Candy update

Yesterday, I decided to finish making the last of the fillings that I would need for candy making. I was running low on Strawberry Margarita and Cherries Jubilee, and I needed to rework Midnight Magic and Mango Madness. Two days in the freezer and they still didn't harden up enough!

As I thawed the cherries in some Cherry Pucker, I look in the fridge for the cream.

Out of cream.

Oh, yeah, we used virtually all the milk and the cream to make ice cream on Saturday.

I needed the cream, so I trundle, okay DRIVE, to the grocery store.

I also forgot that Monday mornings were Mom's-day-at-the-store-with-their-little-ones. Now I don't have a problem with the little ones, but I DO have a problem with clueless moms!

--Get off your D#$M cell phone and pay attention to your toddler who is trailing four car lengths behind you in the parking lot.

Look, I don't want to lecture parents on their parenting style, but PLEASE watch your little ones.

Hold their hands when you walk through parking lots. Too many drivers drive too fast through most parking lots. Holding your child's hand will make you more of a visual and united force. Heck, my daughter is almost 13 and we still walk across a parking lot as a united force. Visibility out a rear view mirror is limited and not all cars have backing cameras. I don't know how many times "I" was almost backed into--and I'm a 5'1" adult, not a 3-foot ankle biter!

Anyway, cream bought. No children were injured. And I returned home to work on my fillings.

While the cherries were melting I decided to find a way to thicken the mango and blackberry fillings without adding more white chocolate. If you remember, the white chocolate tends to be cloyingly sweet and overpowering, so I wanted to thicken it without adding too much chocolate.

I pull out the handy-dandy file drawer of useless information in my brainpan and found a tried-and-true way of thickening liquids--cornstarch. . . and lemon juice.

One spoonful of cornstarch and juice from 1/2 lemon, mixed together into a slurry and then added to the heated filling. Heat and stir for a minute or two. Then turn off. I added a little more white chocolate and then poured it into a Ziploc freezer bag. As it cooled, it thickened. And I knew it would work.

Why lemon juice instead of water?

The lemon juice cuts the white chocolate flavor and brightens the fruit flavor. The key is not to use too much. And 1/2 lemon seems to work nicely.

Why do I care about how thick it is?

Have you ever bitten into a chocolate bonbon and had it goo all over your face? So not cool. I want my fillings to be hard enough to hold their shape, but soft enough to be delicious, and tasty enough to differentiate the various flavors of the fillings.

As I've mentioned in the past. I want my candies to be savored, enjoyed, not gobbled down without tasting them.

Now, I have to walk off all the 'tasting' that I've been doing over the last few days!

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!