FOODIE FRIDAY -- Caramel

True confessions here . . . I haven't been cooking much 'real' food recently. Oh, I cooked bunches over the holidays, but once the kidlet started swim practice again I've fallen off the cooking wagon.  Yes, it is a problem having swim practice at 6:30. She needs to eat between 5-5:30 PM, but the hubby doesn't come home until 5:45-6 PM, and we sure as shootin' aren't going to be eating dinner at 8 PM!

Next week, I'll be experimenting with crockpot recipes. That way the kidlet and I can eat early, but dinner will still be ready and hot for the hubby when he gets home.

Until then, I'll leave you with one last candy recipe. I made this yesterday. I wanted a good buttery caramel that could be dipped in chocolate or molded over pecans for turtles. It's good, but I've already jotted some notes on it to make it a little more 'mine' the next time I make it. I'll give you the unadulterated recipe, but I'll post my comments below it, in color, with how I want to change it up.

Caramel

2 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Butter 9 X9-in. pan; set aside. Combine all ingredients except vanilla in heavy 4-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil (15-20 minutes)

Continue cooking until candy thermometer reaches 244 degrees F. or small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms a firm ball (25-35 minutes). Patience is a virtue here!

 Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. pour into prepared pan. Cool completely (up to 8 hours). Cut into 1.5 x 1-inch pieces; wrap candies in plastic food wrap. Store refrigerated.

Some changes I made while other comments are suggestions for next time:
--Used 2 cup cream instead of milk, with the added milk fat need to decrease butter by 2-4 Tbls.
--used 1/2 cup dark corn syrup (ran out of light corn syrup), need to use all dark or add a touch of molasses to enrich flavor
--used vanilla paste instead of extract, needs a touch more
--needs a little salt, maybe 1/2 tsp
--cut into squares to dip into chocolate.

Enjoy!

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Peppermint Fudge

Yes, I know it's not Friday, but instead, Saturday. I wanted to go ahead and post this easy fudge recipe in case anyone wanted to make it for the holidays.

While internet surfing, I found a recipe for peppermint fudge. The picture looked awesome: the bottom layer was a chocolate with pecans and the top layer was white dotted with peppermint pieces. The ingredients were a little on the weird side--cream cheese and powdered sugar, plus other stuff. I decided to make it--and it made an incredible mess--with powdered sugar flying everywhere! The next morning, I started cutting it into bite-sized pieces. It was soft and gooshy AND it tasted disturbingly like powdered sugar. Oh, the chocolate layer didn't even taste like chocolate, probably because it was cocoa powder. And I have yet to taste a chocolate flavor in anything made from cocoa powder. After wrapping about 25 pieces, I decided to toss the whole mess. Yep, down the disposal . . . with the water and blades running, well, not the wrapped pieces, they went into the garbage can.  

And I started all over again. This time I was INVENTING a recipe while I made it. Since this was a double-layered fudge, it was thick in a 9 x 9 pan. It might work in a little larger pan. If you only want to make the peppermint layer, then a 9 x 9 pan would be perfect.

Yes, this is a variation of what I fondly call ‘cheater’s fudge’.

Peppermint Fudge

Chocolate layer:

18 oz. milk chocolate chips, or semi-sweet for a stronger chocolate

1 can sweetened condensed milk
Dash salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

Peppermint layer:

18 oz. white chocolate

1 can sweetened condensed milk
Dash salt
1 tsp peppermint extract (I also used 8 drops of peppermint oil) use more if needed
6 crushed candy canes

Line 9 x 9 pan with foil.

Melt chocolate, condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan. Stirring constantly until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and add vanilla and nuts. Mix together and pour into prepared pan. Chill 1 hour.

Melt white chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat; add peppermint extract, adjusting for desired intensity. Stir in crushed candy canes.

Remove pan from refrigerator, press down to flatten top and edges. Pour peppermint mixture over chocolate layer. Chill until firm. About 3-4 hours. Pull out of pan using foil and remove foil from fudge. Cut fudge into bite-sized pieces and serve.

 Enjoy!

Foodie Friday--Truffle Candy fillings

Yesterday I was busy making candy fillings . . . again. I made peppermint schnapps, Grand Marnier (this time with white chocolate), key lime (again because my nephew loves this flavor and I had leftover limes, besides he's such a sweetie that he just might get an entire box of them!), whiskey toffee, rum raisin, and Frangelico. A few days ago, I made Chambord, strawberry margarita, key lime, limoncello, Grand Marnier (orange in dark chocolate), Amaretto and ButterShots (butterscotch schnapps in dark chocolate)

Now I can tell you how to make the fillings, but I don't measure anything, which means I have developed an 'eye' for it. Sorry, the only way you'll learn is by practicing! If I could figure out how to sell these out of my kitchen I would, but I think the Health Dept. might have a problem with a big fluffy dog wandering around the kitchen while I make them. People who don't have to pay for them are a little more forgiving if there's a boo-boo hair.

Onward--Any of these that are citrus fruit-based, zest the rinds prior to juicing them.

All you need to make these candy fillings is sugar, heavy cream and tempered chocolate (I buy big slabs of Ghirardelli white chocolate and double dark chocolate from Sam's Club). They are processed with cocoa and vegetable shortening so they will not seize up when a liquid is added.

Here are two examples:

Grand Marnier truffle filling

Zest and juice 4-5 oranges. Combine juice, zest, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup Grand Marnier in heavy saucepan. Simmer until mixture becomes syrupy, reducing by 2/3. Add 1/2 cup of cream, heat until simmer. Turn heat down to low and add chunks of chocolate (white or dark), stirring until melted and incorporated. Keep adding chocolate until it thickens slightly and coats the rubber spatula. Taste for flavor. If it needs a little more flavor, add a shot of Grand Marnier and stir in. Pour hot truffle mixture into heat resistant FoodSaver bag and heat seal.  Allow the mixture to cool (12-24 hours) and it should thicken. When ready to use pop into microwave for a few seconds to soften and fill chocolate shells.

Note: if using white chocolate you will need less cream as white chocolate doesn't set up quite as stiffly as regular chocolate due to the fact that it is made out of cocoa BUTTER and not cacao.

ButterShots truffle filling

Pour about 2 cups butterscotch flavored schnapps into pan, add 1/4 cup sugar. Simmer until reduced by 2/3. Add 1/2-3/4 cup of cream, stir and heat until simmering. Turn down heat and add chunks of chocolate, stirring and adding chocolate until coats the spatula. Taste test. If you need more butterscotch flavor add a shot of schnapps. Stir. Heat seal as stated above.

See easy-peasy, but don't you wish I had taken pictures of the process? *sigh* Maybe next time I'll cook with someone taking pictures of the process.

Oh, and how long did it take me to make six fillings today?

Two Harry Potter movies (The Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince), roughly 5-6 hours. Time-consuming, like I said . . . and that doesn't even count the hours spent MAKING the filled candies.

I only think about 1/2 of the people who are given the candy really appreciates the effort that goes into making the chocolates, toffee, peanut brittle, fudge, etc.

Enjoy!

FOODIE FRIDAYS--Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle

In 2009, I decided to make peanut brittle. As if I don’t already spend mega time and money making truffles and other candies, I had to add one more candy to make.

What can I say? I enjoy making candy.

I looked through my various recipes and cookbooks for the perfect recipe. And I have to tell you that there is very little separating them. For the most part, they all have the same basic ingredients and they all cook to the hard crack stage, so patience is a virtue. *MUST HAVE A GOOD CANDY THERMOMETER*

One thing to remember when making peanut brittle--when you add the baking soda, the napalm-like melted sugar will double or triple in size like a science experiment gone bad.  

BE SURE TO USE A LARGER THAN NORMAL POT.

Unless you enjoy cleaning up hardened sugar on the floor, counter, stove, etc.  . . . don’t ask me how I know this. :-P

Old-Fashioned Peanut Brittle

3 cups sugar

2 cups water
¾ cup light corn syrup
¾ cup dark corn syrup
4 cups salted, roasted peanuts (@ 1 lb = 3 cups) (can use raw Spanish peanuts, too)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Butter 2 heavy large baking sheets (mine are 12 X 17 inches). Stir first 4 ingredients in heavy large saucepan (I use a 4-in tall, 10-in diameter stew pot) over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until candy thermometer registers 260 degrees F, about 40 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Mix in peanuts and butter, cook until thermometer registers 295 degrees F, stirring constantly, about 15 minutes. Add baking soda and vanilla, stir briskly (mixture will foam up). Immediately pour out onto prepared baking sheets, dividing evenly. Spread out brittle as thinly as possible. Let stand until cold and hard.

Break brittle into pieces. Store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Enjoy!!

Later, Peeps!

Debriefing Christmas Candy 2010

Top row: Lime Gimlet, Whiskey Toffee, Peanut Butter Cup, Peppermint Schnapps, Frangelico
Middle row: Kahlua, Chambord, Strawberry Margarita, Limoncello
Bottom row: Grand Marnier, Amaretto, Caramel, Black Forest (cherry chocolate)
The bags on the right Top to bottom: Toffee, Turtles, Peanut brittle

I promise this will be my last candy post!  Unless someone actually requests more posts or recipes.

The candy making time of the year is winding down and unless someone pops up offering me a book contract to publish my truffle fillings, well, then my recipes will be between you and me.   Tuesday, I spent the day packaging my candy and thinking up helpful hints.

I discovered many things:

--a 1/2 lb box holds 16 pieces of candy . . . and I only made 13 varieties.  oops.

--dry weather is optimal for making any kind of toffee and peanut brittle, but the little static shocks the child/dog/hubster plague you with, well, I just have to live with it.

--guesstimating and making three batches of toffee was right on the money

--ordering 15 lbs of milk chocolate was seriously overkill . . . I hope I have room in my freezer.

--when one makes candy, one must have a serious candy thermometer

--one does get sick of the smell of chocolate . . . as unbelievable as that statement is, it is the truth

--making candy for 6-8 hours a day results in an aching back and feet, along with a cranky temper.  Treat the candy making queen as she deserves.

--NEVER wash candy molds with soap.  Use only scalding hot water as the soap leaves a residue behind

--when molding caramel over pecans for turtles keep a stick of butter handy--the grease keeps the caramel from sticking to your hands.

--drink a glass of water for every few "taste testing" episodes.  It works while drinking booze so it can't hurt while candy eating.

--if you truly enjoy eating my candy TELL ME, telling the hubster doesn't have the same impact.  But if you didn't like it, well, then Eff-off and "No more soup for you!"  Er, candy.  "No more candy for you!"

--plan to have someone else 'steam clean' the kitchen.  The dog licking the floor is NOT good enough.

That's it for now.  If I have any other gems of wisdom, I'll post them in another color. 

It's time for me to think about writing again.  I've been itching to write another short story, so maybe next week.

Later, Peeps!