I started making homemade pasta when I was eight. My parents kindly complimenting my bowls of mush while eating soppy noodles with much oohing and ahhing. I’ve since improved my pasta making skills.

The moment I realized I could make my own butter I was out of my seat and shaking a jar of cream.  As time allows I make my own puff pastry, soft cheeses, mayonnaise, marshmallows, dressings, etc. And even though our garden is quite meager, I get giddy when I am able to feed my family from the tiny seeds I planted just weeks prior.

As we are so often surrounded by pre-made products I am incredibly satisfied when I am able to fulfill a need using raw materials readily found in my kitchen. Most often it is things like pulling warm homemade bread out of the oven or sewing an airy summer dress for my daughter that calls upon these emotions and connects me to the generations prior for which this was their normal.

For some reason it is those classic childhood flavors in the form of sugary candy that I rarely think to recreate at home. I find such mystery in their creation, quite possibly because I don’t recognize a single ingredient found on the back of their colorful exterior. I, in a more-frequent-than-should-be moment, enjoy the familiarity of their flavor and move on never stopping for a moment to think, I could make this. In fact it could quite possibly even be better.

Their cloyingly sweet flavors could be made less harsh through the use of less refined ingredients. The familiar waxy melt of their chocolate that contains little to none of the ingredients found in those football shaped cacao pods could be replaced with bittersweet chocolate that puddles and melts against the heat of the tongue.

Such a revelation occurred when I happened upon a recipe for homemade peanut butter finger candy. As a child I adored the odd orange candy that shattered under the weight of my young, eager bite. Strangely enough I don’t think I realized that peanut butter was the main ingredient for this candy until recently. In my young mind it was just something crunchy, sweet, and there was chocolate – no further thinking needed. Even more alluring was the memory of these candies crushed into bits and stirred into creamy vanilla flavored soft serve. Yes, that’s right – a Butterfinger blizzard. So cold it makes your head hurt but so satisfying that you don’t care.

The trick in recreating flavors you’ve enjoyed all throughout your life is getting them to satisfy you in the same way they did in your memory. You want them to be better than the store-bought version but not so much so that they no longer resemble what you were originally trying to create. It’s a fine balance and I am thrilled to report that this recipe has achieved such convenient-store-candy-recreating success. And you must, for the love of a Blizzard, stir these sugary crumbs into ice cream.

Continue for the recipe..

Homemade Peanut Butter Finger Candy

adapted from “The Ultimate Candy Book” by Bruce Weinstein

Candy making can be intimidating but the result is well worth the headache. A candy thermometer is crucial in beginning to make candy. Pull the sugar as soon as it reaches 290* and work quickly. Be so very careful when working with hot sugar as its burn hurts more than any other. Have I scared you? NO? Good. Yes? Sorry. Again, I assure you with a little patience and persistence you will soon have homemade butter fingers. Now get going.

*In the comments someone just asked a great question. “What candy thermometer do you recommend?” I use the Taylor Commercial Waterproof Digital Thermometer. I like the easy to read digital face. It does not, however, clip to the side. If you do it will melt – speaking from experience. But I’ve made candy so often I can tell when the sugar is getting close to done, then I insert the thermometer just to be sure. This thermometer measures quickly and again it’s easy to read so you don’t have to hold it there forever. The classic Candy & Deep Fry Thermometer is nice because it can stick to the side of the pan but I find it hard to read accurately and in candy making, accuracy is very critical.

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt (kosher, fleur de sel, Maldon)

½ vanilla bean, seeds removed (optional)

1 cup sugar

⅓ cup light corn syrup

½ cup water

¾ cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (chocolate chips are fine too)

Butter an 8-inch square pan then set aside. In a small, microwave-safe bowl (if you don’t have a microwave you can use a double boiler) combine the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Set that aside.

In a very clean medium saucepan combine the vanilla seeds (if using), sugar, corn syrup and water. Using clean hands combine those ingredients and remove any grains of sugar left on the sides of the pan with your fingers and a bit more water. I use my hands for this because I can be certain to feel if any gritty grains remain on the side and the sugar in the bottom of the pan is lump-free. You may also use a pastry brush to wet down the sides of the pan if you prefer.

On medium-high heat cook the sugar until it reaches 290*, just under hard crack. While the sugar cooks warm the peanut butter mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds. Keep warm. Once the sugar has reached 290* quickly add the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine. The mixture thickens quickly so once combined immediately put the mixture in the buttered pan. Let cool for about 7 minutes on a wire rack. While it is still warm carefully scatter your chocolate on top. Let it sit for a couple of minutes. Using an offset spatula spread the chocolate evening over the peanut butter candy. Place in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.

Once the candy has set run a knife or the edge of an offset spatula around the edge of the pan then invert. The candy should pop out but if it doesn’t insert your knife into the corner and pry it up until it pops out.

Cut the candy into desired shapes. I like to keep my stash in a ziploc bag in the freezer. I love the texture of this candy when it’s frozen and then it’s always ready to be added to vanilla ice cream.

Peanut Butter Finger Ice Cream

serves 2, generously

2 cups vanilla ice cream

⅓ cup (more is okay too) homemade peanut butter candy pieces

Place your candy in a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to break into smaller pieces. They don’t need to be uniform, in fact it’s better if they aren’t.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add the ice cream and mix until it is the texture of soft serve. Add the candy pieces and mix just to combine. Serve immediately.

Print PDF

Last week I had my first taste of rhubarb and asparagus. For me those two tastes symbolize Spring more than the presence of Tulips or the gentle warmth of sun (still waiting for that).

The tangy tart bite of rhubarb combined with a buttery shortbread crust and cool whipped cream. The bitter taste of a subtle char from a hot roast in the oven set against the mild sweetness in a freshly plucked spear of Asparagus. These are the songs of Spring and I sing them at the top of my lungs after what seems to have been years of cold and dreary days.

But there is another taste that has become a Spring tradition – as sacred as congealed cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, that even though it is laden with ingredients I can’t pronounce I eat it. One overly sweet bite at a time. I’m talking homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Apparently this is the year of taking our favorite guilty pleasures (remember our Rainbow Chip Cake?) and converting them to homemade versions that completely leave the store-bought variety sulking in shame.

In my version the interior is created using a generous amount of butter, Lyle’s Golden Syrup as a replacement for the corn syrup, vanilla bean, salt, and a couple of subtle drops of Orange Blossom Water which is completely optional but gives this homemade version a soft perfume that intoxicates with every bite.

In an effort to counteract the incredibly sweet center I coated my eggs in a bittersweet chocolate. And while I can still only take one bite in a sitting I consider this version more balanced and pleasantly sweet rather than painfully sweet.

Imagine the unrelenting joy if someone were to find these in their Easter baskets?

Homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs

makes about 15 eggs depending on the size you make them. My eggs were just a little smaller than non-homemade creme eggs.

inspired by this version seen on instructables.com

½ cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) butter, softened
½ teaspoon salt
3 drops orange blossom water (optional)
1 vanilla bean, seeds removed (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cup powdered sugar
¼- ½ teaspoon yellow food color
12 oz dark chocolate, chopped (or 1 bag Ghirardelli 60% chips)

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment (this can easily be done by hand or with a hand mixer). Add the Golden Syrup, salt, orange blossom water (if using), vanilla seeds and vanilla. Mix on medium-low to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is mixed well.

Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Mix until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Place ⅓ of the mixture into a small bowl and add enough food color to obtain desired color.
Cover both bowls with plastic wrap and put into the freezer for at least 15 minutes. It is necessary that this mixture be very cold while working with it.

When the sugar mixture has completely chilled remove from the freezer. Working quickly take about ½ teaspoon of the “yolk” mixture and roll it into a ball. Continue forming your yolks.

Once the yolks are complete place them on a plate or a sheet tray covered with parchment and then put that back into the freezer.

Now working with your “whites” use a tablespoon measure to scoop out the sugar mixture then roll that into a ball. Continue until all the white portion of the sugar mixture is gone.

If the “whites” are too soft place back into the freezer for a few minutes.

Remove the “yolks” from the freezer. Place a “white” in the palm of your hand and gently flatten a bit. Create a indent in the center to rest the “yolk” in. Place the “yolk” in the center of the “white” then cover it up. Roll the “white” into an egg shape. If at any point the sugar mixture gets too soft quickly put it back into the freezer.

Continue this process until all your eggs are complete. Return to the freezer.
While your eggs are chilling temper your chocolate (David Lebovitz has a great post on tempering chocolate).

Or melt the chocolate in a microwave at 30 second intervals stirring very well in between. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to the chocolate and stir well. This gives you a little more flexibility with the chocolate eliminating some of the need for precise tempering. You will not, however get as nice of a crack as you bite into the egg.

Working with one egg at a time, remove the egg from the freezer and stick a toothpick in it. Dip the egg into the chocolate and carefully let the excess chocolate drip off. Place the toothpick into something – like a yam perhaps – while the chocolate sets.

Place the chocolate covered egg into the fridge for 10 minutes while the chocolate sets.

Carefully remove the toothpick from the egg and cover up the small hole with a little bit of tempered chocolate.

Print PDF

Tradition tells us to leave Santa a tall glass of milk with a heaping plate of cookies. While there is nothing wrong with cookies I just have to wonder if maybe Santa is bored. I can’t help but think that he rolls his eyes while reluctantly reaching for yet another chocolate chip cookie leaving only a few crumbs so as not to appear ungrateful.

This year I recommend pulling Santa out of his cookie rut. Why not try leaving a plate of homemade chocolate truffles instead? I wouldn’t be surprised if you were to find a little something extra under the tree.

While you are making truffles for the big man go ahead and make extras because they make a wonderful little gift this time of year.

The key to a perfect homemade truffle is first and foremost to use good chocolate. The research phase for finding the perfect chocolate to transform into truffles can be grueling but I urge you to try as much chocolate as it takes to find the one that you love.

If money was no object I would most always choose 70% Guanaja Feves Valrhona. When I want a great truffle but don’t want to go into debt making them I stand by Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate and if I get them in chip form it saves me the step of chopping up the chocolate. Purists may disagree but these chocolates are the best and only defense I will ever need.

The next key to creating the perfect truffle is the ganache. Ganache is simply chocolate and cream but the taste is anything but simple. When made correctly you have an intensely flavored filling that harnesses all those rich bitter and lightly sweet flavors of the chocolate and turns it into a perfectly smooth mixture that can be used for anything from frosting to hot chocolate base.

I tend to have a ganache supply in the fridge at all times for those sudden chocolate urges. A tablespoon or two added to hot milk makes a delightful hot chocolate or mocha if espresso is also a factor. Add a touch of warm milk to the ganache and you have a decadent ice cream topping. Whip it up to make a rich frosting or cake filling.

You could take simply roll your balls of ganache into cocoa powder and be done with them but I really recommend the extra step of dipping them in melted chocolate. It gives a nice textural difference as there is a thin shell of firm chocolate to conquer before your teeth sink in to the comfort of an impossibly smooth interior. Plus if you skip that step you’d miss the opportunity to be covered in chocolate.

Happy candy making!

Dark Chocolate Truffles

8 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped

½ cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon salt

optional ingredients – 1 tablespoon liquor, mint leaves, vanilla extract or bean, orange zest, coffee beans, spice such as cinnamon and cayenne.

Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl.

Bring the cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Watch closely as cream has a nasty habit of boiling over. If you are using fresh herbs, vanilla beans, spices or zest add them to the cream so they have a chance to steep.
Pour simmering cream over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute. Stir chocolate and cream together until perfectly smooth. Stir in the salt.

Let sit until cool. When the ganache is the consistency of a frosting you can pipe out the truffles on a parchment lined sheet tray. They should be about the size of Hershey kisses. Then refrigerate until firm. With your hands roll the tear drop shaped mounds into balls then proceed onto dipping.

Or simply chill the ganache then (chocolate and cream mixture) scoop teaspoon size mounds onto a parchment lined tray then roll into balls. Roll quickly as it tends to melt from the heat of your hands. Refrigerate until firm.

White Chocolate Peppermint Ganache

1 pound white chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tbl butter, soft

1-2 drops Peppermint extract

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

In a small saucepan bring the cream to a simmer. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for one minute. Stir until completely blended. Add the softened butter. Stir in salt and peppermint extract.
Proceed as you would with the dark chocolate ganache.

Finishing the Truffles

In a small bowl carefully melt 8 oz of dark chocolate. To melt chocolate in a microwave heat for 30 seconds then remove and stir. Do this until most of the chocolate is melted. The residiual heat will melt any leftover chocolate pieces and ensure that your chocolate is not to hot.

In another bowl place 1 cup of cocoa powder or whatever else you choose to roll the chocolates in (crushed up candy canes, chopped nuts, sprinkles, etc.)

Carefully dip the ganache balls in the melted chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip off before rolling around in the cocoa powder.

Set on a parchment lined baking sheet to set up.

When completely cool dust off excess cocoa powder.

Truffles are best consumed the week they are made but can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Print PDF

I will be attending three Thanksgiving dinners this year. I will be wearing stretchy pants at each meal (and probably a cute little dress to cover up the fact that I’m wearing stretchy pants).

It may surprise you to know that I don’t do a lot of cooking on Thanksgiving. It’s not that I don’t want to it’s just that I have so many wonderful cooks in my life that equally enjoy preparing a Thanksgiving feast. Who am I to spoil their fun?

So instead I thought I’d bring the cooks a gift in the form of candy. While they’re mashing the potatoes and basting the bird they’ll need a bit of sustenance in the form of toffee and chocolate.

I found this recipe for “Mock Almond Crunch” in a candy making book from the 70′s with pieces of pastel nougat and divinity adorning the cover. Candy making can be an intimidating business, with it’s thermometers, pots of molten bubbling sugar and the continuous fear of crystallization. The scariest part about this recipe is having these candies lying around the house and resisting the urge to eat every piece.

The season of Holiday parties and gatherings is upon us. I like to keep simple, homemade gifts like these on hand for a thoughtful hostess gift. This batch makes plenty so whatever I don’t give right away I have stashed in an airtight bag in the freezer. That way I have a gift at the ready and out of sight out of mind – which means I won’t be eating candy all day long (in theory).

Mock Almond Crunch

adapted from “Homemade Candy from the food editors of Farm Journal”

8 whole graham crackers

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup + 2 T butter

1/4 teaspoon Fleur de Sel, Maldon, Vanilla salt – or some other fine finishing salt

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60%)

Lightly butter a 10×10 baking dish. Pre-heat your oven to 325*.

Arrange the graham crackers on the bottom of the dish and sprinkle the toasted almonds on top. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan melt the butter and brown sugar and boil for 3 minutes. Pour sugar mixture over the crackers and almonds in a thin even layer. Sprinkle with salt.

Place dish in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the toffee layer is bubbling all over.

Remove from the oven. When the bubbles have subsided sprinkle on the chocolate chips and let the residual heat melt them. With an offset spatula smooth the chocolate layer over the entire surface.

While still warm score the candy with a sharp knife cutting them into your desired shape and size.

Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to set the chocolate. Remove from pan and cut along the scored markings.

Serve immediately or can be sealed in an airtight container for up to one week. Can also be frozen for up to one month.

Print PDF

If you don’t want gaggles of children beating down your door on Halloween night then look no further. If you’d rather not be the most popular house on the block then continue on your Internet search. If you aren’t a fan of a cookie crust so tender it shatters in your mouth, or a creamy caramel – dark, intense and scattered with salt, or bittersweet chocolate blended with butter to create the perfect cap to this cookie, then you might need to get checked because I think something is very wrong.

If you like the idea of all these things then you are in the right spot and you are here just in time as this is the perfect cookie for this candy-laden season. While I don’t recommend passing these treats out to your trick-or-treaters as homemade treats aren’t super popular these days, save these for special guests or Halloween parties. If you are like me you’ll save them for the fridge so you have something sweet to snack on each time you open the fridge door. And if you are like me you’ll need to open the door multiple times before you remember why you were opening the fridge in the first place – giving you plenty of times to enjoy these cookies.

If you’ve been to Spago for lunch then perhaps you’ve had this dessert fancied up with a fleck of edible gold on the chocolate layer. This dessert was so popular it was rarely off the menu during my time there.

I recommend serving them while they still have a slight chill from the fridge. That way the caramel has a pleasant chew and they most resemble the famous candy bar. They can be cut small and served as a cookie or larger and plated for a nice dessert. I wrapped mine up in parchment (or wax paper) so they were even more reminiscent of their candy bar cousins.

Homemade Twix Bars

adapted from Sherry Yard’s, “Desserts By The Yard”

Shortbread

5 1/2 ounces (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups cake flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons ground rice (rice processed in a spice grinder until it is able to pass through a fine sieve to remove chunks)*

Make the Shortbread:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-X-13-inch baking pan with pan spray and line with parchment paper. Spray the parchment.

In a large bowl  cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually add the flour, ground rice and salt and allow the dough to come together. The dough will be crumbly but should hold together when you squeeze it.

Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the baking pan. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan from front to back and bake for another 10 minutes, until the shortbread is a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack to room temperature.

*Several people have asked about the rice. I just used what I had in the house – brown rice, and the results were great. It’s not the same as rice flour because you want to have a little bit of texture. The purpose of the rice is to give the base of this cookie a unique crunch that remarkably resembles the store-bought Twix. This can be omitted without drastically changing the finished product. But I encourage you to try it. I really love the texture it gives.

Meanwhile, prepare the ….

Caramel

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup (Regular corn syrup is fine)

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/4 teaspoon salt plus more for sprinkling over the caramel layer

Make the Caramel:

Combine the sugar, golden syrup, water, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Remove any sugar crystals from the sides of the pan by wiping down the sides with water. You can use your hand or a pastry brush. Place the pot on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Wipe down any stray sugar crystals that appear using a very clean and wet pastry brush. Do not stir from this point on. Keep an eye on the pan. The mixture will be very bubbly.

When the sugar syrup starts to turn golden brown insert a candy thermometer to check the temperature. When it reaches 300°F, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 1minute, or until the bubbles subside. Carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Stir until smooth, then whisk in the condensed milk. Add the salt (vanilla salt is very nice here if you have it) Whisk until smooth.

Return the pan to the heat and stir constantly over medium heat until the caramel reaches 240°F. Remove from the heat and pour over the shortbread. While the caramel is warm sprinkle the surface with the best quality salt you have. Kosher is fine, Fleur de Sel is better, Maldon would be my preferred choice.

Allow to set. This will take about 2 hours.

Once the caramel layer has cooled prepare your …

Chocolate Glaze

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (Bittersweet chocolate chips also work)

2 tablespoons butter

Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain marie or in the microwave. If using the microwave melt it slowly – in 30 second intervals. Stir well after each interval.

Once completely melted pour over the caramel.  Using an offset spatula, smooth the chocolate in a nice even layer.

Place in the refrigerator to set. They cut best when chilled.

Cut into desired shape and size. Serve.

I highly recommend Desserts by the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills: Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever, not just because she was my boss and I had the pleasure of working on this book but because the recipes are unique, incredibly satisfying and the book itself is stunning – full of beautiful photos and heartfelt stories of Sherry’s life told through pastries. Sherry is an incredible talent when it comes to flour, butter and sugar – anything she creates is a winner – just ask the Academy Award attendees she serves every year after the award show.

Print PDF

This has been a big year for our little family. In March we decided to pack our belongings, put it in storage and cross our fingers that our first home would sell in the less-than-stellar market.
You see, we left our hearts in Seattle. We met here, fell in love here, ate incredibly perfect food here and found our church here. We had been gone for 5 years and decided this was the year to return.
In September we sat in our new home in Seattle. It was empty. Devoid of the family photos that now hang in the hall, free from the paintings that have been placed on many walls since their creation. There was no couch to eat popcorn and watch movies on and no sugar in the pantry to bake cookies with. Yet it felt like home.
When the daring bakers challenged us to make a gingerbread house, I wanted to celebrate this year and our new change by constructing a gingerbread “townhouse”. Our townhouse.
You see we live in a vertical rectangle. Three petite floors and beautiful floor to ceiling windows that allow what little light we have this time of year to pour in.
This is our actual townhouse.

And here is our townhouse made of gingerbread, royal icing and candy.

While I love that our actual townhouse doesn’t melt in the rain I do think it would be quite fun to live in the cookie version of our house. I have no doubts that the boys agree with me.

Our original townhouse is constructed from wood and nails. My townhouse is constructed from gingerbread dough, royal icing, peppermint pillows, chocolate covered sunflower seeds, dragees, nonpareils and sanding sugar.

This will probably be the last time I talk to you before Christmas so let me just first of all thank you. This blogged has changed drastically this year and has become something entirely different for me. Where it was once a place to show and market my dessert catering and wedding cake business it has now become a place of creativity and sanctity. A place where I am free to create, share and commune with all of you.

Thank you for welcoming these changes and supporting me. I feel so incredibly blessed to have found an encouraging community during a time in my life where there has been much change and little sleep.

Secondly I want to wish you a joyous holiday filled with much love and sugar. May you be abundantly blessed in this season with hearts and bellies full.

Print PDF

I’ll be honest – I really have no idea what possessed me to make meringue mushrooms.

Maybe it was my new found love of foraging? Nah. I think it’s because they are so fun to look at and much sweeter than their real life counterpart.

I’ve made these in years past as an adornment to my Buche de Noel. But this year I skipped the cake and went straight to the mushrooms.

Since we’ve been on the topic of homemade holiday gifts I thought these faux mushrooms would make a unique treat that would please any hostess – they sure put a smile on our neighbors face.

I seasoned my funghi with vanilla extract and peppermint oil giving them a floral minty taste that cut through the overly sweet characteristics that so often accompany meringue.

Meringue Mushrooms

adapted from martha stewart living dec. ’03

Swiss Meringue:

4 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

pinch cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl over a medium size pot filled with simmering water. Whisk continuously until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are warm.

Place the bowl on the stand mixer. Add the cream of tartar. Start the mixer on low then gradually increase to high. Continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks appear – about 10 minutes. Add the salt, vanilla and peppermint. Mix to combine.

Piping & baking:

Preheat your oven to 200*

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2″ tip. You will need to pipe the stems and the caps separately.

Pipe round domes for the caps and thick peaks for the stems.

Bake the meringues for 1 hour. Rotate your pan after that then reduce oven temperature to 175* and continue to bake until completely dry. The original recipe said for another hour – but if you read yesterday’s post you would know it took a lot longer than expected. After being in the oven for more than a total of 3 hours I simply turned off the oven, left the mushrooms in and went to bed. In the morning they were dry.

Melt 1/2 cup or 3 ounces dark chocolate. Dip the bottom of a cap in the chocolate and wipe off excess. Attach a stem to the cap – grinding it into the cap a bit to form a secure hold. Carefully place the now assembled mushroom on the baking sheet giving it time for the chocolate to set.

Once they are all formed, brush the top with cocoa powder to resemble to bountiful dirt the covers fresh mushrooms. This is the best dirt I’ve ever tasted.

Package these in a box or glassine bag or use them to garnish cakes or desserts this holiday season.

Print PDF

In the corner of our living room there are stacks and stacks of December issues of Martha Stewart Living.

There is the December ’05 issue with a wreath studded with red glittering birds that hangs on a door painted the color of mint ice cream. December ’01- the cover is marked with an interior shot with everything inside brilliantly gold. Oh and a personal favorite of mine – December ’97  – a parade of Gingerbread animals covered in colored sugars walking through a fresh patch of white sugar snow. I’m pretty sure they are all on their way to a Holiday party.

My butter and chocolate loving 3 year old came downstairs the other morning thrilled to find the colorful magazines that littered our floor. He immediately began flipping through the pages of the special Holiday issue (’07). He saw all the cookies and candies and decided he wanted to make something for Christmas.

“I want to make these!” He proclaimed pointing to a picture of wax paper wrapped caramels. Before I had a chance to protest – which I wouldn’t because who doesn’t love caramels? – he was moving his baking stool up to the counter.

I measured and he dumped. He tasted the sugar to make sure it was okay. Once it passed inspection it joined the pot and soon  we had a bubbling pan of sugar slowly transforming into a vanilla and spice scented caramel.

While we waited for our caramel to cool we munched on the peppermint sticks we made the day before.

An agonizing 8 hours later we were finally able to sample our candies.

We were not disappointed.

Biting into our soft and chewy candies we were greeted with a rich sweetness and a soft saltiness. Our mouths were warmed with the spice and comforted with vanilla.

While licking our sticky fingers we congratulated each other on a job well done. Then we had another piece.

Let’s just hope some of these treats actually does end up in the hands of our friends and family.

Now you see it.

Now you don’t.

Peppermint Sticks

recipe from MarthaStewart.com

Spiced Caramels

2 cups sugar

1 cup corn syrup

2 cups heavy cream

3 oz butter

1/2 vanilla bean

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

Prepare a 9″ inch square baking pan with pan spray. On the bottom cover with parchment then another fine covering of pan spray.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, cream, butter and vanilla bean in a large pot. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Watch closely so that the mixture doesn’t boil over. Continue to cook over medium-high heat, stirring often until you reach hard-ball stage (250*). This should take about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in salt, cinnamon and ginger.

Pour caramel into the prepared pan. Let cool and stand until completely set. About 8 hours – this concept may be difficult for a 3 year old to understand – speaking from experience.

Invert the caramels onto a parchment covered cutting board then cut them out into desired size. Individually wrap the candies in cellophane or wax paper – or if the recipient of these treats is really lucky you can dip them in tempered chocolate.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Print PDF

While serving dozens of cookie plates at the restaurant I would occasionally sneak in a taste for myself. After the Chocolate Chip Cookie, the little fruit jellies were my favorite item on the plate.

“This is the best fruit roll-up I’ve ever had” was my reaction after the first taste of a Pate de Fruit. Which was in fact the best compliment I could have given these little jewels.

Finding a fruit roll-up in my brown paper lunch bag as a child was a rarity. At my cousin’s house, however, my aunt kept the cupboards filled with such childhood favorites as Handi-Snacks – complete with the little red spatula to aid in the spreading of the neon orange “cheese”, Snack Packs, individually packaged chip bags (not surprisingly the Doritos were always the first to go) and of course Fruit-roll ups in every flavor, tongue changing color and pull-and-peel variety. I loved staying with my cousin as we were very close but it was the lunches my aunt packed us for school that kept me up at night, sleepless with excitement. When lunch time finally arrived I would save the best for the last – the fruit roll-up.

I’m older now and my palette has “matured” since those days but I still can’t resist some of the flavors that take me back to my overly processed childhood such as this recipe for Apple Pate de Fruits.

From start to finish this recipe is an endeavor not for those in a rush. Your effort is rewarded with a candy intensely “apple”. Somehow in the process these little jellies manage to encapsulate all the is good with apples – soft sweetness, airy floral flavor and tartness to perfect the balance – in one bite.

Carefully cut and dusted in granulated sugar these candies curb that afternoon sweet craving in one fragrant bite and make a very welcome addition to an afternoon or after dinner cookie plate – because cookies are an everyday occurrence in places other than my house right?! – please just say yes.

Without the crunchy coat of sugar these jellies are fast friends with a nice aged cheddar.

The apple shaped beauties you see here were created with the assistance of little cookie cutters and will make a delightful snack during another day of mushroom foraging tomorrow.
With candies like this to keep me company I guess being a grown-up isn’t as bad as I once imagined it would be.

Apple Pate de Fruit
adapted from Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food

This recipe can be used for jelly, apple paste or pate de fruit – depending on how long you cook the mixture. Continually check the consistency using a plate that is thoroughly chilled in the freezer.

8 medium apples (about 3 pounds) washed, quartered and cored – I used 4 Honeycrisp and 4 Granny Smith
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 cup + 1 tbl.)

Lightly coat an 8×8 baking dish with flavorless oil or pan spray. Line the bottom with parchment then lightly cover the parchment in oil.

In a large pot combine the apples and 1 cup water. Cover and cook over medium until the apples are soft. The amount of time this takes depends on what type of apples you use. The Granny Smiths were done around 20 minutes but I continued to cook for a total of 30-40 minutes until the Honeycrisps were soft and losing their skin.

Press the mixture through a fine sieve to end up with a smooth, peel-free puree.

Return the puree to the pot and add the salt, sugar and lemon juice. This mixture will now simmer for at least an hour. Stir often and watch for changes in thickness, scrape the bottom of the pan often as it can easily scorch with all that sugar. You may want to wear an oven mit while stirring as the mixture spatters and – speaking from experience – to say it’s hot is an understatement.

In the original recipe it said the mixture is done when it holds a mounded shape. After being on the burner for well over an hour mine still never mounded. So instead I transferred it to the prepared baking dish then placed it in an oven set at 150* for one hour. I let it set to cool for a few hours the bottom was still softer then I liked so I inverted it, placed it back in the pan and dried it in the oven again for an hour.

I wanted firm jellies – if you are using this as apple paste you won’t have to dry it for as long. Also you can quickly test the consistency by keeping a plate in the freezer then place a small amount of the jelly on the plate to set. Once cool check the consistency.

After all the cooking and drying I let it sit on the counter overnight. In the morning I removed the jellies from the pan and was easily able to slice them with a sharp knife.

You can cut them and roll them in granulated sugar or get crazy with cookie cutters. These little sweets served with an aged cheddar are out of this world.

Print PDF

Vanilla.

I mean of course there are other things like my husband and my boys and chocolate, but vanilla is really something to admire.

I love the way the thousands of little black seeds disperse in a pot of simmering cream while I’m preparing a custard. I love the vivid scenes from childhood – baking cookies with my mom, each of us taking a prolonged inhale of vanilla before pouring it into the dough. And I love the way it perfumes anything it touches with a richness and complexity that makes an ordinary recipe fit for fine dining.

Take these cupcakes for example. Nothing seemingly extraordinary with a banana cupcake – except of course the dark chocolate that I dumped in at the end – but when you mash fragrant, ripened bananas with vanilla seeds you will begin to question whether or not you plan to share these cupcakes once they are removed from the oven.

The final vanilla flavor won’t slap you in the face with its abrupt personality but rather a subtle and intriguing aroma will leave you longing for more – as any good thing will.

If my budget allows I go for the bean. If not, I buy the best quality vanilla extract I can afford that isn’t flooded with additives (beware of the word vanillin, a.k.a. fake vanilla).

It is also a matter of personal taste. My vanilla of choice is Tahitian. I love the well rounded rich flavor it provides.

The least expensive (notice I didn’t say cheap – there is nothing cheap about vanilla) way to buy vanilla beans is to purchase in bulk. I’ve used Singing Dog Tahitian beans before and have been very happy with the flavor. You can order online. While you are buying your beans add extract to your order. Storing your beans in extract helps to retain a plump, fresh bean while at the same time infusing your extract with even more vanilla goodness.

I’ve managed to incorporate vanilla beans in both the frosting and the cupcake. If you don’t have a vanilla bean I still want you to make these. The cake is rich and packed with banana flavor. The addition of the dark chocolate adds a grown up taste that balances the sweetness and rounds out the cake.

The frosting is not very sweet because I love the tang of cream cheese – feel free to add more sugar if you think I’m crazy.

Banana Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

For cake
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

3/4 cup well-mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 bananas)

1/2 vanilla bean

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped dark chocolate

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Cream the butter (1 stick) and dark brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy. You can also do this by hand. Begin with a wooden spoon until the butter is incorporated with the sugar then switch to a whisk. Beat in egg until combined. In a small bowl combine the bananas and the seeds from half a vanilla bean. (To remove the seeds, carefully slice the bean in half using a sharp paring knife or kitchen shears. With a paring knife scrape out all the seeds). Add the sour cream to the bananas then combine this mixture with the butter mixture. Carefully add the dry ingredients mixing until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate if using.

You can bake these in a 9″ round or make cupcakes as I have done.

Bake in the middle of your oven at 350* for about 20 minutes or until a cake tester (toothpick or skewer) comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then move to a rack to completely cool before frosting.

This recipe makes about 18 cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)

1 tbl. Sour Cream

4 oz. Butter (softened)

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 vanilla bean

1 cup Powdered Sugar

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. To avoid lumps make sure the butter and cream cheese are very soft.

WAIT! Don’t throw out your vanilla pod! Sure, the seeds are removed but every part of the bean is edible. You’ve paid good money for those so use it all.

You have a couple of options. You could simply throw it into a container with sugar and let it scent the sugar which is great in your morning cup of coffee. OR for an even more vanilla flavored sugar – let the pods completely dry then pulverize in a well-cleaned spice grinder. Add the vanilla dust to sugar and use anywhere you deem worthy.

Be sure to read David Lebovitz’s insightful post on vanilla.

Print PDF