Fudge (Québec Sucre à la Crème)

If there is a common thread with French-Canadian traditional recipes, it's that they have very few ingredients, and a whole lot of sugar. Seriously, so far there's maple dumplings (so a dumpling tossed in a fancy sugar syrup, and a bar made of cream, butter, and sugar only), and sucre à la crème, but when I think of other traditional recipes, such as tarte au sucre, pouding chômeur, they both fit that theory that we like sugar and easy ways to eat the sugar. Don't quote me on this though, I just made this theory up based on my own experience with French-Canadian desserts.

The simplicity of the ingredients present in this cuisine so far are not to be mistaken for the lack of taste. It really is delicious (at least when we’re talking desserts). However, as few ingredients as some of these recipes have, they can be quite finicky to make and to get the appropriate texture as a final result. Sucre à la crème is one good example. Cook it too much, it burns or gets too hard, too little and it doesn't solidify. Lucky for you, I've got some experience in making it and this recipe is pretty foolproof.

As a Canadian, unless you're a First Nation Canadian, you kinda have to accept the fact that almost everything we eat has its origins somewhere else than in Canada (except maybe poutine). Since we were colonized, we definitely ended up with influences from all over in our cuisine.

History:
Most of our traditional dishes have origins in an other country, sucre à la crème makes no exception and would actually originate from Scotland. In fact, Scotland established one of the earliest colonies in Canada and the Scots immigrated steadily and in considerable numbers for over 200 years. In 2016, 14% of Canadians listed themselves as being of a Scottish origin, which makes them the third largest ethnic group in Canada. All that to say, sucre à la crème is thought to come from a Scotsman that was first found in the early 18th century. There, the dessert is called tablet, and is almost identical to sucre à la crème. So, this beloved French-Canadian recipe may actually be Scottish. Regardless, it's sure to give you a sugar fix when you need it, and once you know how to properly make it, it's quite simple.

¼ cup butter
1½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup heavy or whipping cream
1¾ cup confectioners' sugar

Garnish:
flaky sea salt

Line a 9x9" pan with parchment paper.

In a medium pot, add butter brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil on high heat stirring constantly.

Once boiling, lower the heat to medium, and boil for exactly 6 minutes. Do not stir during this time.

Remove from heat, add confectioners' sugar, and mix using a stand mixer until smooth.

Pour mixture in the lined pan and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until set.

Once cooled, cut into square/rectangular pieces and serve.