Mamie Eisenhower’s Fudge

Debra called me into her office Monday. She said, "Bobby, I need to talk to you about something." My first thought was: I'm being fired. My second thought was: I'm the top regional seller, she can't fire me. My third thought was: she's going to ask me about retirement. She asked me about retirement. She said the company has a retirement package for employees with twenty-five-plus years, and I qualify. She said it's not a push — "you're the best salesman I have" — but it's an option. She said to think about it.

I drove home and sat at the kitchen table with a La Croix and thought about it. Thirty years of selling restaurant equipment. Thirty years of driving the F-150 from consultation to consultation. Thirty years of handshakes and proposals and invoices and the specific satisfaction of setting up a kitchen that works. It's been good. It's been me. But the restaurant is opening. My savings is invested. My equipment knowledge is in those walls. And I'm fifty. And I'm tired in a way that's not exhausted but finished — the tiredness of a man who has done the thing for long enough that the thing is done.

I didn't tell anyone. Not Lily, not Emma, not Tyler, not Mai. I told the smoker. I stood in the backyard at 9 PM and told the smoker I was thinking about retiring. The smoker did not respond, which is the appropriate response to a man talking to a steel box at 9 PM. But the silence was clarifying. The smoker doesn't care if I have a job. The smoker only cares that I show up with wood and patience. Maybe that's enough. Maybe the rest of my life is: the smoker, the family, the food, the blog. Maybe that's more than enough.

Made congee for dinner. The simplest thing I know how to make. Rice, water, time. Sometimes clarity requires simplicity. The congee was plain. The thoughts were not.

The congee was for that night — the night I talked to the smoker, the night I couldn’t say any of it out loud to a person yet. But the next afternoon I needed my hands busy, and when I need my hands busy and my head somewhere else, I make fudge. Mamie Eisenhower’s fudge specifically — because it’s the kind of recipe that has been made a million times by people who had big things on their minds and needed something old and reliable to hold onto. Thirty years is a long time to do one thing. This fudge has been around longer than that. There’s something steadying about that.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min + 2 hrs setting | Servings: 60 pieces

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow cream
3 packages (6 oz each) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Prepare the pan. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly butter the foil. Set aside.
Combine sugar, milk, and butter. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and salt. Stir constantly until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves.
Bring to a boil. Increase heat slightly and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for exactly 5 minutes, keeping the heat steady and continuing to stir so the bottom does not scorch.
Remove from heat and add chocolate. Take the pan off the heat immediately. Add the chocolate chips and stir vigorously until completely melted and smooth.
Stir in marshmallow cream and vanilla. Add the marshmallow cream and vanilla extract. Stir until fully incorporated and the mixture is glossy and uniform.
Fold in walnuts. If using walnuts, fold them in now until evenly distributed.
Pour and set. Pour the fudge into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.
Cut and serve. Lift the fudge out of the pan using the foil. Cut into small squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mamie Eisenhower’s Fudge — Some Things You Make Just to Have Something to Do With Your Hands