The spun sugar was fun and pretty, however it was impractical. Ouch! When I make these for the real event I'm going to make bowls or nests for the apples to sit in so no one has to tear away spikey sugar. Or get spun sugar splinters. Click for another picture.
I also made pumpkin seed candy [recipe], which is surprisingly good, I normally don't like honey all that much. The raw, hulled pepitas (pumpkin seeds) were a little difficult to find, I found them in the bulk containers in the baking aisle at a local grocery store, Draegers. I bet one could find them at Whole Foods, and maybe Trader Joe's as well. I cooled the rest of the caramel from the apples and cut into square candies. It tastes more like toffee, does that mean I cooked it too long? I'll have to look this up. Monday, October 28, 2002
Sunday, October 27, 2002
I tried the caramel apples again and it worked! I kept the heat lower, and while it took a long time nothing burned.
The spun sugar was fun and pretty, however it was impractical. Ouch! When I make these for the real event I'm going to make bowls or nests for the apples to sit in so no one has to tear away spikey sugar. Or get spun sugar splinters. Click for another picture.
I also made pumpkin seed candy [recipe], which is surprisingly good, I normally don't like honey all that much. The raw, hulled pepitas (pumpkin seeds) were a little difficult to find, I found them in the bulk containers in the baking aisle at a local grocery store, Draegers. I bet one could find them at Whole Foods, and maybe Trader Joe's as well. I cooled the rest of the caramel from the apples and cut into square candies. It tastes more like toffee, does that mean I cooked it too long? I'll have to look this up.
The spun sugar was fun and pretty, however it was impractical. Ouch! When I make these for the real event I'm going to make bowls or nests for the apples to sit in so no one has to tear away spikey sugar. Or get spun sugar splinters. Click for another picture.
I also made pumpkin seed candy [recipe], which is surprisingly good, I normally don't like honey all that much. The raw, hulled pepitas (pumpkin seeds) were a little difficult to find, I found them in the bulk containers in the baking aisle at a local grocery store, Draegers. I bet one could find them at Whole Foods, and maybe Trader Joe's as well. I cooled the rest of the caramel from the apples and cut into square candies. It tastes more like toffee, does that mean I cooked it too long? I'll have to look this up. Thursday, October 24, 2002
Help! I once again attempted to make caramel apples, using this recipe, and this candy thermometer. But, tragically, the bottom layer of the sugar burnt, so there are oogy dark brown burnt bits in my caramel. I suspect it was something like I was using normal pans, not ones with extra thick copper bottoms. Or I had the heat too high? Has anyone else had this trouble? How did you successfully make caramel? Should I give up and buy some of that apple dip at the grocery store?
Take a look at ljc's latest project - Free Table, pink! with mosaics! mostly free!
At Get Crafty - Tattoo Your Towels, helpful basics for cool embroidery by Jenny Hart, owner of Sublime Stitching, which rocks.
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
Malika, who runs the wonderful Nobody's Fool: Food Notes and Stories, is opening a Q&A section! So if you have any questions about food or wine or cooking, ask the expert. I myself tend to have really basic questions, like why doesn't Sur La Table stock enough meringue powder to last them through Christmas?
Take a look at ljc's home improvement - Bathroom Mosaic Cupboards, so nice! Keep an eye on ljc's Projects.
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
some recipes I want to keep around:
- spinach and three cheese calzone
- prosciutto and brie calzone with apple