notes from my food diary

This year I’m trying to make some homemade candy at home.  I got this cute book from the library titled Barks, and Bonbons: Delicious Recipes for Quick and Easy Candy by Charity Ferreira.  Two of the recipes from the book that I had time to make were Vanilla Sea-Salt Caramels and Striped Butter Mints.  I admit that I don’t like eating candy that much even when I was small but now that I have a son, making homemade candy is an adventurous craft that I want to try my hands on.  Well, there’s something to be said about following instructions when making candies.  I didn’t make major mistake but there’s certain things that I have to master in order to make my candies looking presentable.  The first one was when it said to refrigerate the caramels for 2 1/2 hours and I left it a bit too long.  Hard caramels is really hard and it required certain muscles in parts of my arms to be able to slice it through.  The second one was when I was trying to make stripes on my mints.  The instruction said that I had to drop food color in different parts of the mints and just worked it with my hands until the color is distributed in irregular streaks.  But in reality, my drops didn’t become stripes and the colors were instead dotted the mints all over.  I felt horrible looking at my mints.  The taste was great though, I love it nonetheless.  So there would be no photo or recipe for the mints because I couldn’t bring myself to present it here. 

The caramels’ flavor was great as well.  The addition of sea salt really cut down the sweetness of the caramels and I could taste the vanilla beans as the caramels melts in my mouth.  Part of the pleasures of making candies was also that they’re great little gifts for children.  I shared some of these candies with my son’s friends for Christmas presents and most everybody wouldn’t say no to them.   Christmas is about giving instead of receiving, isn’t it?

This is my last post before Christmas, I am hoping to have plenty more posts to make afterwards.  Merry Christmas to all my readers, may your hearts are blessed with joy and peace!

Vanilla-Sea Salt Caramels

Makes about 80 caramels

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup water

2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out

Generously butter the sides and bottom of an 8-inch square disposable aluminum cake pan.  Place the pan on a baking sheet for stability. 

In a large pot over medium-low heat, stir together  the sugar, corn syrup, cream, 3/4 cup butter, water, salt, and vanilla and seeds until the sugar is dissolved and butter is melted.  Increase the heat and boil, stirring occasionally with a heatproof spatula or a wooden spoon, until the mixture turns a golden brown and measures about 250 degree F on a candy thermometer, 18 to 25 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Immediately pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Let stand at room temperature until the top is set, about 20 minutes, then refrigerate (with baking sheet underneath) until firm enough to cut, about 2 1/2 hours.

Bend back the sides of the pan and invert to release the caramel on to a cutting board.  Use a sharp knife to cut the caramel into 1-inch squares.  Wrap each piece and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  The caramels will taste best if you give them a few minutes at room temperature before eating.

Source:  from Brittles, Barks, and Bonbons: Delicious Recipes fro Quick and Easy Candy by Charity Ferreira 

My son really loves doughnuts.  Every time we go somewhere where doughnuts are on display he will ask me to buy some for him.  But I don’t like making doughnuts too often.  I basically hate frying them, besides the temptation is too much when we have too many doughnuts at too many times.  So when I saw recipes in Vegetarian Times about baked doughnuts, I tried them right away.  I do have the pan needed for the recipes and I tried both regular and chocolate recipes.  But before you get too excited, I found that baked doughnuts are not the same with fried doughnuts.  Never ever will.  If you like fried doughnuts, stick with them.  Though baked doughnuts a bit healthier than the fried ones, they don’t have the feel of fried doughs in your mouth.  These are more like small cakes, the chocolate ones were a bit dry to my taste.  I wasn’t too disappointed in making them because my son still enjoyed the treats I made for him and the frosting he made  

So here are the pictures of baked doughnuts, they are simply feasts for your eyes only.  If you are still interested in making them, the recipes can be found here for French Toast Baked Doughnuts and here for Devil’s Food Baked Doughnuts.

Several weeks ago I had unexpected offer to take some quince from my friend.  Julie, whose daughter is carpooling with me in the morning to school, talked to my neighbor down the road who has a quince tree in his yard, which I don’t know about until then.  I always suspect that is an apple tree yet quietly surprise that he has never picked the fruits every fall whenever I drive past his house.  The fruits always fall to the ground and from far away they do look similar to Golden Delicious apples.  That lone tree bears lots of fruits every year.  My friend has a way to to talk to a stranger and she would get something from just talking.  I admire her for that because I’m usually shy around strangers.

Julie gave me about a dozen or so quince and I set out right away to find recipes to use those quince.  I didn’t have to find farther than in my kitchen, the answers actually came from two books.  One was A Passion for Desserts by Emily Lucheti and the other one was preserving book.  Emily Lucheti’s book is divided into season and it gives me what to make for every season.  One of the recipes in there is Walnut Shortcakes with Baked Quince, appropriately in the autumn desserts chapter.  It said that quince has to be paired with richly flavored ingredients such as walnuts.  This worked for me and I was happy to try it.  The key to cooking quince is patient because if you want to have that deep red-orange hue, you have to cook at least a few hours.  

The walnut shortcakes were so good and I made them thin enough so I didn’t have to cut them into two.  Instead I used two disks to sandwich the chantilly cream and doused those with quince sauce.  This is a rich dessert as said so, thus presenting it after a light meal would be ideal.

The rest of the quince was made into quince preserves and I still have to find time to bake some scones to eat with them.  It will come later on this month or next, I just can’t wait to eat it!

Walnut Shortcakes with Baked Quince

Makes 6 servings

Baked Quince:

3 large quince

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup Sauvignon Blanc

2-inch cinnamon stick

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds removed

Walnut Shortcakes:

3 ouncces (3/4 cup) wanuts, toasted and finely ground

3 tablespoon sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

Chantilly Cream to serve

To make the quince:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Peel, quarter and core the quince and place them in a single layer in an ovenproof baking dish.  Heat the sugar, water, wine, cinnamon stick, and vanilla bean in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.  Pour the hot syrup over the quince.  Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until a knife easily pierced the flesh, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  With a slotted spoon, remove the quince from the pan.  Cut the quince into 1-inch pieces.  Put the poaching liquid in a small saucepan.  Over medium-high heat, reduce the liquid until slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes.  Place the syrup and the quince pieces in a medium bowl.  Cool to room temperature and refrigerate.

To make the shortcakes:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine the walnuts, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Using a pastry blender or paddle attachment on an electric stand mixer, mix in the butter until it is pea sized.  Add the cream and stir until the dough comes together.  Form the dough into a 5-inch disk.  On a lightly floured work surface, pat or roll the dough out to 3/4 inch thick.  Cut into 2 1/2-inch circles.  Place the circles on the prepared baking sheet, several inches apart, and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

To assemble the shortcakes:  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Cut each shortcakes in half horizontally.  Reheat the quince for 10 minutes and the shortcakes for 5 minutes.  Place the bottom of a shortcake on each of 6 dessert plates.  Place some quince and some syrup over and around the shortcakes.  Top with some Chantilly Cream.  Place the top halves of the shortcakes over the cream.  Drizzle the remaining sauce around the shortcakes.  Serve immediately.

Chantilly Cream: 

Makes 2 cups

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until soft peaks form.  The cream should hold its shape but still satiny in appearance.  It should never be grainy.

Source:  from A Passion for Desserts by Emily Luchetti

Steamed cakes are very popular amongst the Asians and there are various recipes of making steamed cakes.  This technique may originate from the time when an oven was not readily available in Asian countries but a steamer was always available and a cheaper alternative means to an oven.  The Chinese has been making all different sweet and savory cakes by using a steamer and the technique spread to various Asian countries.  Indonesians also make steamed cupcakes, which is called "Bolu Kukus",  using various ingredients like coconut milk or flavored sodas for flavor or pandan leaves juice for color and flavor.  I have tried making steamed cakes before but it was a long time ago I don’t even remember when it was.  After looking at my friend’s picture of steamed cakes, I decided last Sunday was the time to do it. 

The original recipe calls for coconut milk for the liquid ingredient and a pandan or chocolate or mocha paste for flavor.  I made a first batch using a mocha paste which I bought in Indonesia, but it turned out that I didn’t particularly care for it in my cakes.  I decided to try combining green tea and cocoa powder, which is a popular choice nowadays.   I kept the coconut milk in it and the cakes turned out very good indeed.  Now, the success of steamed cupcakes is measured by how big the cakes will puff up.  They have to bloom like flowers from the hot steam to produce what Indonesians calls a successful steamed cupcakes.  The first time I opened my steamer lid, they puffed very big, I was afraid that they bloomed too much.  But once they cooled down, the puffiness came down a bit and they were perfect. 

So here is the recipe for the cakes, may the bloom force be with you!

Green Tea-Chocolate Steamed Cupcakes

Makes about 9 "bolu kukus" cups

250 gram all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

225 gram granulated sugar

2 large eggs

150 cc coconut milk

1/2 Tablespoon emulsifier

1 Tablespoon green tea powder

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Sift together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Set aside.  Prepare individual "bolu kukus" cups by lining them with parchment paper. 

With an electric mixer, cream together sugar and eggs until batter is ribbony and pale in color, about 5 minutes.  Add the emulsifier and cream until almost white in color and very thick.  Add flour and coconut milk alternately.

Divide the batter into two batches, one-third will be mixed with green tea powder and two-third will be mixed with cocoa powder.  Using rubber spatula, mix these powder separately in two bowls until well combined.

Prepare a steamer, filling it with water and have ready a towel to cover the inside to the steamer lid.  Heat the steamer in high heat until the water boils very rapidly.  Keep it in medium heat while you fill the cups with batters.

Using a big ice cream scooper for the cocoa batter, drop a scoop into the cup, filling until about three-quarter high.  Using a small ice cream scooper or a tablespoon for the green tea batter, drop a scoop or a tablespoon of batter on top of the chocolate batter.  Tap the cup to the surface to let the batter settle.  Do the same for the rest.

Place all the cups inside the steamer, line the top with towel and close the lid carefully.  Increase the heat again to high and once the water return to boil, set the timer for 10 minutes.  At the end of the timer, open the lid carefully while holding the towel altogether.  Makes sure the water drops don’t come into contact with the cakes.  Turn off the heat and cool the cakes in a wire rack.

Source:  adapted from Natural Cooking Club website

These two things were popular items to purchase in the baked goods booth in my son’s school fall festival.  With the addition of cinnamon in the peanut brittle, it added a touch of spiciness to them.  The butter toffee were a classic, simply delicious and with a perfect crunchiness.  Either one of these will be a nice companion to cool and creamy desserts.

Cinnamon Peanut Brittle

Makes about 25 to 35 pieces

2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup light corn syrup

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups roasted salted peanuts

1 teaspoon baking soda

Grease well a 13×17-inch baking pan with sides with vegetable oil.

Combine 1/2 cup water wth the sugar, cream of tartar, and corn syrup in a medium-size heavy saucepan fitted with the candy thermometer.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  After it boils, stir occasionally.  Boil the mixture until it reaches 340 degrees.  The color should be deep golden brown.  Remove from the heat and, quickly, sitr in the cinnamon with a wooden spoon.  Stir in the butter until it is melted, then the peanuts and baking soda.

Pour the mixture onto the oiled pan and spread it out a bit with the back of a wooden spoon, to about 1/4-inch thickness (it may not fill the whole pan).  Let the brittle harden, uncovered, in a cool place, 30 to 45 minutes.

Using your hands, and wearing cotton or plastic gloves if desired to keep off any fingerprints, break the brittle into pieces.  Store in an airtight container.

Source:  from Gale Gand’s Just A Bite

Classic Butter Toffee

Makes about 1 1/2 pounds

Butter

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon light-color corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup bittersweet chocolate pieces

Line a 13×9 x 2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.  Set pan aside.

Butter sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan.  Melt 1 cup butter in the saucepan.  Add sugar, the water, and corn syrup.  Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils.  Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan.  Reduce heat to a medium; continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, stirring frequently, until thermometer register 290 degrees F, soft-crack stage (about 15 minutes).  Adjust heat as necessary to maintain a steady boil.  Watch syrup carefully after it reaches 280 degrees F to prevent scorching.  Remove saucepan from heat; remove thermometer.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour candy into the prepared pan, spreading quickly to an even thickness about 1/4 inch.  (Toffee will not cover entire surface of prepared pan.)

Let candy stand for 2 to 3 minutes or just until set.  Sprinkle with chocolate pieces.  Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes.  When chocolate pieces have softened, spread melted chocolate over candy.  Chill in refrigerator about 20 minutes or until candy is firm.

Use foil to lift candy from pan.  Break candy into pieces about 2 inches across.  To store candies:  place candy in layers separated by pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover.  Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerate for up to 1 month, or freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw candy, if frozen, before serving.

Source:  from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies, 2007