

Fudge that doesn't set is unlikely to be given away so it poses minimal risk. Fudge that sets is at risk of being sent out, but if you taste it (and be honest now) you'd never send it out. Bad tasting fudge that sets and is sent out can be a time bomb. Heed these words of wisdom: Regardless of the expense, time, or good intent, DON'T send out bad fudge. You'll regret it. (And don't feed it to the dog either, it's not good for them. Cats won't eat fudge (gives me even more reason to wonder about the loyalty of cats).

Faux Fudge

This is fake fudge. It can also be called "Pseudo-Fudge," "No-Fail Fudge," or "Fail-Proof Fudge." It has also been known to go by the name "Melted Chocolate Chips," or "Frosting." These are confections that are not genuine fudges. According to its definition, "Fudge" requires a sugar, a liquid, and a flavoring. Now, you could butter a Hershey bar and sprinkle sugar on it - but would that make it fudge? (Now be honest). The broader definition requires the above 3 components, but also requires a boil, the creation of a 'set-able' sugar slurry, and separate flavor base.

The Nature of Dad

'Twas the night before dad's day, when all through the galley,
Little Millie was toiling, no time for her dally.
With Grandma's fudge recipe, in the kitchen she was.
Millie thought, "I'll make dad the most delectable fudge.

"I'll melt it and mix it and stir it just right,
Then set it and forget it, it'll keep through the night.
I'll lock it up tight, in the cupboard that's spare,
My dad will be surprised when I wake him with care.

"I'll say, 'Good morning Daddy, surprise, don't you see?
I care for you so much, I made Grandma's specialty.
This day is for you, and so is the fudge,
Now try one and tell me, now you be the judge.'"

So Millie did slumber, of dreams she partook,
Of daddy so gladdy that Millie could cook.
When morning arose, the sun had just peeked,
Millie jumped out of bed, in dad's room did peek.

Her mother was sleeping, her snore barely heard,
But daddy was missing, from him not a word.
She snuck down the hallway, to the kitchen - no dad,
The den, the living room? Little Millie was sad.

Now where could he be, where would he hide?
In the basement, the back porch, in the yard on the slide?
Millie was confounded, where could he be?
Ah, his favorite hiding place, it's there she would see.

Back down the hall, to the end of the path,
To the room with the sink, the one with the bath.
She turned gentle the doorknob, surprise him she would,
She opened the door and there daddy stood.

With his fingers all messy, his teeth covered with smudge
His face was all smeared with the last of her fudge!
"Daddy, how could you, it was surprise that I sought!"
Daddy looked at her sadly, then stopped as he thought.

"My dear little Millie, I thank you so much,
For making my day so great with this fudge.
Your disappointment, I'm sorry, it's right that you're mad.
But do learn this now, it's the nature of dad.

"I love fudge so much, I can't make myself stop.
But know in your heart, you've made my day tops."
Millie smiled and giggled, took dad's hand in her own,
It's all that she wanted, her love for him known.