The Daring Bakers Make Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels
This post is supposed to be about Shuna’s to-die-for caramel cake and the caramels are the optional challenge. I managed to finish the caramels but just ran out of time to make the cake. I’m very disappointed to miss a challenge, but I plan to make the cake for my birthday in January. I just can’t pass that one up!
Now about these caramels…
My love for caramel began as a child, a love that comes directly from my mother. I remember the blocks of Kraft Caramel that she would bring home from the grocery store, and she would cut off thin slices for us as a treat. Chocolate is delicious, but caramel has always occupied the top spot of my sweets list. Given a choice, I’d rather have gourmet caramel than gourmet chocolate, and I have the firm opinion that gourmet caramel makes gourmet chocolate taste even better.
Alice Medrich is a queen of chocolate and dessert, and she has published a number of books on the subject. This particular caramel recipe comes from her book Pure Dessert, and she offers several variations such as making fleur de sel caramels or adding cardamom or nutmeg. These are so creamy and delicious and they would make wonderful holiday gifts. This is also the base recipe for a decadent caramel sauce (see Variations below).
The recipe calls for two special ingredients: ground vanilla beans and golden syrup. The ground vanilla beans are exactly what they sound like, but I substituted a whole vanilla bean because trying to grind a vanilla bean didn’t work so well for me. If you purchase ground vanilla beans, make sure it’s made with virgin vanilla beans rather than beans that have been previously used because you will get so much more flavor. I have not seen it in any of our nearby stores, but it is available from a variety of online retailers (see Resources below).
The Sweet Melissa Baking Book
How often do you find a cookbook that is so chock full of good recipes that you want to make every single one of them? That day? That’s how I felt when The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy arrived in my mailbox. I grabbed the package and took it along in the car when I went to pick up the boys for school, knowing I would have a few minutes to browse while waiting for them. A few minutes was not enough because I found myself pouring over the pages. Many of my cookbooks have sticky flags on the pages with recipes that I like or want to try, but for Murphy’s book I didn’t even bother because I will eventually make everything in it, and the things that I have made so far have been fantastic.
Murphy is the chef and owner of Sweet Melissa Patisserie in New York City, a popular bakery considered one of the best in the city. I spent some time on the bakery’s website, wishing I had a spot in my neighborhood with food that good so I could take the laptop and hang out there on my mommy days. The menu is so tempting and her wedding and specialty cakes are breathtaking. I plan to take a trip to New York City sometime, and one of my first stops will be Sweet Melissa, especially if it has WiFi. Murphy also has a few baking podcasts available on PodCastGo.com, which are now on my iPod.
Because my favorite meal is breakfast, I started in the “Dessert for Breakfast” chapter with her Sweet Muffins recipe. For both her sweet and savory muffins, Murphy encourages variation by not specifying particular fruits or cheeses and vegetables within the text of the recipes, but saves the suggestions for tasty combinations for the end. I made the sweet muffins while Michael’s parents were visiting a few weekends ago, and added apples, cinnamon, and dried cranberries. The muffins were a hit, and it’s a good thing I made a double batch that morning, otherwise there would have been none left for me to photograph. They were perfect right out of the pan, no butter or jam required, with a slightly crispy crust and moist crumb, and the vanilla sugar on top added a sweet, aromatic crunch. Read more
Rice Crispy Treats with Nutella
I’m a total kid at heart when it comes to these crispy, gooey treats. Mom made them when we were growing up, and I still can’t resist them. A batch does not last long at our house, so it’s probably a good thing that I don’t make them very often.
There are many, many ways to fix these, but I like the simple version—no nuts, no peanut butter, no brown rice. Well, actually there is one thing that I like on top of my treats…Nutella. Spread a layer of that heavenly hazelnut chocolate concoction on top, and all self-control goes out the window. It makes a tasty treat that is good for your soul, if not your hips!
For more great ways to use Nutella, visit the the recipe archive at NutellaDay.com.
[Updated February 6, 2009] Read more
SHF #27 – Hot Fudge Sauce
There’s a new game in our house. Due to our impending move, we are playing a game that we have dubbed “Freezer Meltdown.” Basically we scan the freezer and figure out what needs to be eaten, then we try to come up with a meal or dessert using that ingredient and as many others that we have on hand as possible. Whatever we choose to make must also be easy and not make too big of a mess. So far we haven’t made anything weird, but beware, you never know what we might do just to finish something off.
Right now we have five half gallons of ice cream in the freezer, one of which is opened. Yes, we really like ice cream, even in January when it’s cold and we’re getting freezing rain like today. We buy ice cream when it’s on sale, and we usually buy just two at a time. Our favorite ice cream brand is Turkey Hill Read more
SHF #26 – Mom’s Peanut Brittle
I am a few weeks early on this one, but I can’t resist. As soon as I saw the theme for this month’s Sugar High Friday (SHF), Sugar Art, I knew that I would make Mom’s Peanut Brittle. This is the sugar art that I grew up with—a crackly, buttery brittle loaded with peanuts that crunches nicely in your mouth without breaking your teeth. It’s a Christmas tradition for my family.
Making peanut brittle is fun and relatively easy, you just have to watch the temperatures closely and work very quickly when you pour the hot liquid out onto the cookie sheet. If possible, have another person help you hold the pot and pour while you spread the brittle around.
Update: Check out the roundup of gorgeous sugar art at Habeas Brûlée.
[Updated January 17, 2008] Read more
SHF #25 – Milk Chocolate Kahlúa Truffles
“There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles.”
~ Author unknown
Few foods stir as much passionate devotion as chocolate, and in my mind chocolate truffles are about as romantic and decadent as you can get. So when Johanna of The Passionate Cook chose chocolate truffles as the theme for this month’s Sugar High Friday (SHF) event, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to indulge. SHF was started by Jennifer, The Domestic Goddess, and each month food bloggers from around the world serve up a tasty smorgasboard of delectable treats to celebrate the event. Read more
