Raspberry Fudge Discovery in St. Augustine, Florida

Two soldiers dressed in red suits and feathered hats followed me silently at the stone fort. I tried to lose them by turning quickly as soon as I descended the long staircase, and it worked. One of them headed to a closet to take out a wooden trunk from its hiding place. I imagined it would surely hold gold coins or some sort of treasure! Instead, his ruffled arm pulled out black chains, and smoky grey cannonballs...
It was 2009, and I was at St. Augustine, the oldest town in the continental U.S., and founded in 1565. Its Spanish fort, built to protect the settlement from the British and other enemies at the time, can be visited today and is equipped with many cannons. Men hired to dress as Spanish soldiers roam the grounds, and often stop to give talks about the munitions used during the 1700´s.

After visiting the fort, I walked to St. George´s street, in the historic part of town, where I went shopping for gifts but was forced to stop to sample some raspberry fudge, which I decided was one of the best types of fudge I had yet tasted. I tried it at Kilwins.
Finally, I have been able to make the fudge myself, one day after Christmas. The result was a creamy, smooth chocolate with a highlight of cherry-like raspberry flavor to it. Exactly what I was looking for!

I got my recipe from the following blog:
http://ariadea.blogspot.com/2010/12/basic-fudge-and-its-variations.html
3 cups of semisweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate)
1 14-oz can of condensed milk
1 tsp. raspberry extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla
First, I melted the chocolate chips with the condensed milk in a bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds. I mixed the chips and the milk, then placed them back in that oven for another 30 seconds. I beat them some more, then added the extracts. Once the chocolate is smooth, pour it into an aluminum-foil lined 8-inch square pan. And you´re done!
Yields: 3 pounds

If you didn´t get enough chocolate from this article, or from making your own fudge, check out photos of the chocolate-making process, from Scharffenberger: http://www.scharffenberger.com/process.asp or http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/exploring_chocolate/

Bibliography
http://www.twentymile.com/Cookbook/raspberryfudge.htm
http://www.visitflorida.com/articles/st-george-street-walkable-journey-into-st-augustine-history-culture
http://www.oldcity.com/history-information.cfm
https://www.kilwins.com/fudge/mackinac-island-fudge