Merriam-Webster defines fudge factor as “an arbitrary mathematical term inserted into a calculation to arrive at an expected solution or to allow for errors especially of underestimation.”
“It’s something that allows for a tolerance for variance,” Michelle Olanyk told me when I interviewed her recently. “That really suits my life.”
Olanyk is the proprietor of Mo’s Fudge Factor, the colorful candy shop and manufacturer on State Street in Shelburne Falls. The name “Mo” derives from Olanyk’s initials and is increasingly what people tend to call her.
She opened the store in 2007 after working for a number of years at Yankee Candle. There she learned to market gourmet food, candy and toys. She called working at Yankee Candle “a privilege” but added that she eventually felt ready to start her own business in a less corporate environment.
“I don’t do corporate well,” confessed Olanyk. “I don’t even follow my own rules.”
Deciding that the food world suited her personality, she began small. She manufactured fudge to sell for fundraising purposes from her home as a second job. After a year and a half, she recalled, “it got so it was big enough that I was ready to jump (all) in.”
She opened the store selling fudge, candy, toys and gifts in 2007. When the 2008 recession hit, she eliminated the toys and gifts. She also started making the store’s chocolates, which she had previously purchased. Her daughter comes in a few days a week to help with the chocolates.
To a large extent, Olanyk’s business is seasonal, dependent on tourists in the summer and fall, although she does have a strong local following. “We sell ice cream every day of the year,” she said with a smile.
In the winter, Olanyk and her crew, including “fudge artist” Pam Herzig, increasingly concentrate on fundraising projects as well as on their growing wholesale and internet sales.
Olanyk hopes to include additional activities like classes, game nights and book readings this coming winter. She would also like to work again with Pothole Pictures. Mo’s and Pothole recently collaborated on a showing of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” to celebrate the Fudge Factor’s 10th anniversary.
Olanyk is working to make the Fudge Factor an increasingly fun, welcoming space. A papier-mâché tree under construction in the middle of the shop brings the spirit of Alice in Wonderland to Mo’s; Olanyk called it a “magic tea-party tree.”
I chose to visit Mo’s this month because I naturally think of candy in conjunction with Halloween. Ironically, Olanyk informed me, Halloween is the Fudge Factor’s least popular holiday.
“The week before, parents are freaking out about how much candy their children are about to eat. The week after, they have a lot of candy in the house,” she explained.
Nevertheless, she indulged my Halloween fever by making several recipes for Paul Franz and I that used that staple of Halloween cuisine — caramel sauce.
I think our favorite among these offerings was probably the Bloomin’ Apples — lovely baked fruit that opened to form a flower pattern. We enjoyed everything she made, however. Of the caramel-apple cider float, Paul exclaimed, “It tastes like fall!”
In case readers are scared to make the caramel sauce (which does require a little nerve and patience), Olanyk suggested this simple substitution: Remove the wrapper from a can of sweetened condensed milk. Do not open the can. Submerge it in water in a slow cooker, and cook for four hours on high (being careful to maintain the water level). Wait for the can to cool before you open it. Once that happens, “you will have instant caramel,” says Michelle Olanyk.
This basic caramel sauce can be used in a variety of ways, including as a dipping base for apples. It takes about 15 minutes to cook.
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1-¼ cups heavy cream (substitute coconut or almond milk if you can’t eat dairy)
½ to ¾ teaspoons sea salt
1 to ½ teaspoons vanilla
Instructions:
In a large heavy pot, spread the sugar in a thin, even layer. Turn the burner on to medium and heat until parts of the sugar begin to bubble and liquefy. Just let the sugar sit and melt. Note: It is supposed to brown up so don’t be alarmed.
You will want to push the sugar on the outer edges into the middle with a whisk, a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula as the sugar begins to melt. Continue, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar is melted and all lumps are gone.
Meanwhile, heat the cream in the microwave or over the stove until it is warm but not boiling.
When the sugar is completely melted and has turned an amber color, remove from heat. Whisk in half of the warmed cream. The mixture will bubble a lot. Whisk in the remaining cream until the sauce is smooth. If any of the caramel hardens, place it back over the heat and stir gently until it melts.
“Don’t panic,” says Olanyk. “Just keep stirring.” Stir in the salt and the vanilla. Serve the sauce warm or pour it into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve. The caramel will harden when cold. Simply rewarm it in the microwave. Makes ½ to 1 cups.
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese at room temperature
¼-cup dark (or light) brown sugar or caramel sauce
Chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions:
Combine the cream cheese and brown sugar (or caramel sauce). Place the mixture in a serving bowl and top with the nuts. Serve with apple slices, on toast or a bagel. Makes about ½ to 1 cups.
Ingredients:
Vanilla or ginger ice cream as needed
Apple cider as needed
Ginger ale or ginger beer as needed
A few drizzles of salted caramel sauce
Instructions:
In a large cup, pint-size if possible, place one rounded scoop of ice cream. Pour in apple cider until the cup is half full, and add the ginger ale. Top with salted caramel sauce. Serve with a straw and a spoon. Serves 1.
Ingredients:
Four crisp apples (the tarter the better; Paula Red or Granny Smith work well, but any orchard-fresh apples will do)
¼ cup salted caramel sauce
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Toppings like vanilla ice cream and/or salted caramel sauce (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the apples. Slice off the top quarter or third of each apple. Scoop out the core with a melon baller or stainless-steel measuring spoon.
Use a thin paring knife to make two deep, circular cuts around the center of the apple; then make ½-inch slits all the way across and around the apple so that it will open up like a flower as it cooks and softens.
Place the apples in an oven-safe dish. Place a tablespoon of the caramel sauce in the center of each apple.
In the microwave, heat the butter and brown sugar for 30 seconds. Stir; then heat for an additional 30 seconds. Remove the mixture from the microwave and stir in the flour and the cinnamon. Pour the liquid evenly over the top of the apples.
Bake until the apples are tender. Start checking at 10 minutes. Some apples can take 45 minutes to an hour to soften.
Remove the apples from the oven, and use a large spoon to move them into bowls. Add toppings as desired. Serves 4.
Food writer Tinky Weisblat of
Hawley is the author of “The
Pudding Hollow Cookbook” and “Pulling Taffy.” For more information about Tinky visit her website, www.TinkyCooks.com.