anarchival

There’s been a lot of demand for a kerfuffle recipe lately on Twitter, but none have surfaced, so I thought I should share mine with you. It’s been passed down through my family since we were but poor Scots living on the lowland coast near Dumfries, but is nonetheless quite delicious.

There’s also been a lot of misunderstanding about how this desert got its name. Some people suppose (like these poor, misguided souls here: http://www.fudgeheaven.co.uk/) that “fuffle” is a description of the taste of the dish, being a combination of a fudge and a truffle, but of course they’re dropping the first part of the word and ignoring its ancient roots as a Scottish cuisine. In order to maintain the proud Scots tradition of the kerfuffle (because aren’t all Scots traditions proud?), I’ve been instructed by my forebears that when I pass on the recipe, I must educate the new cook as to the real meaning and history behind it. I beg you, if you should ever pass on this recipe, to please do the same.

Hundreds of years ago, poor Scots would build piles of stones called “carns” on the burial sites of the dearly departed as grave markers. As they mourned, they would dirty and dishevel their clothing. The word for this practice in Gaelic was “fuffle.” Once the mourning was over, the Scots would return to the home of the departed to partake in good food and drink, and singing and reminiscing, in the proper fashion of a wake. The ritual taken as a whole was soon called a “carn-fuffle,” although gradually over time the word’s spelling was altered and its meaning transformed to refer to only two things: 1) a raucous affair surrounding a regrettable public event, and 2) the most popular desert traditionally served at a “kerfuffle.”

So with all that out of the way, here is the recipe:

Prep Time:
10 Min

Cook Time:
10 Min

Ready In:
1 Hr 20 Min

Ingredients

* 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* salt to taste
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 cup raspberry flavored liqueur (can substitute an equal amount of other flavored liqueur to suit the particular kerfuffle, for example, Bailey’s Irish Cream if the person is not a Scot)
* 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Spray a 9×9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray, and line with wax paper.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 3 cups chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Heat in microwave until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to let it scorch. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Spread into pan, and cool to room temperature.
3. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine cream, liqueur, and 2 cups chocolate chips. Heat in microwave until the chocolate melts; stir until smooth. Cool to lukewarm, then pour over the fudge layer. Refrigerate until both layers are completely set, about 1 hour. Cut into 1 inch pieces.

P.S. I really got it here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Raspberry-Truffle-Fudge/Detail.aspx

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